Thanks & Giving

With Thanksgiving coming in a few days and Christmas just around the corner, nostalgia has set in.  I think about all the holidays our family has celebrated in the past.  The all included the 4 F’s, Family, Food, Fun and Fellowship.  We have truly been blessed through the years. 

With this being said, there are many people out there who have not been as fortunate as you and I have been.  Simple basics such as food, shelter and clothing do not belong to everyone.  There are a lot of needy individuals on the street and in shelters.  All of these people are not non-working “takers”.  Many of them have had one misfortune after another only to find themselves in trouble and needing assistance.

As a mother, grandmother and early childhood educator, I feel it is our duty to help others and to be examples to our children.  Children are basically ego-centric and need encouragement to think about others.  Through our example, we can make a difference in our world today which will be carried out in our world of the future. 

Here are few ideas to get you started on making a difference in our lives, our children’s lives and the lives of people we may not know.

• Pack a peanut butter sandwich each morning and hand it to a person on the corner who may be hungry.
• Empty your change in the jar of a needy person.
• Give to Salvation Army at Christmas time.
• Go to the Dollar Store and stock up on gloves, scarves and hats and drop them at your church, shelter, Interfaith, etc. 
• Purchase a newspaper on the street corner even if you already have one.
• Pack a bag of canned goods and donate them to a food pantry or give them to a person who may be on a street corner.
• Pay it forward by leaving your change to be applied to the person behind you at the drive through.
• Adopt a family or a child at Christmas and let your children go shopping and wrap the presents with you.
• Donate Girl Scout cookies to the soldiers.
• Donate books or toys to a homeless shelter.
• Pass a smile to someone in the grocery store.
• Let someone else in line in front of you at the mall or grocery store check out.

These are just a few things we can do to make a difference.  It is not about money, it is about hope.   I’m sure that many of you have other suggestions and we welcome your ideas.  Please leave a comment with your own ideas.

Just think, if we each did something small every day to help someone else while our children witnessed it.  This could spark thier interest to serve others as well.  And what a different world it would be.  WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!  

 Remember, Thanksgiving is about Thanks and Giving.   

Let your light shine and enjoy the season!