Giving and Light

Today, I want to write about two things that make me happy. One is seeing so much giving going on in the circles I travel. Two is seeing all the Christmas lights on people’s homes shining brightly against the darkness of night after the thanksgiving break. Hope is alive and well in the heart of people. As I reflect on the amount of giving, I see throughout the year, it makes me smile and be thankful because we are a generous and giving people. We are like God in that way! Just sit with that thought for a bit.

     I just want to count the amount of giving that I’ve witnessed this year. This is by no means an exhaustive list but one that reflects love, generosity, and abundance: A banquet hall full of people giving their time, money and talents to teenage moms and their babies. The making of 350 cookies for every sixth grader and staff at the Scott Middle school just to give kids something to take away. Celebrating October with “Socktoberfest” which means, giving new socks to the homeless and the elderly. Attending Fall family events and distributing thousands of pieces of candy to eager children and youth. Every exercise trip to the YMCA revealed announcements of: food drives, canned good collections, people donating their blood, Thanksgiving meal give aways and angel tree ornaments people can take to buy a present for someone. Toys for Tots bins located all over the region full of brand-new toys from kind hearted people. Seeing and talking to volunteers who help to repair homes, serve meals and care for the needs of the less fortunate every week. Not to mention, the hundreds of churchwide acts of service buying toys, giving gift cards and providing toiletry items to kids in Chester and the youth in Parkesburg. Every day, people everywhere are giving to others. Seeing, experiencing, and reflecting on giving brings joy. The media may bring gloom and doom but, in my reality, I see giving, hope and joy.

I live in a township that offers a contest each Christmas season to which residential home can display the best Christmas lights. For some reason, this year the neighborhoods went above and beyond with decorating their homes with light. Sometimes my husband and I walk our dog at night after dark. Our neighborhood is a big loop, so it is the perfect place to get exercise. Some nights, the walk is very dark if families settle in and don’t have lights on. We have deer and other critters roaming at night so it can sometimes be eerie not knowing what’s out there. The thanksgiving weekend marks the start of the house lighting contest. The people who live in my neighborhood did not disappoint this year. The night was lit up all around our loop with beautiful light displays from almost all the neighbors. Each house exhibits their uniqueness with their choice and style of light, color, shape and form. This year, I see a lot of triangle shaped lights in the form of Christmas trees that look so good against the black of night. My next-door neighbors went over the top this year with their lights. They lined the ground of their front yard with lights. It is so peaceful and beautiful to walk at night with all those beautiful lights. It makes me so happy and glad to be alive. So, between all the giving and all the lights, my heart is full this Christmas. It’s the little things that make life so special. Here is a tip to help you through the cold gloomy winter – Stressless by giving something away and light up the night with some lights. Merry Christmas……