I can't help but wonder... WHAT IF...
What if...instead of a $434,000 dress...
Every one of the 88 abandoned and severely special needs children at Sarah's Covenant Home in India got the life saving surgeries and therapies that they needed.
What would that look like?
WHAT IF... instead of spending $800,000 on the royal flowers...
... 320 houses were built for families displaced by the earthquake in Haiti.
What would that look like?
WHAT IF... instead of the $80,000 cake ordered for the wedding...
...the financial burden was removed to bring 4 children home to eager and loving families...
What would that look like?
WHAT IF... the $65,000 that will be used just to clean the streets for the royal wedding procession...
...was used instead to clean up these streets in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya.
What would that look like?
WHAT IF... instead of a $600,000 luncheon hosted by Prince Charles...
...The remaining 144 un-sponsored children at Yezelalem Minch (Ethiopia) were sponsored for the next 12 years- or until most of them are adults- providing them with an education, nutrition and a safe place to grow up.
What would that look like?
The point is- there are choices that we all make, myself included. The choices aren't always easy. The world tells us that we need bigger and better things and that we should find our self worth based on the amount of "stuff" that we can amass. The amount that we deal with on a daily basis may not equal the millions spent on the royal wedding, but the decision is the same: continue our lives of comfort, or make sacrifices to support the least of these.
I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day. -E. B. White
May the plan for your day (and my day) include improving the world- even if it is only in a small way. I guarantee that there is more enjoyment in that than anything else in the world!
Megan, LOVE this! Can I repost and link back???
ReplyDeleteLisa :)
Amen sister!!! Great post.
ReplyDeleteSure- Lisa!
ReplyDeleteWell said!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE that you wrote this!!!
ReplyDeleteScouring our house tippy top to basement bottom for our sale has brought a complete (and much needed) change to my very silly heart. I have bought too much JUNK in my lifetime...junk just weighs us down and wastes precious pennies! I can't help but think "if only" a billion times a day, as we are scraping to meet these increased costs and bring our sweet, sweet little ones home.
I can't change anything with all my "if only"s, but I sure plan to change EVERYTHING with a new heart and a new control regarding shopping/decorating/worldly wants/junk...and I know it can only better our family's future as well as others who are truly in need! [hugs]
This is a great:) And I agree with your sentiments entirely-we should all look at our spending and ask ourselves what is most important.
ReplyDeleteIn defense of the royal family though, particularly Prince Charles, they do an INCREDIBLE amount of charity work and give a lot back too. The Prince's Trust helps over 40,000 young people each year. And that is just the start.
I think it is only going to cost each British tax payer a matter of CENTS for this wedding. It has generated a huge amount of revenue through the sales of media rights, souvenirs, etc. It will also increase tourism to the UK. So in the big picture, the benefits of it outweigh the perceived cost.
But, hey, that dress IS a little expensive for sure;)
Love this post! Do you mind if I share it on FB?
ReplyDeleteIn fairness they have asked for donations to charity instead of presents, so far the total stands at £1/2 million :)
ReplyDeleteReader from UK
Thanks for sharing that Alice! I hope they raise a ton of money! I do think the royal family does an outstanding job of being ambassadors for tons of good works. :-)
ReplyDeleteI thought this post was really good! I've wondered similar things before, as well. Mostly when I see the multi-million dollar homes that most of Hollywood lives in. Really? Homes they are rarely in and rooms they probably forget about. I know a lot of them do great and wonderful things for others, but still. It's hard to see such excess.
ReplyDeleteLoved the post Megan! Thanks. We should all consider our choices as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteI love this! I am going to share too.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am completely enthralled by this royal event, I do completely agree with you as well! :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI so agree with you....Most of us colonials (australians) think they are complete waste of space and money... but as another reader said, they do lots of charity work.
ReplyDeleteI reckon the multi gazillionaires of free market america could be a tad more philanthropic as well.
Wow....thanks for making me "think" tonight. Wow.
ReplyDeleteLucky for you this can be reposted when they start wasting millions of dollars on the next presidential campaign!
ReplyDeleteWell said!!! Also, kuddos to Will & Kate for asking for donations to charities instead of wedding gifts!
ReplyDeleteI love this, Megan!! Very well said!
ReplyDeleteMeg, great analysis. I feel the same way about...I'm going to say it...Kentucky basketball. Sorry folks--had to go there. Billions wasted to exploit 19-yr-olds for our "entertainment." Gross.
ReplyDeleteWell said. Thank you for articulating your thoughts so well.
ReplyDeleteSometime last year I read that the entire world could have clean water for what Americans spend on Christmas. That's sad, for so many reasons. But my dad said something that comforted me. He said that the resources of heaven are limitless. Since then, I've been asking God to funnel more money through me....not just the filthy rich...but ME:)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing this. It's so easy just to "go through life". I appreciate your blog and your thoughts...
ReplyDeletewww.keymomentsmom.wordpress.com
Awesome post!!! Really makes you stop and think. I love all the pictures you used as well. Keep up the great work, Megan!!
ReplyDeleteThis post had me in tears at thought of all those wonderful things happening in place of an over priced wedding.
ReplyDeleteIt also makes me look into myself.
You are truly an inspiration.