The Joy of Giving

During the holidays there are so many opportunities out there to help others.  It seems like everywhere you go, you see bell ringers, toy drives and organizations collecting money to help feed the homeless. All of these are great ways to help those less fortunate. Not only can you give monetary donations, but you can also give your time to help with these events.

As a mom, I know how busy our lives get during the holidays. We are decorating the house, buying gifts, wrapping gifts, sending out cards, attending parties and going to school winter concerts. It can all be exhausting.

As a parent I think it is important to help our kids realize see that there is more to Christmas than getting presents. It’s about giving. Have you ever been a Salvation Army bell ringer? Have you ever fed the homeless a holiday meal, or organized a toy drive to help kids who wouldn’t be getting anything for Christmas? The joy of doing these things is not only rewarding to the people you are doing them for, but also for you personally. You’ve probably heard the saying “It’s better to give than receive.”  It’s true. Try it and you will see.

There is a community church project in Seminole called “Faith Café”. It is at Faith Community and was started by a church member’s passion to help those that are struggling right now to make ends meet because of the economy. Once a week on Thursday evenings, church members get together and make “hot” cooked meals for about 60-70 people from the community.  For some this is the only “hot” meal they will have all week.