"Blood is thicker than water"

But water can be pretty thick, too . . .

. . . then all the more so with blood!

(Thick Water Image from Wikipedia)

As readers will know from recent blog posts, I am trying to drum up a little financial support from my fellow human beings to help me care for my family. In return, I guarantee that the givers will receive "the moral satisfaction of contributing to the happiness of a fellow human being."

Astoundingly, one of my own kin, my Uncle Cranford, has implied that I am acting upon selfish motives -- and seems to be trying to redirect readers toward contributing funds to his own bank account:

I am actually interested in the promotion of happiness in two, (not one) human beings . . . . (1) my wife, Linda Gay, and (2) myself. That is much better than the selfish notion of "another human being."

Well, I'm not about to let Uncle Cranford hijack my efforts to support my own family, especially not when he himself lives in paradise (if you ignore the occasional tornado) and has no need of support (aside from the occasional rebuilding).

I think that every honest reader can easily see where a "selfish notion" is truly to be found, but just in case I need to justify myself with anyone on moral grounds, let me post the defense that I composed as response my Uncle Cran, who -- despite being a Baptist minister -- needed a little reminder of what the Bible has to say on this issue:

Sorry, Uncle Cran, but biblically speaking, you and your wife count as just ONE:

"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be ONE flesh." (Genesis 2:24)

By contrast, I am speaking of THREE -- due to my marriage union and my two "starving children."

Furthermore, I think that others have the duty to support me as they support themselves, for that surely follows from the command in Leviticus 19:18: "thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

Not to mention the duty that requires you, my uncle, to support me and my family, for "blood is thicker than water." That's a biblical reminder that kinship trumps baptism. I can't seem to locate this prooftext at the moment, but its point is that "whatsoever a man oweth to a neighbor, that doth he also owe to his kin, and even more so, yea, verily, even unto 70 times 7."

In short: pay up.

I think that by now, I have clarified where the real selfishness lies, and I rest my case.

Meanwhile, the old Ozark friend who has promised to send money (if I first send her some) has finally replied to my most recent email soliciting funds from her, and though she hasn't yet come through with the promised money, she has shown her generous spirit through advising me on how to enhance my money-raising efforts by reaching out to more people:

I would suggest that you "cast your bread" on many waters. In other words I think you need a plan b, c, d, and e. There is a You Tube where someone named Justine talks about her phone bill. She was invited to appear on many talk shows and has become quite rich . . . [in] a short time. You Tube is a place to market any talent you may or may not have and get 15 minutes of fame.

Another is to exploit your children's talents, cuteness, etc.

I really don't think you should include the four letter word that I use, W*RK.

Yes, Gypsy Scholar is a family-oriented blog, so I'll definitely avoid that four-letter word. Speaking of which, I've just now watched Justine's You Tube video, and I have have to say that making such a professional video as Justine's looks a lot like W*RK to me. So, that's out.

I guess that I'll just have to continue my funding appeal via blog...