Truth Be Told- The Future of Begging

Your humble Holy Beggar would like to share the good news with her community: I am once again gainfully employed, of course, as a Holy Beggar. Please follow my exploits as I direct the efforts of foundation and individual giving for Global Green USA (www.globalgreen.org) at the national headquarters in Santa Monica CA. GGUSA is the USA affiliate of Green Cross International, founded by Mikhail Gorbachev. We are at the vanguard of developing and implementing new models of sustainable living, whether it is building new "green" (i.e. LEED certified) residences for low income families in flood-ravaged New Orleans or getting schools across the country to help students to adopt "green" lifestyles and "green" their families, too. We're helping formulate and implement important legislation to reduce carbon footprint of our society and stop the proliferation of nuclear arms.

I am so very exited to be part of the future rather than dragging the past along. Thank you to my colleagues at Global Green and for you, my dear community, for your encouragement to amp up the Holy Begging once again. I have learned first hand what it means to take charity, to be helped by you all very personally, even (and perhaps especially) if you have given me nothing but encouragement and a sense of being included.

Please include all Holy Beggars in your everyday life. I will continue to honor this tradition and write more.

(Whew!)

And remember,

No matter what,

Don't forget to ask for the money.

Essence of Chutzpah

This is not original to me, but as it captures the subtleties of the "holy beggar" essential value to society, I felt it is important:

A little old lady sold pretzels on a street corner for 25 cents each. Every day a young man would leave his office building at lunch time, and as he passed the pretzel stand, he would leave her a quarter, but never take a pretzel.

This went on for more than 3 years. The two of them never spoke. One day, as the young man passed the old lady's stand and left his quarter as usual, the pretzel lady spoke to him. Without blinking an eye she said:

"They're 35 cents now."

And remember,

No matter what,

Don't forget to ask for the money