Trying to give money away is hard

This week, I’ve been in an unusual mood for a tightwad. I’ve been working a lot this week at giving money away, which is a huge departure from my normal tight waded nature. I’m more of an Ebenezer Scrooge-type a character, but not his week.

As it turns out, it’s hard to give money away. I’d never dreamed that it was, but I’ve never tried to give money away, either.

So really, how would I know?

I am having a roping in May for my 50th birthday. If I make a profit from it, I’m donating it to the local CareerTech school as a scholarship to be given in my dad’s name.

I have been sending letters to big businesses and the Indian tribes asking them to buy advertisements or make donations. One business asked me for my Employer Identification Number (EIN).

As it turned out, I needed to get an attorney to help me set up an account at the bank for the donations. It took most of my Friday, but I got it done. Now the roping is officially a nonprofit-type thing.

I’m still a bit confused about it all, though.

Another thing, I did that’s out of character for an Ol’ Ebenezer, like me, is that I wanted to send some hay out West to help the farmers that have lost so much in the fires. I’ve got extra hay, so I wanted to donate 10 bales.

I figured if most of the smaller farms, like mine, could donate about 10% of their carryover hay, we could really make a difference for those farmers out in the Texas panhandle. As it turns out, it’s harder to give hay away than I thought.

There’s a lot of logistics involved in giving hay away. There are semis hauling hay out West every day.

I’m about an hour south of Interstate 40, so in a way, it’s hard for them to come get just 10 bales.

I was also surprised at how hard it was to get a place to load the semi. A couple of local people told me no because they didn’t want all the hustle and bustle of tractors and loading and unloading hay on their lots. It took some real thinking to get a spot that a semi could get in and out of easy.

Whether it’s loading hay on semis or having a benefit roping, it turns out it’s harder to give money away than I’d ever dreamed. By the end of the week, I was wanting one of those bumper stickers that says, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help!”

Everyone was nice and helpful, and I’m not complaining about them. It was just a lot more effort than I ever dreamed. I’ve learned a lot this week, though.

2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”

I thought that scripture fit me to a T this week.

Usually, I’m such a tightwad when it comes to loaning out equipment or helping someone.

This week, I was happy to help, just like at the end of the movie, Ol’ Ebenezer was happy as could be.

It’s good to help those in need, it just made me feel good.

EDITOR’S NOTE: James Lockhart lives near the Kiamichi Mountains in southeast Oklahoma. He writes cowboy stories and fools with cows and horses.