It Matters Not–It Matters A lot!

It matters not whether we wish our fellow mankind Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas as a friendly greeting ,of any kind, is almost always warmly accepted when we are in the spirit of giving or receiving. To make or take issue with such a small matter when 50 million children, are reported,to go to bed hungry shows how petty some people have become or more about what is missing in their spirit, in my opinion.

As 2010 comes to an end, I would like to reach out and thank all of you who have taken out a moment of your time to read my blog and to comment as well. Whether you agreed with me or not,it matters a lot the large majority of you, showed real class in what the majority of we Americans represent, and that is respect of our fellow mankind to express themselves, in a free Democracy.

I began my blog on New Years’ eve 2010, and have enjoyed writing my posts. I can’t imagine what I left unsaid, and I know in areas where I am more passionate, I did repeat myself a number of times, my sentence structure and spelling left a lot to be desired at times, and you all were kind enough not to point that out. I thank you,for that, as well, as it was appreciated by me.

What has always and still does matter a lot, to me, at this time, is if 50 million children are going to bed hungry in the United States of America each night and one child is dying every 5 minutes, as a result of starvation related diseases in America, is true or a guise to contribute to not such reputable agencies? These are the figures being reported on radio, in America. I would hope someone with influence and the ability to check such figures would look into this matter.

It makes absolutely no sense to me at all, when the government gives away so much food in its surplus programs of commodities such as peanut butter and cheese, Americans contribute millions if not trillions of dollars as well as food products, through their private donations to food pantries, taxes,Churches,businesses,private organizations from Feed the children to the Red Cross to the Salvation Army (to name a very few) Corporations, and Banks that this food and the money to buy the same ,along with a great deal of food that is available free, is not reaching the hungry in America.

We are no longer living in the dark ages where hungry children could not be reached due to transportation difficulties. Every place where mail and technology can reach in America, so should food to the hungry be shipped or made feasible. So I ask again, if 50 million children are going to bed hungry and 1 child is dying every 5 minutes, why? When the buildings,sometimes utilities,upkeep,volunteer labor etc. is all offered free through volunteer efforts, where does the millions to trillions of dollars and pounds of food, donated, go and why isn’t it reaching the hungry in America?

Some children will always slip through, due to human error ratio, but we are not a third world country and to accept 50 million hungry children as well as so many children dying each day, as a norm, in a developed country such as our own should, I would think, alarm us all. If we can see every nook and cranny in America through satellite shouldn’t we also be able to make certain no child ever goes hungry in America? It is not a lack of generosity on the part of the American people or government to give, as we are the most altruistic Nation in the world. We are also the largest producer of food produce in the world. I understand a great deal of our altruism is spread around the world but shouldn’t we feed our own,first? Perhaps someone as concern as myself, with much more influence than I, can check this out in 2011 and report back to the Nation?

Since this will be the last of my posts for 2010, I again, offer my thanks to you all for taking out a little of your time to either read,curse, or hopefully perhaps, without seeming too indulgent of my own ego, to find someone who just might have understood what you were feeling. I wish each and every one of us a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! When we are generous and kind in our thoughts,speech and actions to one another, it changes negative attitudes that predispose some towards entitlement and greed,stops gossip and lies,and brings refreshment to our souls. It matters a lot!

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It Is Time To Be A Grownup

As someone, who went through screaming, tears, and general upset once Santa was exposed as a fraud in our home, I cannot express enough how important it is to tell grownups to be grownups, at the very least, during the Holiday season. The tree was never again put up unless my sister and I could find an axe and chop down a lonely tree somewhere in the region, the fudge and divinity no longer made and any gift was absent beyond that of what my dad gave to my mother. Each Christmas Eve became one of turmoil, because my father did not buy my mother the gift she felt entitled to receive. He would always buy practical instead of luxury and it would open the flood gates of hell.The family pictures taken, show the disappointment in the eyes of the children and are a lasting reminder as to how Christmas should never be spent, all these years later.

I’m sure it has everything to do with my believing that Santa is real and every act of kindness, done by we adults, to others is not only because of our spiritual need to express our love and gratitude to Christ and God but also to express our human side to mankind. Christmas, is indeed, a very miraculous time of year and it is important that we adults, do understand, it is about the children. Just as the Magi presented gifts to the Christ child, so should we present gifts to the children, granted us through God.

At no other time of the year, is it even wise to spoil our children, except their birthdays and during the holidays. If that means we don’t buy ourselves a new wardrobe just now,or lay off the egg nog, we still put up a tree or buy a gift, even though we may not feel like it, we do it anyway. The memories we are making now are not about us, but about our children and grandchildren. It is not about what your husband or wife, boy or girl friend, adult children gets you. During these financially difficult times, it is o.k., to spend what little we have on the children or grandchildren. I assure you, they will not be spoiled for life. Somehow I think both God and Christ would approve.

