Can You Spare Some Change?

Wish lists, letters to Santa, presents, parties, so many people say that Christmas has become so commercial these days. I agree, but what I think is more problematic is that Christmas has become about “I.” I want-fill in the blank- for Christmas. For years Black Friday sales have been turning Christmas commercial but in the last couple years I’ve seen and heard Black Friday ads with “one for you, one for me” or even “one for you, two for me” lines. It’s one thing for Christmas to be commercialized and turned into a holiday of toys and gifts. That’s not the reason for the season, but at least it’s in the spirit of giving.  It’s a whole different thing to turn Christmas into yet another time to over indulge ourselves! As you know, I was in Greece last week. With the economic devastation that has hit that country I saw more people in extreme poverty than usual on the city streets. You see it here too in our major cities, people with their hands out for change, destitute, hungry and hopeless. Most people just walk by unaffected. Some people claim it’s because they don’t trust the person’s motives or intentions with the money. So take an extra step and buy them a sandwich, or some fruit. If you don’t have the time, give them your change. Your responsibility lies not in what they do with it, but in doing your best to take care of those less fortunate. There are so many people in need right here among us and around the world. Let’s take some time this year to consider how instead of following the trend of being unusually self centered, we can break the mold by being uncommonly thoughtful by blessing people without asking for anything in return.

Here’s a list I came up with in case you needed some ideas of how to be a “one way” blessing.

•  Pick up someone’s grocery bill/check at a restaurant. Believe it or not, this used to be a lot more common of a practice not too very long ago. If you see a mom struggling to reign in her children in the checkout line, or a young married couple at a restaurant and you have the means, by all means, foot the bill. It’s an excellent way to bless your neighbor without asking for a return.
• Wear the same thing twice! What do I mean? I mean, wear the same outfit this Christmas that you wore last Christmas. Did you know that with around 50 dollars or less you can supply people in developing countries enough chickens to lay eggs for them and their family. Imagine being the reason that an entire family doesn’t have to worry about finding food for years, just because you wore the same thing twice!
• Know someone who is out of a job? Buy their Christmas dinner! You know a Christmas dinner can be expensive. Sending a grocery gift card this time of year can be a huge blessing.
• Sign up for monthly giving. Find a charity that you like and make a sacrifice for it. You won’t be spending any extra money if you choose to make your coffee at home instead of stopping for a latte and then donate the difference to a charity of your choice. You’d be surprised that by simply making your own coffee you can save around 30 dollars a month! Most non-profits give you the choice to sign up for a monthly donation, so why not give them your daily latte?
• Toy drives are everywhere this time of year. If you’re picking up a super cool toy for your child why not pick up an extra for a child less fortunate. A lot of those toys go to children in foster care or whose parents are in jail. By dropping off some toys at a toy drive or fulfilling the wish of an “Angel Tree” child you’re making someone’s Christmas, well, Christmas.
• If you don’t have the means to do any of these things, don’t worry. You don’t have to miss out on being a blessing. Work with someone who takes the bus? Offer to give them a ride. Know someone who is going through tough times? Have them over for tea and a talk.

The holiday season isn’t the only time to be  generous with our time and resources, but it is for most of us a time of joy, giving and getting. So why not spread that around to everyone? You never know what kind of chain reaction you’ll start by simply offering an act of kindness and generosity.

Serve Yourself By Serving Others

How do you receive something you want?  Well, that’s simple.  Give it to someone else.  The best way to achieve happiness, success, love, joy, and affluence is to give those things to others.  That means to give them as often as possible.  You cannot be happy unless you are creating happiness around you.  Your life will be enriched by stopping to think, “Will these actions bring happiness to me and to those around me?”

What is one of the best ways to be successful?  Well, help others achieve success.  Help others with their work and, of course, volunteer when you can.  How do you find true love?  Learn to love those around you.  Stay away from angry, negative, judgmental thoughts.  How do you achieve wealth?  Yes, you guessed it, give money to those in need.  What?  You don’t have any money to give at the moment?  You have plenty to give.  Give kind words to every person you run into.  Offer blessings to everyone you come across.  Pay a compliment to someone that looks like they are having a bad day.  Sometimes our kind words and our thoughts are more valuable gifts than money.  Be charitable with these to everyone around you.

Think of what you want out of life and visualize this please – right now – as a boomerang.  If you throw it out there, it will come right back to you.  So, live life in earnest expectation.  Give everything that you would like to receive.

One last thought of the day.  Teach your children to be givers so that they may have an abundance of success in all aspects of their lives.  Most importantly be a blessing to others so that God may bless you.

One Person Can Make A Difference

‘Tis the season for gift giving.  Ah yes, the rush of the maddening crowd.  The shops are never quite this busy, the streets and sidewalks never so crowded.

Jump away from the maddening crowd for a moment and consider this.  We all walk past the Salvation Army and put money into their red kettles.  We all write checks for charities, probably a little more around this time of year.

Those are all simply wonderful things.  But this season I would like you to consider something else.  There are millions of people going hungry in this great nation of ours.  There are babies, children and adults suffering from hunger.  Why not get together with your friends or even better, with your children and make baskets of food and look around for families who really need it?  Why not purchase some supermarket gift cards?  Look around your own town, ask the pediatricians or religious organizations; there are so many hungry children, apparently they are not so hard to find.  Think about your own town, are there single parents with young children?  Maybe you can offer some free babysitting as a gift.  Is there a widow or a widower?  Maybe they could simply use your company.

I suppose what I am suggesting is take your gift list and add just a few names to it.  It is amazing, once you start looking around for people truly in need, they are not so hard to find.  Know a co-worker or family member in need but don’t quite know how to give them the supermarket gift card?  There is always a way, why not just tell them they were given to you and that supermarket is simply out of the way.  Their family might eat a little better because of you.  How glorious that would be?!  Oh, one more thing, if you can afford to; why not buy a bunch of turkeys and deliver them to families in need?

Gifts of toys, clothes or money are all fantastic however, sometimes that is hard for us.  You might feel as if you can’t do very much yourself this holiday season which is why I am suggesting baskets of food or supermarket gift cards.  It is wonderful when people can write large checks to important charities, but you my friend might personally be feeding a hungry child.  When you realize the magnitude of the hunger problem in this incredible nation of ours, feeding just one of those children, or one family will be the best gift you can give this season.