Giving and Receiving
Thanksgiving has come and gone for this year and now Christmas is upon us.
A time of giving!
Thanksgiving was very different this year. Our children are growing up and celebrating with additional family and each other in their own homes. And so…we went camping! I spent most of the time prior to Thanksgiving planning, prepping and cooking so that our time in a tent would be relaxing and truly quiet. For the first time in a very long time, I bought a pre-cooked Thanksgiving meal to take with us. I brought books and sewing, found ways to charge the devices for music, there would be no cell service. I got myself geared for quiet - very quiet. A time to reflect on the past year and make plans for the coming year.
The holidays are memories for many of us of those we have loved deeply and that are no longer with us. We do not get to share in the holiday traditions with them. I decided to take this holiday season of quiet to be thankful for all that God has given to us, all the joys a family brings to us - even in sorrow and pain. I seemed to be very self-absorbed and not looking out at the world in need.
As we attended church prior to our trip, there was a call for toys (new, unwrapped) toys for children that were less fortunate than mine were growing up. We decided to make sure we took care of getting toys to the church before we left town.
As I was contemplating what we should purchase, I received this email from Love and Logic.
The Gift of Giving by Jim Fay
While at the bank a mother overheard the manager talking about a project his staff was involved in. They were collecting gifts for children in the community who, without their help, would not receive anything. So far they were not doing too well. The mother asked what she could do to help.
At dinner she told her family about the project. With pure excitement her kids said that since they had outgrown their bikes, and were hoping for new ones from Santa, they could give their old bikes to these children.
That weekend the kids spent hours cleaning their bikes. By the time they were done, those bikes sparkled.
They delivered the bikes Monday and the look of pure joy on her children's faces made the Mom's heart swell. That day they gave her a gift, too: the knowledge that she was raising kids who cared.
The holidays are a good time to remind your kids that character is more about giving than receiving.
Now that we have had a chance to be thankful for all we have, it may be a good time to find a project to give to, make crafts for a nursing home. Pick a name off an Angel Tree and let the children participate in the conversation of why a child might have a need or a wish. Allow them to pick out the gift to be given. Perhaps as this story suggests, it may be time to clean out the closets and give to those that may not have much. The Christmas Season can be a TIME to be together and do something positive as a family for another family. What we do speaks so much louder than what we say. May this Christmas Season be a TIME to model the gift of giving! We may receive more than we give. Happy Holidays!
Photo by Pavel Danilyuk: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-gray-sweater-holding-a-paper-bag-5618168/
