January 4, 2005
Piggy Bank
What if it became the national habit for a second term president’s inaugural to meet whatever the Constitution’s schedule and ritual might require in a nice library somewhere on a longer-than-usual lunch break, and then everybody go out for pizza?
This one coming up on January 20 will cost about forty million bucks, the ticket for the fanciest event set at $250,000. That’s lots of pizza. Well, we’re giving the tsunami victims thirty-five million (only fifteen million at first, until the press got wind of it) and promising more to come. We also promised more to New York City way back on 9/11.
One recent news story told of a youngster who emptied his piggy bank of about ten dollars and got it sent to Sri Lanka and thereabouts. He said simply, “They need it more than I do.” My friend Barbara, the Wonder Writer, reflecting this morning about all this, said, “We are what Christ has to work with here on earth. Surely our greatest blessing is to be able to save lives in his name.” Surely.
The Episcopal Relief & Development website at www.er-d.org can show you a way you can empty your piggy bank.