In times of trouble, love thy neighbor

Dear Readers: I was taught that however little or much you had, you had enough to share. My mother used to tell me she grew up poor but not poor in spirit. Her mother, a domestic worker until ‘93, always welcomed others in need. She was ready with an extra plate of food, a sofa to sleep on, a smile and a kind word. She lived service and taught my sisters and me that our responsibility was to give to others.

As our world has been dipping deeply into what looks and feels like a depression, I haven’t been feeling so generous. Nor have many people I know. I have been struggling with counting my blessings and looking to support others when I’m wondering about my own family’s future.

Enter Carl Keyes. I attended a magnificent event at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City recently — in honor of the work of a gentle bear of a man, a businessman who refreshed his life’s focus more than 25 years ago and began to devote 40 to 50 weeks a year to traveling to remote parts of the country and the world to help others.

Previously a contractor in Atlantic City, N.J., Keyes and his wife, Donna, realized what they were doing was not enough. In an effort to answer the question “Who is my neighbor?” Keyes says he recognizes that “in 2009, it’s everybody.”

Wearing “everybody” glasses, Keyes has devoted his life to identifying people in dire need and helping them learn how to help themselves. He follows the mantra that his work is “small, sustainable and simple.” Most of Keyes’ work has been at cloud-high levels — with heads of governments, legislative bodies and, most important, regular folk. Keyes said at the first annual benefit for his organization, Aid for the World ( www.aidfortheworld.com), headlined by Gen. Colin Powell, “I’m not going to let somebody go hungry. We’re not going to leave until the job is finished.” Describing himself as one who “walks toward disaster and crisis,” Keyes has worked miracles, establishing, for example, 180 medical clinics and three hospitals in Ghana, fishing cooperatives in Burundi and home-restoration programs in West Virginia.

While Keyes started his quest to help his neighbor with deep pockets, how much money one has does not determine whether one chooses to give to others. Keyes said, “A man is called selfish not for following his own dream but for disregarding his neighbor’s.”

Carl Keyes reminds me of my grandmother. When I looked into his eyes and listened to his story, I saw a tender, palpable offering of actively present love. As he shared his story, one he hasn’t told much even as he has lived in service for decades, he reminded me that, no matter what, we can give. We can use our brains, our creativity, whatever resources we have, to share with others. When we do that, we experience a quality of fulfillment that bears true wealth — the richness of the heart.