Overload...melancholy

I'm feeling a bit melancholy tonight.

Do you ever get overloaded with causes? There are hungry children, children without parents, persecuted Christians, homeless citizens, abused animals, endangered animals, animals dying in the oily muck in the waters of the Gulf Coast. There are untold numbers of organizations founded upon research for a myriad of just awful diseases, affecting young and old. There are men (and women) on street corners with signs asking for money to live. There are companies taking advantage of citizens and giving them substandard, even dangerous, food and water, and citizens asking citizens to stand up! Fight for better!

It all gets to be a bit overwhelming. I feel sympathy for all included in these issues and so many others I just can't list, but, if I allow myself to get involved in all of them, where will that leave me? Will it make any difference in any of the causes? Because I am sure it would devastate my soul to not be able to affect any change. Some amount of filtering must take place, I guess, for us to function in this world. It could be like when you go outside, you don't notice every little thing you see. You notice only things that seem different or unusual. The things that break through the filter. If we tried to take everything in at one time, it would, I don't know, overload our minds or something.

Most recently I was asked how I can eat meat knowing how animals are mistreated in the production of said meat. Honestly, that is the very least of the concerns in my over-concerned brain. If I were to go "all in" for any cause, it would be to put food in the mouths of babies dying of malnutrition or providing clean water for so many who have none. Of course I will do neither of those, other than in prayer. The truth is, I am only able to live my life, to the best of my ability, helping those I can help and praying for those I can't physically help. I just don't know that there is anything else one woman can do. I do know my heart often hurts for a world that is hurting in so many ways.