Service is Money for the Soul

Newsletter Article #2 of The Money Tree

We think of money as paper currency, passed around to pay for material things. Yes that is one way to look at it. I believe that money along with service to humanity changes lives. After hurricane Dorian, we filled this small boat at least 20 or 30 times bringing aid to the small island of Sweetings Cay. This article shares a story about how aid was brought to the Bahamas not in the form of actual paper money but instead the items needed immediately after the storm. Your time is also a type of currency and how you use it gives or takes from who you are. Now I have my own boat captain! His name is Basil.

The photo is of myself and some in our group working with locals there 5 days after the storm hit. The giving of aid in the amount of money in natural disasters is a staggering number. Regardless if you believe in global. warming or not, disasters continue to happen. Money gets it done but it is coupled with tons and tons of material things that are then moved to the affected areas. This last leg of the journey is usually the hardest to get to the affected areas.

The money came in the form of water, food, generators, boats, tents, clothes, shoes, sundries, power tools, cleaning items, blankets, cots, even solar panels put on one of the churches and clean water systems installed. Money donations along with these items were stored initially in where houses. Our organization prides itself on moving logistics forward any way we can do it. Trucks, boats and any other local means.

When you work inside a non-profit like I do, you get to see first hand the donations and the gratitude that come from those who need it most. I can say with 100% certainty that this aid once distributed to the people changes lives, gives hope and helps people get back on their feet slowly. It is never an overnight solution. It takes time and lots of resources (money) to make it happen. That and copious amounts of labor and equipment. No matter, there is only so much you can do when major loss hits.

Seeing people light up when you arrive knowing that you are affecting lives is worth more than the money flowing in to help. Building trust in those situations is critical. It is emotional, difficult and rewarding all at the same time. We were helped by the people of the Bahamas many times to get help their citizens. The churches, military, port area workers and and customs cleared us and helped us get aid distributed all around Grand Bahamas, Abaco and Sweetings Cay. Every time I return to Sweetings Cay, I bring fishing line and hooks. It is a small fishing island. That one small thing goes a long way. That is part of survival for some. Never underestimate the power of even the smallest gesture.

You can watch this video of our support of our Miami to the Bahamas operation that is still ongoing to this day. Just recently, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cabinets were donated. This video is owned by Third Wave Volunteers. I am a board member of this organization. I am grateful that I am even a part of and it is truly rewarding. Third Wave Volunteers

"Its been the most incredible thing in my life" ~Mark Green

So think of money as also a non-tangible asset. We have all heard the saying "time is money". Always share of your time, your talents and your actions that help others. Those things are many times worth more than money. Giving of it is also giving from the heart. Far too often we do not realize the difference we make when we give of ourselves without an expectation of something in return. Our work is not done there. We are continuing to collaborate to help the Turtle pond and help put the bees back on the island after the bee boxes were swept away by the hurricane. Those are sustainability projects we will do once we find the funding sources. The motto "Everyone's Needed" rings true.

One of the best books on gratitude and money I have come across lately is Ken Hondas book. He explains that you have to have two things to succeed in the money game. It is to learn to give and receive and to be grateful on either end of it. Ken Honda, Japanese author who has sold over seven million copies of his books shared in his book "Happy Money", that he says Arigato your Money. That means appreciate your money. Arigato in, arigato out. It is a book in my library and on my reading list. You can find his book on Amazon here. Happy Money by Ken Honda

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Mark Green

CEO of My Silver Boots