How to Have a Life of Joy

Consider the following from Steve Goodier.

Do you know how to have a life of joy?

A businessman on his deathbed called his friend and said, "Bill, I want you to promise me that when I die you will have my remains cremated." "And what," his friend asked, "do you want me to do with your ashes?" The businessman said, "Just put them in an envelope and mail them as taxes to the government and write on the envelope, 'NOW YOU HAVE EVERYTHING!'"

Paying taxes is not usually a joy. But GIVING can be joyful. We pay the taxes because we have to. But when we choose to give time or money, then giving can add to our overall happiness.

Mother Teresa teaches us an important lesson about happiness. She was one of those people who emanated joy. Born in 1910 in Skopje, Macedonia, she felt called as a teenager to move to Calcutta, India. Some months later she saw a sight that completely revolutionized her life.

Shortly after moving to Calcutta she spotted a homeless, dying woman lying in the gutter, being eaten by rats. After seeing that, compassion compelled her to beg an abandoned Hindu temple from the government and convert it into a crude, make-shift hospital for the dying. "Nobody should die alone" she would later say. Mother Teresa went on to establish homes for the destitute dying in numerous cities. But in spite of devoting her life to people in such dire straits, she radiated joy and happiness.

This incredible woman was once interviewed by Malcolm Muggeridge from the BBC News. He asked her an unusual question: "Mother Teresa, the thing I noticed about you and the hundreds of sisters who now form your team is that you all look so happy. Is that a put-on?"

Here was a woman who had none of the things we like to think of as bringing happiness: a home, a family, prosperity. Rather, she lived in near-poverty and spent her time wiping dirt and various body fluids from half-dead cancer and leprosy victims -- and appeared to be blissfully happy. "Is that a put-on" she was asked?

She replied, "Oh no, not at all. Nothing makes you happier than when you really reach out in mercy to someone who is badly hurt."

She would agree that happiness does not come from acquiring, but is a by-product of giving: time, money, love. Do you want a life of joy? Start by giving.

-- Steve Goodier
Now you can add your own comments to Life Support. You can find more thoughts from Steve Goodies on his blog. http://stevegoodier.blogspot.com/

A note from our editor:
We don't have to go to India to find tired and hurting people. They are right here amongst us, ministries such as Clifton Sanctuary are next door, we just have to look for them. In this trying time won't you take a few minutes or hours and share your blessings with those around you?

Charitable IRA Gifting Extended

The charitable IRA legislation is back —don't miss this opportunity to make tax-free gifts from your IRA!

There's good news for individuals aged 70½ or older with individual retirement accounts. Thanks to the extended charitable IRA legislation, you can make outright gifts using IRA funds without tax complications.

If you are required to receive minimum distributions from your IRA and you do not need the money for personal use, consider using those funds as a charitable gift. While you cannot claim a charitable deduction for the IRA gifts, you will not pay income tax on the amount. You also will not need paperwork to prove a gift.

You may contribute funds this way if:

• You are 70½ or older
• Your IRA gifts total $100,000 or less each year in 2008 and 2009
• You transfer funds directly from an IRA
• You transfer the gifts outright to one or more public charities (This excludes gifts made to charitable trusts, donor advised funds and supporting organizations.)
  

The Benefits:

• In most cases, the transfer counts toward your minimum required distributions.
• The gift generates neither taxable income nor a tax deduction, so even those who do not itemize their tax returns receive the benefit.
• You may transfer up to $100,000 directly from your IRA in 2008 and 2009.
• The distributions may be in addition to or fulfill any charitable giving you have already planned.

The Next Step

Be sure to contact tax professionals and your IRA administrator if you are considering a gift under this law. Gifts can be sent to Clifton Sanctuary Ministries at 369 Connecticut Avenue, NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30307.

Historia de un Letrero

For those of us whose Spanish is a little rusty or nonexistant this translates to "The Story of a Sign." What is it you may ask. The better question might be why is it posted here at Clifton Sanctuary Ministries. So let me try to answer those questions.

Specifically this is the title of a short video that won an award baclk in Mayat the Cannes Film Festival. What that should tell you is that I am not up-to-date on what goes on in the world of films. This film was only recently shared with me by another board member. After watching it, I thought this video had a message that people interested in Clifton would understand.

If you haven't seen it yet here is a link to the video http://www.historiadeunletrero.com. It is just short of 6 minutes an worth watching.

Without telling you the whole story let me give you a brief overview of the film. In this film we see a man who is blind, begging in a city park. As with most such people he is pretty much ignored by everyone. Then one individual stops for a moment and changes the sign this man has next to him. After the sign is changed people suddenly take note of him and his small can is soon overflowing with donations. When the stranger return, the man asks what he did to his sign. If you want to know watch the video.

The point here is that by giving just a little of his time this stranger had a significant impact on the blind man. How many of us cross paths with an individual in need (blind, ill, in morning, even homeless) and miss the opportunity to share a little of ourselves. Whether it is our time, our talent or perhaps our money; Christ calls us to be a neighbor to each person we encounter.

