Sunday, December 14, 2008

HP Magic Give Away

The hardware is listed here.

What an awesome contest this is. Thanks to HP and Microsoft Windows for coming up with the idea and the goodies.

Thanks and congratulations to Living-In Theory for the opportunity to be one of the 50 Santa Angels!

Pay it Forward. Wouldn't this be a wonderful world if everyone subscribed to that belief?

I don't need any of the products. I'm happy with my computer, it serves my needs and wants. To decide what to do with the prizes, if I were to win, poses challenges. There are so many deserving agencies and people.

A little about me to begin; I was a single mom raising two sons without any help or assistance from their biological father (my ex-husband). It was a struggle, as I'm certain many people can relate to! Dinners were made of macaroni-and-cheese, tuna casserole, sandwiches, and the like. We shopped at bargain places for school clothes for attendance at a school with a majority of wealthy families.

But, we were the Three Of Us Against The World. Other than my job, my boys were my life! I remember one Christmas, when there were no real presents, my youngest son spent most of the night wrapping old boxes so when I woke in the morning it would look like Santa had come. This was in response to a comment I made about how there is still a little part of me who wakes up every Christmas morning thinking maybe there really is a Santa Claus and there will be more presents than the ones I left out. Boy, did I shed the tears that morning!! Now, on with my entry.

My first choice would be to donate the HP Pavilion and HP TouchSmart to the non-profit agency I work for. We are in such dire financial straits. We've had several lay-offs, and have not been able to serve as many of the disabled people in our community as previously. It's heartbreaking to see the empty offices and fewer participants. We do wonderful work, and it's sad to not be able to provide the amount of services we have previously.

The HP Premium Notebook and Media Smart Connect I would give to my oldest son, as he needs about $20,000 worth of dental work done and has no dental insurance. I would hope he would sell them to obtain the much needed cash.

The Mini Laptop and Printer I would give to my youngest son, who is not in as dire need, but lives day to day wondering if his job will be lost due to the economy. The laptop and printer would serve his needs for additional job hunting to keep him on his feet.

The software would go to my step-daughter to assist her with job searches (for a resume) and sharing photos of her beautiful little girls with family members thousands of miles away.

I realize I probably don't have much of a chance to win, as my choices have self-interest. I cannot help but want to help the agency where I work, and I cannot help but want to help my children. As a parent, it is heartbreaking to see your children struggle and suffer through no fault of their own.

The vast majority of my adult life has been in the non-profit sector. There is no way to describe the wonderful feeling from doing for others. Would I love to win and provide some assistance to the agency I work for and my children? Absolutely! It would do my soul wonders to be able to help my kids, as it was such a struggle for them growing up. They deserve better than what life has doled out to them. I am grateful my boys are working, and my oldest son and his wife are expecting their first child later this winter. I am grateful my two granddaughters are being raised by a wonderful mom and dad, who need just a little more help to make ends meet.

If nothing else, maybe someone will find my blog, and hopefully I'll post with some regularity.

To read some really great posts from other contestants, check out Living-In Theroy's comment page for other listings.

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