"And so, as Tiny Tim said, "A Merry Christmas to us all; God bless us, every one!" - Charles Dickens
OK, this assignment of “doing” PEACE every day for a week is getting exhausting. Not that I don’t want to spread peace; it’s just that it is a little hard to capture in an act. So today’s post is a bit of a stretch. But it is an act of kindness, and kindness seems to be the foundation for PEACE, so we’ll go with it.
Last night we dropped off gifts for “Sponsor a Family”, a tradition our family has participated in for many years. Every year we are assigned an anonymous family, along with a simple list of their Christmas gift wishes. And every year the four of us go shopping together for this family.
This year, all four members of our assigned family; Mom, Dad, and two young boys needed winter jackets. Boots for Mom and shoes for the boys and a sweatshirt for Dad. Shopping together as a family is of course a gratifying experience, and a fun experience. It is also a heartbreaking experience, to know that there are families in Minnesota that are in need of jackets and shoes, while we are busy arguing about whether to go to Applebee’s or Outback Steakhouse for dinner that night, after first deciding which jacket and which pair of shoes to wear.
So, I do hope these gifts give this family all the promises of advent: hope, love, joy, and a little peace as they open their presents on Christmas morning. And I pray that our city, indeed our nation, can find a way to provide for all its citizens, so they can sleep in peace on Christmas Eve.