Over 15 million children face hunger only in the United
States, think about Africa or Asia, and how many go hungry there? Eleze “Lisa”
Thomas-McMillan of the Carlisa Inc. food bank in US took up just that mission-
eradicating hunger from the world. In the book “Living Fulfilled: TheInfectious Joy Of Serving Others”, Thomas-McMillan educates us that we could
have everlasting joy in helping the poor, needy and the hungry. The book is a
biography as well as a testament to Thomas-McMillan’s philosophy and mission:
if we all live for one another instead of for ourselves, no one will go hungry
or have to endure the many sufferings that accompany a life of poverty.
In her memoir, Thomas-McMillan describes how her family of
fourteen was squeezed into a six room wooden house in Brewton, Alabama. Her
father worked three jobs and brought them up so that they could turn out to be community helpers. She
settled in Los Angeles later on, but returned home with a mission.
For spreading awareness about the plight of the hungry in
the US, Thomas-McMillan walked over 1500 miles across the states of Alabama,
Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and at last reaching
Washington DC, spreading her wings of compassion about the poor in the States
and giving away free food. Her message is simple: no one should go hungry.
Living Fulfilled is part biography and part call to action
for helping the poor and the hungry. The book is littered with inspiring and
afflicted accounts from the author’s own troublesome beginnings.
On her journey to Washington DC from her hometown she
encountered hungry people. She fed them and talked to them, listened to their
stories, encountered other challenges but at last she did reach her
destination. A whole chapter is dedicated to this great ‘pilgrimage’ which
evokes images of Martin Luther King who took great walks in the name of
freedom.
Aside from the inspirational accounts from the life of this
great philanthropist, the memoir is also a great read for any social worker who
wants to do something good for his/her community or be someone who doesn’t just
live for himself but for the welfare of his fellow humans, because that is
where, according to Thomas-McMillan, true joy is to be sought.
The book is also a sort of volunteering manifesto, where
everything from why to make donations to how to help the poor is explained.
Almost everyone will find the book a great read , but not everyone will sense
the great purpose of the book- the infectious joy of serving others- unless the
reader finds his own strength and does something for the community, because joy
can only be experienced.
Although written by a US author primarily for eradicating
hunger and poverty in her local area and the States, the message is effectively
universal. The spiritual awakenings are part of the reason for the author’s
dedication to her mission.
The religious connotation of the book is a bit offsetting
for some people, but ‘Living Fulfilled’ is Thomas-McMillan’s own memoir and no
one else can have a say in that. Aside from the religious element, the book is
choke-filled with motivational messages for volunteerism, philanthropy and
community work all for the sake of a truly fulfilled life.
You can find out more by visiting the Living Fulfilled website, or by viewing this video:
