Demise of the Money Plant

The whole world's talking about economic woes. I have a few of my own.

Back in the spring of April 2007, I posted this picture on a blog of a lush plant I bought and was so excited to find out it is called a money plant.

I was hoping to find tens or twenties growing on it within a year or so.

Well here we are a year and a half later, and I will tell you I'm a better outdoor gardener than indoor. Apparently the darn thing needed water or something. I'm ashamed to post the picture, but here's what that plant looks like now. Pathetic.

I'm afraid that may be a picture of some people's savings and pensions given the latest economic crisis, and I do not jest about that. It must be a terribly frightening time especially for seniors who had planned to live on money that has now dried up, just like my plant. Very troubling indeed.

Somehow I think many in our North American culture have come to believe we will always be secure and have plenty, and though there is poverty all around us in our urban centres, those of us with a paycheque and a comfortable life can find it easy to become oblivious to those with little. Hunger to us, is when our stomach rumbles after having had 2-3 meals that day, with snacks in between. Our spare time is taken in amusing ourselves, spending plenty of time and money on entertainment lest we succumb to boredom. Maybe we need a bit of a shakeup?

If you asked an average child/teen/twenty year old in our North American culture what their favorite activities are, what would their responses be? Video games, IPOD, cell phone, IPhone, MSN, MySpace, TV, going to a movie, hangin' out with friends.....?

This week I got an update from a friend who is 14 and she lists her 3 top favorite activities as:

1) sweeping,

2) fetching water,

3) washing clothes.

Fetching water.

That's probably a clue that the other favorite...washing clothes... will be a chore done without a washing machine. If these are her favorite activities, does she know the meaning of the word leisure?

Picture yourself fetching water everytime you need some for drinking, cooking, washing, and growing your food. Kinda puts the Iphone on the back burner.

About a year ago we began to sponsor this teenager, Josiane, through World Vision. She lives in Rwanda and is in grade 4. Her parents died some time ago. She lives with relatives with a family of their own and they find it difficult to care for her. Here is the description from World Vision of Josiane's community:

"The social fabric of the community has been ravaged by Hutu and Tutsi genocide. Your child has survived the killing of thousands of friends, neighbours or fellow citizens. Unfortunately, many of Rwanda's families are headed by widows with no means of support. More than 85,000 families ...{can you grasp that number?} ... are headed by children - sometimes as young as 11."

I truly feel for people in our culture who are struggling financially through no fault of their own. Perhaps it's a time for all of us to take stock of all we have, be grateful for a roof, a bed, food and clothes, and give out of any abundance we have beyond that, to those who don't even have those basics. That said in a week when a complaint has been filed with the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission, declaring that high speed internet should be a basic human right, as opposed to 'suffering' with the misery of dialup. Oh my. Maybe we should make sure everyone has food first?

Would you like that in tens or twenties?

I was at a floral shop recently and decided it was time to cash in on a gift certificate I had won at least 3 years ago and which had lived in my purse most of that time. The sales woman graciously accepted the tattered paper with no expiry date, and I got myself a rather cool eclectic type plant for my living room (pictured here). It's just 3 stalks sticking out of stones and only requires water every 2 weeks, kinda like bamboo, but not. As she was wrapping it, I asked her what it was. My eyes lit up at her response. "A money plant." Well!! If there was anything we need right now it's money because we've purchased a car to replace our jalopy. I took the plant home with great excitement and have begun to watch it with interest (no pun intended). I have seen a silver dollar plant in outdoor gardens, but I am quite sure I can see new paper currency beginning to form on the stems of my plant! It's hard to tell whether the bills are going to be blue, purple, or brown.

Of course, if they are American bills they won't be so pretty, nor will I likely know their value until they're full grown, but they may be worth more in the long run. I am fertilizing the plant heavily and am hoping for a bountiful harvest. Don't bother asking me to 'loan' you the plant...although I'll give you 'credit' for asking. (Groan).

Here's a picture of our new used car.
We don't own a garage or carport. If you are observant, you will note that our driveway is directly beneath the birds' flight path to the birdfeeders and birdbath. That is why we chose a black car. We're looking forward to the quadrillion maple keys and accompanying sap in the next month or so. For those of you wondering about that Jaguar...at last word it has been sold and we will be letting it go in the next day or two. We already have 3 cars in the driveway, so it's okay. We'll deal with it.

All kidding aside, we are so grateful for this car now that our other one is not highway worthy. It is a wonderful car and we are not used to such luxury. It's funny but I always experience a feeling of guilt whenever I have anything nice. This feeling was more than punctuated after going on a missions trip to the Dominican Republic. We walked through the filth of garbage and disease, and observed the desperate conditions of poverty in leaky tin shacks that made my ugly, rusty, outdoor tool shed seem like a large, wonderful dwelling place. When I arrived home and walked through the front door of my home, I was overcome and had to weep because I felt like I live in a mansion and don't even know it. I don't think there is a night I lay my head on my pillow that I don't think of the homeless and the poor and the desolate, and wonder how it is that I can have a roof, a pillow, a warm blanket, and a full stomach. Why me? Why not them? So I have tried to make it a habit that if I am spending money on something that is other than necessity, I must also give as generously as possible to a needy cause. We live in a culture that seems to spend every paycheque soon after receipt and often on selfish, needless stuff. But are we not blessed so that we can give it away...and as we do so....we receive more to give away again?! I remember when we paid off our first house. We had no kids and had made it our goal to get rid of the mortgage. We did it, and I wanted to celebrate the fact. But somehow, being debt free at that time was not the wonderful 'high' that I thought it would be. It was actually rather empty. I realized why people with everything are not happy. That's not where the joy is. But when we learned to give without thought of return or recognition, it was more wonderful than receiving! It's not about how much you have or the size of your gift, but the attitude of your heart as you give. Jesus noticed the little widow who gave only 2 pennies as compared with the rich people who gave much....he noticed because he knew it was all she had...given with a generous heart*.

And so as I watch my money plant slowly grow, I will dream of ways to give away its bounty, but in the meantime, I'll check out my other resources....like my husband's wallet.

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' Acts 20:35 (New International Version Bible)

*Mark 12:41-44