We're just 2 weeks away from Christmas and I have yet to feel the spirit of the holiday. So many people are in a hard place this year and for most of us, the saying "charity begins at home" has never been more true.
Many who give to the local food bank now depend on that same food bank to eat. Those who previously gave their gently used clothes to the salvation army might now need to shop there for their own children.
I have two friends who are out of work, one who got his car stolen and lost his job in the same week. The other has been out of a job for months, in fact, I think she has been out of a job since Spring. Thankfully, both of them have good families that will stand by them and help them out. And I know that if I ended up in a similar place, my family would help me out.
Every year at work we adopt a few needy families for Christmas. I always ask for the youngest little girl so I can go buy girly stuff (13 years of boy-stuff will do that to you!) Like many companies this year, we cancelled our Christmas party, asked managers not to take their staff out to lunch or dinner on the company's dime and... we also didn't find any needy families to serve.
How I feel right now is how I have felt in other situations and the best way I can explain it is to use the title of a book (that I still have yet to read) by Marian Wright Edelman: "Sea Is So Wide and My Boat Is So Small".
I feel like a little ship in an ocean so wide where the need is so great. The greatest gift we can give, is the gift of our time and our service to others. I know that when I find a way to serve someone else, the Christmas spirit will come alive in me.
5 years ago
6 comments:
I hear what you are saying. Times are tough all over and they may get even worse. It's hard to bring up that Christmas spirit that you once had as a child or even a few years ago. But the way I try to see it, Christmas is not about the material or commercial aspects of the holiday, but the "Peace on earth and goodwill to all men" part. A time when we celebrate the birth of Our Savior and rejoice being part of the family of man.
Corny, I know and perhaps childish and I can't believe I'm getting all christian in public, but if I didn't it would be just another day to get deeper in debt.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, if the spirit is there, it will come and it will come before you even realize it's there.
"whatsoever you do to the least of them, you do to me"
Keep that in your heart. Say it loud a few times a day. One person can be affected by three words, that one person can go on to affect many. The spirit you seek is your own : )
anything you do from your heart makes the light burn brighter. dont give in, dont give up : )
Peace, Cas608
I'm done with my shopping but I still don't feel it this year.
Everyday for the past month, I just look at the boxes of decorations that need to be put up.
Giving back is always a nice feeling. regardless of how big your boat is you just keep paddling toward land.
I dunno, it could be considered that I clear 6 figures if I had to equate it to a dollar amount. But I always give my 10 percent to widows and orphans and those in dire need (at the very least 10%) I have never had a want for anything since I began this policy. I guess I always look at it this way... No matter how bad you have it there is always someone who has it worse than you and we have all been in some tight spots.
Money comes and it goes. When you have it, its great. When you don't it sucks. That is until you learn how to be beyond "Stuff". The man could come and take everything I own, and to some its crushing, for me its just a starting point.
One thing to keep in mind. The Rockefeller's always gave their ten percent to charity.
You know...I'm not really feeling the Christmas spirit either...not at all.
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