#79 - Tis the Season of Giving

Do you know how it feels to give a gift to someone, that warm feeling inside.  Volunteering gives the same type of feeling, that warm, fill-you-up-with-goodness-inside feeling that you just can't get anywhere else.  The feeling that no matter what is going on in your life, no matter how much extra money you can spare, giving of your time is something that is free and so rewarding.  Filling food boxes after major weather events, gathering food in food drives, donating my spare time to help at the food bank or cooking and feeding the homeless were things I felt compelled to do.  I even got the children involved when they were little donating all the still good but outgrown toys so other children could enjoy them too.  We didn't have much, but more than some and having been homeless for a time, I felt compelled to help as much as possible.

After the death of my husband when we were new to being a family of 3 and income of 1, when things were super tight and paying bills and buying the bare necessities for meals was about all I could afford and the thought of not having things for the children to open on Christmas morning was a probability, I was given a special surprise.  Someone who knew my children and the situation had stepped up and gathered a handful of toys and had them wrapped and left them at our home in a big box.  The message inside just a simple Merry Christmas and the gifts with the children's names on them.  I do not know who had put my children on a list but some special angel did and each had a handful of thoughtful and fun gifts for them to open.  My heart while broken by all that had happened a couple months earlier had been filled by the love of strangers the moment I needed most.  Just the little gifts, not expensive, but priceless in my mind.

Over the years, while I continued to struggle financially but got back on my feet enough to make living a little easier, having a home and food on the table for my children, and being able to afford a little extra at times, I have tried to pay it forward.  There is something heartwarming about being able to help someone in need.  I'm not talking about throwing money at the corner beggars.  Half the time I figure they have some expensive car waiting around the corner for them to drive to their expensive homes in.  I'm talking about those who are just down on their luck needing a little help.  Most of those will be too proud to ask or if they do, they only ask for their children and for the absolute minimum they really need.  Or maybe helping with big projects for people who have lost everything due to fire or some other horrible natural disaster.  There are so many who really do just need a little help, just a hand to get back to some sense of normalcy. 

This time of year, the holiday season when so many are spending hundreds if not more on gifts for themselves and their loved ones, it is nice to be able to help.  Dropping money in the kettle in front of the stores, buying gifts for those who have less, just being able to help gives the giver such a warm  feeling.  I believe that we shouldn't wait til the end of the year to help, if able help all year round, but doing it at the holidays will brighten your season as well as others.  Take the time to give a little if you can, even if just sharing a smile or donating unused items to a charitible organization.  It will help brighten up your season as well as those receiving.