Transition

Well here we are a week after Thanksgiving and the holiday season is in full swing. The transition of the giving season has started, the turkey has barely had time to find the way to leftovers and Christmas trees are popping up, lights are strung and Black Friday deals are upon us. The question of course now is what does everyone want for Christmas. Should we be so focused on gifts and material things? Should we be teaching our kids about good gift ideas and shopping for gift after gift? Have we become stuck on a running track that takes us in a circle, a vicious circle that end with, getting everything you want. Isn't that what we all focus in on after Christmas morning, making sure everyone is happy and got everything they wanted. But what about all those people who didn't get anything, or didn't have a hot meal, or didn't even have a warm bed, what about those people?

As we go through our marathon of life we all sometimes take things for granted, and sometimes we also take the people in our lives for granted, we become ungrateful. We need to step back, take a moment to appreciate our lives again, be thankful we have a home, a job, all the blessings we do have. We need to look at those less fortunate and share something with them. Just think if everyone in the world took one person that was less fortunate than them and shared a meal, a gift, money, whatever they might need, think about what an impact that would make. If you had say 3 coats in your closet and you gave 2 of them to homeless people to keep them warm, would you suffer? Of course not, and you gave a gift that was really needed, one that means warmth and comfort for someone that had nothing. That gift you provided is something that in turn gives you a gift back, one that is invaluable. Caring, giving, compassion is what the season is about, and only we can bring that back to our lives.

Hope comes in many packages, and for some it is all they have. If you thought you could provide hope for a family, or a single person just by providing one gift would you do it? Think about what it would mean to give a gift to someone who otherwise will not have one this year. Someone told me that Christmas belongs to the poor, and maybe we could capture the true spirit if we remember that. Taking the time to remember that the holidays mean different things to different people, cultures, families, and humble beginnings. If you are celebrating the birth of Jesus, spending time with friends and family, sharing a meal with those you love, no matter how you celebrate the season, share the joy with others.

This year I challenge you as we enter December. Identify someone that is less fortunate than yourself, be it a family, a child, a homeless person, a charity that needs your support, even your own family who wants you to spend more time with them, any and all, someone for you to bless with hope. You can wrap it up, you can take the person out to lunch, you can get presents for a family to open on Christmas morning, you can pay their electric bill for a month, you can do so much, with one simple act of kindness. Your marathon of life has bumps, it has curves, it has ups and downs, joys and sorrows, but it can be so much more, you can help others get back up and running again. Your actions could mean so much and could be the hope that someone prays for. So take the challenge, one act of kindness, one simple gesture, one gift, one meal, one small step for mankind.