The question was posed this way. “The next time you write a column would you answer a question from “a little old lady?” Now without going into a lot of detail I know this “little old lady” quite well.  Let’s just say she probably knows me better than I know myself.

The question was “How do you know where to give?” I had a quick response as a seasoned representative of a younger generation.  I told the “little old lady” that you find your passion and give to it.

That answer didn’t work. She said, “I need to know where to give because there are bound to be people just down the road who are hungry.” This isn’t the first time we’ve had this kind of conversation.  She had sent a donation to a very small organization in the area sometime back and it was months before they cashed the check.

Her wise analysis of the situation was they must not have needed her gift.

Now I reflected a little longer and told her I’d get the name of an organization that served our immediate community and I felt would deposit her check more quickly. A plain answer.

When a “little old lady” asks such questions it’s a good idea to ponder the lesson. There’s always a lesson or two or three.

Lesson One: All gifts matter.

Lesson Two: All givers matter.

The desire to touch a life, to make a difference, is inherent in our human nature.

Lesson three: All givers want their gifts to be used wisely.

Her real question was where to give right here – just down the road. And to an organization that will put her gift to work as soon as possible. There are lots of places to give. Where to give that will use it wisely is harder. I made a suggestion. Now we’ll see if I was right.

One more Lesson:  A plain answer will do.

I hope you have a “little old lady” in your life who asks questions that require plain answers.

Can you help her find a solution so her greatest gift, the desire to give, can be given?