I’ve been caught up in my own worries lately. I used to give a lot of time and money to the causes I believe in. But then the economy crumbled. And, after a stressful high-risk pregnancy, I gave birth to my second, healthy baby. Then my husband was laid off…three times over the past two years. My focus turned away from helping others toward just making it through life.

I used to tutor students how to read once a week at the Monarch School, a school for homeless children. I always walked out of the school on a “high” - it was so gratifying to watch the improvement in these sweet kids who tried so hard and really wanted to learn. I picked out books specifically for each of my four students as gifts. My favorite pupil was Robert, a rambunctious little kid whose greatest dream was to one day work at LEGOLAND so he could design giant statues made of the tiny colored bricks. I gave him Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends because it was a childhood favorite of mine and he enjoyed reading its poems as a treat when he had finished his assigned stories. After he unwrapped the book, Robert said, “Is this for me, like to keep, forever?” You should have seen the look of joy on that kid’s face when I told him yes…over a book! My children have more books than I care to count.

My husband and I gave money at charitable events and more. We used to adopt one or even two families in need during the holidays, providing clothing, gift certificates for groceries, even a brand-new bicycle and microwave one year. We hosted three women at once through Women for Women International. I made sure I wrote each of my “sisters” monthly letters, often accompanied by photos and stickers. I went out of my way to make sure these women in far away countries like Rwanda and Iraq knew that someone cared about them and was rooting for their success from the other side of the world.

As money got tighter and our lives became more stressful, I slowly stopped donating time or money. I received a few letters from my Women for Women International sisters even after their sponsorships had ended. I couldn’t bring myself to write to them anymore. These women had so much less than me and yet wrote me letters of gratitude, telling me how they prayed for my health and prosperity. I used to tear open any letter from my sisters right at the mailbox. I couldn’t wait to read about their lives and to make a connection with a woman in a country so far from my own! It took me months to open the last letter I received; I was so wrought with guilt and shame.

When I first saw the information about Passports with Purpose, I didn’t think much of it. But then it kept cropping up on Twitter and in the stories of my favorite fellow travel bloggers. I’d gotten used to thinking, “I can’t give anymore. That’s something I used to do. Now, I just need to focus on me and my family.”

But here’s the thing. Giving feels good. Not giving feels bad. Not giving makes me feel lonely and isolated and pathetic. My family can no longer afford to donate money the way we used to. But we can still give a little bit of money and donate our time. Focusing all of our energy inward hasn’t helped. If anything, it’s made things worse. We are so filled with worry all of the time – worry about our home, worry about paying the bills, worry about making money. Focusing  on our own problems seems to multiply all of that negative, sour energy.

I’ve missed the deadline for finding a sponsor to provide a prize for Passports with Purpose, but I can do this – I can tell you about it and I can give a small donation. Passports with Purpose is a fundraiser founded and promoted by travel bloggers. This year’s goal is to raise $13,000 to build a school in Cambodia in a village that currently lacks one. Learn more about how the money will be used to improve the lives of children in Cambodia.

For each $10 donated to American Assistance for Cambodia (AAfC), you will be entered into a giveaway of your choice. You choose the number of tickets; you choose the prizes you’re interested in. Prizes range from $75 in value (for a Southwest airlines gift card) up to $2,746 in value (for a five-night Costa Rican vacation). Donate by December 21, 2009. Make a difference…and maybe win something in the process. Give now!