It’s that time of year again….giving, giving, giving, receiving, receiving, receiving. Yet I challenge you to ask yourself and your loved ones to name one gift they gave or received last year that was a true gift from the heart. I may be getting old but the commercialism of the season wears me out not just financially but emotionally as well.
Some people are very helpful and send me their links to gifts they want while others resort to Elfster, a personal online shopping site because heaven helps us if you get a gift you don’t want. (Hey, I am not perfect, I have been known to exchange a gift or two in my day…sorry Mike for my rudeness, I still cherish the yellow floral dishes I picked out over the baby blue rimmed stoneware.)
But this is my column and therefore, my soapbox to climb upon and pontificate the true meaning of the season.
In the famous words of John Wesley, “Do all the good that you can, by all the means that you can, in all the ways that you can, in all the places that you can, at all the times that you can, to all the people that you can, as long as you ever can.”
This doesn’t leave a lot of room for “I want lists” and panic last-minute shopping runs.
How can we live by this? Let’s break it down, “Do all the Good that you can by all the means that you can.” Some would think that it is just about money but there are a lot of ways you can do good and it doesn’t cost you a dime.
Doing good can be a handshake, or a smile, or listening, or a hug. A compliment can be doing good, a kiss if appropriate….. there are lots of ways to do good. Or in my words, these are ways to be a good person.
How about, “In all the ways that you can, in all the places that you can?” Ah now, this might be where the money comes in a little. See that mom struggling to make ends meet at the grocery store? Maybe slip the cashier a $20 and ask that it be applied to her checkout balance.
How about that teen at McDonald’s going to the drive through scraping together quarters for a Coke and fries? Pick up the tab at the window and say “It’s on me.” Grab a few gift cards and hand them out randomly as you see the need.
And lastly “In all the places that you can, to all the people that you can, as long as you ever can?”
This is going to cost you nothing but time. Visit the school and read a book to kids in the library, take your well-behaved dog to the nursing home, have coffee with a neighbor who is homebound. Give of yourself and your time to as many people as you can as long as you ever can.
All these ideas will bring you not just joy but also energy. Giving is invigorating.
Taste of Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on a farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
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