<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Irresistibly Fish]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://brettfish.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[brettfish]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://brettfish.wordpress.com/author/brettfish/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[The Power of&nbsp;Community]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/generous.jpg"><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="13101" data-permalink="https://brettfish.wordpress.com/2015/10/13/the-power-of-community/generous/" data-orig-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/generous.jpg" data-orig-size="600,308" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="generous" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/generous.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/generous.jpg?w=600" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13101" src="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/generous.jpg?w=600&#038;h=308" alt="generous" width="600" height="308" srcset="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/generous.jpg 600w, https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/generous.jpg?w=150&amp;h=77 150w, https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/generous.jpg?w=300&amp;h=154 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a></p>
<p>i LOVE that description of Generosity &#8211; being open-handed.</p>
<p>We experienced that this week. tbV had a conversation with one of the car guards down the road from us and found out that he had a baby daughter and some issues with getting formula for her. She stuck up a question on Facebook for her paediatrician friends and had a whole host of answers and suggestions [and volunteers of assistance and even resource-gathering] within the hour.</p>
<p>The day before we were seeking a chess set for her gran. We managed to get one from my folks but offers of sets via Facebook were also fast and furious.</p>
<p>My friend Kari shared an article on my Facebook wall today titled,<strong> &#8216;<a href="http://consciousbridge.com/wordpress/articles/bridge-building/uniting-u-s/expanding-your-circle-of-care">Expanding your Circle of Care</a>&#8216;</strong> in which someone started a Facebook group to buy an old man who frequented Subway in the States a sandwich every day as thanks for his participation in World War II.</p>
<p>And obviously tbV is working for <strong><a href="https://www.commonchange.com">Common Change</a></strong> and if you haven&#8217;t yet considered whether that might be a great way for you and some friends to experiment with doing Giving in a different way, then you should connect with her and invite her out for coffee. [Slash sushi!]</p>
<p>i like the idea the article lays out about expanding your circles of care to include those who don&#8217;t look like you &#8211; finding creative ways to extend generosity across race and culture lines in a way that doesn&#8217;t promote co-dependence but rather mutual upliftment, feels to me like one of the ways forward as a country. And especially a practical way for people who have benefitted from previous injustices to act towards redressing the wrongs and working towards greater equality and balance.</p>
<p><strong>Thoughts? Ideas?</strong> <strong>Any ways you have experienced this working in the lives of those around you?</strong></p>
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