Interior Design Accessories Sale

A great friend of Clifton who owns a home interior design business has donated to Clifton several van loads of beautiful lamps, paintings, mirrors, and accessories. He told us to use what we could for guys who are moving into new apartments and then sell the remainder. So.....we're going to offer these wonderful items for sale the weekend of July 25, 26, & 27. If you need to update your home, this is the time and place to pick up some bargains....and all for a great cause. You can bring your shopping list to Epworth United Methodist Church (where the guys stayed during the fire rebuilding) located across the street from Candler Park at 1561 McLendon Avenue. The hours are Friday, July 25 from 5pm-8pm, Saturday, July 26 from 9am-3pm, and Sunday afternoon, July 27 after church.

Volunteer Opportunities - It's Not All About the Money

What can I do to help at Clifton??? I stood speechless at church about a month ago when Tim stopped me in the hall and asked that wonderful question. You'd think I'd have a 30-second elevator speech all ready to go, but I didn't. The easy answer is come serve dinner as an early evening host, but all of the spots were full this month, so that didn't work. Not having a quick and meaningful answer, I decided to do what any self-respecting board member would do....go ask Alice!

There are 4 real needs at Clifton right now. So, Tim, here's the answer to your great question....

1. Lunch bags - we are now preparing lunch bags for the guys to take with them each day. It's really been a hit so we hope to continue. If you would like to prepare the bags with a sandwich (no mayo), chips, a piece of fruit, and bottle of water that would be great - we use about 20 each day. Also, the guys who stay in during the day are served lunch. If you'd like to prepare and serve lunch for 6-8 folks each day, we'd welcome your help.

2. Foot care - many of our guys arrive at Clifton with poor or no foot care, even though they are walking the streets of Atlanta looking for work or attending appointments every day. If you know of a group of nurses, physicians, or medical students who would like to provide basic foot care on a weekly or monthly basis, please let us know.

3. Dental Care - finding free or reduced rate dental care for our guests has been a huge challenge. Grady Health Systems does have a dental clinic, but they only pull teeth - no restorative care (fillings, etc...) is available. We are grateful to the Clayton State University School of Dental Hygiene for their great dental hygiene services that they offered to our guests this past year, but we are still in search of dentists that will provide additional services.

4. Appointment buddies - Imagine trying to navigate the waters of healthcare with limited or no understanding about how the systems works. You are treated for an illness but are not given a follow up appointment or maybe you are given a prescription, but don't know how to get it filled. Many of our guests are in that exact boat, but with a little assistance, they don't have to be. If you have some time (usually 2-3 hours) to provide transportation to a doctor's appointment and then can make sure the guest understands what to do next in his healthcare plan, you would solve that problem. Not to mention that getting to spend time with the guys is always fun. They are thoughtful, considerate, and usually have a great story to tell. Brenda Gales, our healthcare case manager, will provide you with all the details and also will give you the appropriate information for each appointment.

If any of these opportunities to volunteer sound like something you would enjoy doing, please contact Alice Jenkins, Executive Director, at alice@cliftonsanctuary.com or (404) 373-3253.

The Second Best Time To Begin

The following is from Steve Goodier (http://lifesupportsystem.com/Home_Page.html) I think it sums up the attitude of folks involved at Clifton Sanctuary Ministries. We are called to action, not necessarily to plan. We can't solve homelessness but we can be part of the solution for an individual. If this moves you to action please visit our web site and contact our office.

The Second Best Time To Begin
by Steve Goodier

Philosopher and economist Friedrich Engels said, "An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory." Perhaps it is easier to talk about what to do than to do it.

U.S. District court judge Woodrow Seal was active in a philanthropic organization known as The Society of St. Stephen. It is an internationally recognized organization with the sole purpose of helping people in need.

One day a church invited Mr. Seal to speak to their congregation and explain to them how they might begin a Society of St. Stephen. The plan was for the him to speak on the various programs of the society, then follow up with a time for discussion.

The people took their seat and the minister introduced the featured speaker. The judge helped himself to cookies and poured a cup of coffee. When the introduction was completed, Judge Seal walked over to the piano, put his coffee cup on top of it, and began to fumble in his coat pockets. Finally, he pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper and from it read the name of a mother and her four children, including their ages and clothing sizes.

He noted several other unmet needs of the family and mentioned that their address was on the paper which he carefully laid on top of the piano. The judge then said, "If you want to start a Society of St. Stephen, then you should contact this woman by 11:30 tomorrow morning. If you are not able to help her, don't worry, I'll be in contact with her tomorrow and I'll get her help by mid-afternoon."

With that, the judge turned to leave. "Now, forgive me," he said, "but I really must be going. Thank you for inviting me and for the coffee and the cookies."

Before anyone could respond he walked out the door. It all took less than five minutes.

Here was a group of people who thought they were going to spend an hour listening to a program on how to help others in need, and maybe discuss its merits for a while. Instead they spent an hour deciding how to help one family - and the next day they did it.

Judge Seal wasn't content to sit around helplessly waiting for people to make a decision. The problem for most of us is not lack of knowledge but lack of action. When all is said and done...more will have been said than done. But like the Chinese proverb teaches, "The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now."

What are you trying to plant? The second best time to do it is now.


We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee. Marian Wright-Edelman