It's Time...To Say Goodbye

At last count, we've received 29 calendars or planners in the last several months, almost all from charities that we support. Now, don't get me wrong. These are charities that target causes we believe in and we do check out any charity we're interested in to ensure, first, that they're legitimate and, second, that the money we donate goes to the cause and not in an administrator's pocket. However, enough's enough.

We used to enjoy our daily mail delivery. There were the occasional letters or cards, holiday catalogues, and so on. The last few years, though, almost all of our mail consists of charities sending updates or asking for money for one reason or another. Don't misunderstand me. Many of these charities do admirable work and I hope they're successful in their mission. It's just that we're tired of receiving constant requests. By the way, in addition to calendars and planners, updates on progress, special needs, or renewals, we 've received hats, bookmarks, pads, bandanas, coins, stamps, and...the dreaded return address labels. I would have to mail at least twenty-five items a week in order to use all of the labels we receive. By the way, to make matters worse, they can't be recycled.

So, it's time to say goodbye. No more donations or memberships through the mail. I hope that, in time, we'll be taken off mailing lists so we'll have less mail to go through and recycle (except for the labels). Instead, we'll give only to local charities and those donations will have to be in person. I just hope that someone writes me a letter.

Jim