Celebrate Mother's Day With Meaning

I hope your chocolate wishes and beautiful bouquet dreams come true.

I certainly love chocolates and flowers, but there’s also another way we can honor the mothers in our lives. We can give them a goat... 

or a cow or a flock of chickens through Heifer International! They put it beautifully: 

A charitable donation to Heifer provides a gift of livestock that helps moms in need around the world reach lives of dignity and self-reliance. Instead of just a Mother's Day card, gift basket or flowers for mom, donate a goat or give a tree to help end hunger in her name. Support mothers around the world this year.

The way it works is this. You choose the animal you want a community to have. You pick the country you wish to donate to, or you let Heifer international pick where the need is the greatest. They pool the individual gifts and give needy families or villages not only the livestock itself, but the training needed to care for the animals. 

None of the animals is used for meat. The cows are dairy cows. The llamas are raised for their fur and their ability to carry loads over difficult terrain. One dairy goat can produce several quarts of milk a day. And its milk can be used to make cheese, butter or yogurt, which can be sold for income. Plus the goat manure is good as fertilizer. 

Another wonderful aspect of Heifer International’s programs are that after the animals are bred, the families agree to donate one of the offspring to another family in need. So it really is a gift that keeps on giving. 

H loved his Father’s Day goat last year. He was just disappointed not to get any letters and pictures. But we know that the goat has better things to do than stay in touch.