[Magdalen] Loaned out

[Georgia DuBose]

Agreeing.

I have a friend, a person of great faith and good works, who has had a
lot of misfortune, including the deaths of her husband and son in
close succession. I helped pay for both the funerals. Also helped her
with a semester of her Doctor of Divinity degree. She has done some
very good things for me, but that is not why I did it.

Another person who has had a lot of misfortune, and whom I have helped
financially, once with the request that she use the extra (as it
turned out) sum for a back-up emergency fund, used it instead to hire
a homeless person to clean her apartment, and displayed considerable
ill will about being asked to consider an emergency fund. "No soup for
you." Sometimes, the resulting negativity is not worth the effort.
That's it, kiddo.

I don't think St. Francis would have that attitude, but I have to confess, I do.

Georgia+
who was helped many times when she was a really poor single mom, both
with loans and with gifts.

On Wed, Sep 9, 2015 at 10:03 AM, ME Michaud <michaudme at gmail.com> wrote:
> I learned this lesson twice.
>
> First when a Jewish friend married and collected enough checks & cash at
> the reception to make a downpayment on their first house. All done quietly
> and decently and in good order, with a hug and a blessing. This cheap New
> Englander was flabbergasted.
>
> Second, when my mother was diagnosed as terminal and her college roommate
> sent me a check for a thousand dollars. I was flabbergasted all over again.
> "You'll need it," she said.
> And she was right.
>
> I repeat: Jesus didn't tell us to lend.
> -M
>
>
> On Wednesday, September 9, 2015, Lynn Ronkainen <houstonklr at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Thanks for your thought provoking post M.  I am not in a position to 'give
>> without lending' most of the time. However I see the dynamic that if one
>> can give without needing repayment the situation is completely different
>> for all parties involved. Thanks for sharing how you approach this.
>>
>>