An heirloom Christmas ornament handed down by mother-in-law.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
The spirit of giving is a wonderful thing. I think Christmas, more than any other time, brings that out in us. It's that feeling down deep inside that says maybe I can make a difference in the life of someone. Even if it's just one person. Even if it's just one act of kindness shown. Even if it's just a kind word said. It's always sad to me when someone is so surprised by a kindness done to them. What would this world look like if everyone thought of someone else every day instead of themselves? To get up every morning with the goal of helping someone in one way or the other? There are a lot of people where you might be the only person they come in contact with during the day. How could that contact be something of great joy and encouragement and hope to them? There is great loneliness that maybe you could help alleviate if only for a moment. Just a little something that tells them you care.
Here is a brief list of how we all might be able to reach out and touch someone today and in the days to come:
*Pay for someone's groceries.
*Take flowers to your dental office, your doctor's office, a nursing home, the person who cuts your hair, etc.
*Pay for someone's breakfast, lunch, supper (especially if they are eating alone).
*Put change in vending machines for the next person.
*Give groceries to the food shelves.
*Leave a VERY generous tip to your server.
*Smile and say "hi" - (this doesn't sound like much, but it REALLY is).
*Tape a gift card to a gas pump.
*Hand out gloves and mittens at a bus stop.
* Hide dollar bills around the Dollar store.
*Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
*Drop toys or games off at a homeless shelter or hospital.
*Donate coloring books and crayons to the clinics or hospital.
*Leave a bottle of detergent at a laundromat.
*Buy hot drinks for the bell ringers.
*Buy gift cards for cancer patients.
*Make baby blankets for the maternity wards.
This is just a small list of things we all can do to brighten someone's day. The miraculous thing about giving to others is that we forget about ourselves. If you're the one that's lonely or sad, giving is just the thing to get you out of that. There is nothing like getting the attention off of ourselves and on to others that heals the hurts. Give it a try!! But you'll have to be careful - it's addictive. Giving grows and you'll find that you can't stop.
God bless you and this day. : )
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