Tis' the Season to be Giving!

Here’s a Way to Give a Meaningful Holiday Gift

Now is the time to contribute to helping women survivors of war rebuild their lives with Women for Women International’s Gifts That Give Back.

December 15 is the last day to place your order for these one-of-a-kind gifts, such as…

A bakery kit! When the women we serve step into the kitchen to bake, they aren't just making treats for their friends and family - they are earning an income. Help these women learn the skills and acquire the tools they need to start bakeries that provide food for their communities and a source of income.

For a selection of other unique, meaningful gifts, go to Gifts That Give Back.

Here is how it works:
1. You choose a symbolic gift.
2. Your loved one receives a special holiday card describing the symbolic gift given in

their honor.
3. Your donation goes to work immediately to help women survivors of war

rebuild their lives and their communities.

Choose your gifts by December 15th to ensure that your loved one receives a printed card in the mail.

P.S. Should you miss the December 15th deadline, you'll still have the option of sending an eCard.

All donations made through Gifts that Give Back are considered gifts to Women for Women International's global mission. Women for Women International, in order to best help the women they serve, puts your donation to use where it can be most effective in helping women victims of war transform their lives.

For more information on Women for Women International visit: http://www.womenforwomen.org/

9 Days of Gratitude

Day 7

A reprint from the Washington Post by

Brad Hirschfield

Named as one of the nation’s 50 most influential rabbis in Newsweek, and one of the top 30 “Preachers and Teachers” by Beliefnet.com

Thanksgiving: a path to happiness and health

Thanksgiving is here and I love the holiday. I also appreciate that being thankful can be challenging in difficult times, whether the challenges are related to finances, health, or relationships. But it's precisely when we find ourselves in challenging circumstances that thankfulness is especially valuable and helpful. 

Gratitude is actually medically proven to lift our spirits and improve our health. And while this may disappoint some folks, the object of our gratitude is entirely irrelevant, at least in terms of the health and happiness benefits which it creates.

Whatever the reason, the following eight simple steps will actually help us all to stay a little more thankful this Thanksgiving and find new happiness because we are.

1. Find what you're grateful for. The real uncertainty we face about our futures can make us quite fearful and sad. Locating those things for which we can still be grateful, brings joy even in the face of those challenges without pretending they are not real.

2. Articulate it. Tell a friend or loved one a story about something for which you are grateful. Don't be surprised to find yourself smiling by the end of that story.

3. Consider the difference between wealth and value. While material wealth is important, it is not the only source of real value in our lives. We can all celebrate value, even when the material wealth in our lives is taking a beating.

4. Remember that wealth begins within. An ancient rabbinic teaching reminds us that we are wealthy when we are happy with what we possess.

5. Acknowledge that happiness and satisfaction are different. We can want more than we currently have and still be happy with what we've got. Wanting more does not have to get in the way of enjoying what we already have. If it does, we will never have enough.

6. Appreciate that abundance, be it relationships or in material wealth is all relative. A person who lives in a $100,000 house in a neighborhood of $75,000 homes experiences living in a mansion. The same house in a neighborhood of $500,000 homes may feel like a hovel.

7. Help yourself by helping others. The holidays are a great time to reach out to other people in need. Helping others address their needs is one of the best ways to relieve the anxiety we may feel about our own.

8. We all have something to give. No matter how difficult our circumstances may be, we can all offer support to those around us. Whether it's a penny, a hug, or much more, the act of giving always makes us feel as if we have more than we thought we had.

Happy Thanksgiving!