My Grateful Post for the Day

My "grateful" post for the day is, additionally, in regard to yesterday's piece I posted here about "Gratitude ? ? ?." It has always been the nature of my blog, for some reason, to garner more private responses than public comments. 

The emails and messages I've received regarding this one have been strong and supportive, for the most part. 

But not all. 

And that's good too, really - I like friends who think and who will speak. 

Save me, please, from people who won't/can't/refuse to think. 

And I sometimes feel badly for those who won't/can't/refuse to speak. 

I do know it's a personal choice - a very personal choice and I respect it. 

I do. 

And for that very reason, I expect respect in return because I'm always going to live by the words of E. Burke, I guess, or at least I hope to. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." 

I don't want to "do nothing." I want to do whatever I can - and I have found that the anger I'm feeling motivates me to do a little more. 

Write letters, make phone calls. 

Do some volunteer work in my community. 

These are the things I'm doing - with the new year bringing opportunities for me to get more involved in the volunteer work. 

I am, however, steering clear of political volunteer work. I've had it with politics in this country. 

I will continue to be outspoken about it and I will continue to make phone calls - even when the person who answers the phone makes it obvious they wish I'd quit calling. 

But I'm not giving my volunteer time to it. That's for people with an ability to contain their rage and their words - not for me, I'm afraid. 

But women's issues, homelessness, literacy. 

Those are things I can help with. 

Things I can give my time to. Things I've been somewhat active in, but it's time to step that up. 

So here's my "grateful" for the day - 

Grateful that I can help.