We adults need to keep Christmas in perspective but not by denying our own children the joy of Christmas or the Holidays. We can better watch the number of times we eat out instead of cook and how we are the example of dollars being wasted. In families where there is no money at all,draw an outline of a tree on the wall with string or thread, and have the children decorate the same with their own creations made of paper or glitter. Children need to feel that they are loved enough or important enough to know their parents will make an effort to make them feel the same. For what you spend on alcohol, use the money to buy a game the family can play, together, instead. Children know when they are poor today, unlike another time before tech and name brands were noticed, so the time you spend with them ,often times, is the best gift of all.

For those who will and do attend the Churches across America during the Holiday Season, remember children do not find the same sense of peace that we do in Church services. It takes all of us years to develope faith. To deny a child, their moment of joy, either with making them the center of attention, or gifting them with a warm coat, or new shoes, a full stomach, or yes even a toy, does us well to remember that Christmas is also about the type of grownup or human being we also are. To pay honor strictly to the spirituality and our needs and then to deny our children joy, speaks mountains of the kind of person we are not. Do not let your pride come before the generosity, being offered out of love to you and your children, by those Santa Claus amongst us, who wish to share our bounty with you. It is not a sin to be poor but it is unfair to deny our children happiness, when people are willing to help make it possible, out of love.

At no other time of the year, is there more good will towards men, more generosity and sharing given and done, and more thanks expressed amongst mankind. We grownups have both an opportunity to make warm and lasting memories for all children as well as a responsibility to make certain that all children know and feel they are a part of this enchanting time of, “peace on earth and good will towards men.” God Bless us all, man, woman, and child!

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Grieving During The Holidays

My heart goes out to all the people in the world who find Christmas and the Holidays a particularly difficult time of year. Most have broken up with someone special, lost a mate, parent or child and as bad as the coping is, the Holidays and everyone else’s cheer or lack of understanding, sometimes leaves us cold. Most just want to pull their heads into their covers and let the Season pass. It is important that you do take the time necessary to grieve and to go through the necessary steps of grieving, so please know, you all are in the thoughts of many of us this Season, who do care. Grieving, does not need guilt attached to it, so if you are not yet ready to enter the World to participate, please know many of us as well as your true friends, do understand.

For those of you who are,” sick and tired” of being “sick and tired” and ready to move on but are at a lost as to how to do it, I recommend the art of giving. Nothing will brighten your own outlook in life more than to reach out to a family, friend’s or neighbor’s child and to play Santa Claus in their life. This does not mean you have to dress up as Santa. It only means that you are the unknown who blesses a child with a gift they would never have received unless you had been generous. The Canadians have a nice Holiday called “Box Day” where they leave food or gifts on the step of a needy person and get away unrecognized. Whichever way would be fun for you,and if you do not wish to see anyone yet, this is a splendid way to make yourself feel better and to honor your loved one, while renewing a child’s innocent need to believe in the goodness of mankind.

If you do not feel comfortable being part of a Holiday celebration,bake cookies and leave them in the mailbox of a needy family, write a check in the memory of your loved one and put it is the bucket of the Salvation Army where the bell ringers are collecting donations. If you prefer to keep it private, then slip in cash anonymously. If you have extra money, go to a Department store and have toys, shoes or coats delivered. You can have a meal, a ham and the trimmings, or a pizza delivered after going to the restaurant and paying for it. If they do not deliver then perhaps a friend or taxi cab driver would be glad to deliver it for you. If someone you know has lost their job or been laid off, a few dollars in a envelope placed in their mailbox or shoved under their door, might go a long way with the utilities. Even if funds are limited, as long as we have our health,we all have a talent we can share, we can offer to carry a heavy load or offer a ride, we can shovel a sidewalk, or work in a soup kitchen.The only thing that limits us, in our giving, is our lack of imagination and desire.

Nothing heals a broken heart faster than knowing we put a smile on the face of a child who believes Santa Claus only comes to the rich boys or girls. You may not see the smile on the child or the warmth of the food in their stomach, but you can bet your loved one will. If it is loss through divorce then wouldn’t you’d rather a child was fed or “shouted out in glee” than your Ex fight over it? Wishing you all a recovery, in your own time and at your own pace! The time clock does not run on grief nor can anyone else tell you when it is over. Grief is as individual as we all are different. God Bless each and everyone of you!

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Bitter Is For Limes And Lemons

As we enter the Holiday Season, there will be the self-righteous and bitter amongst us, that will complain about using Happy Holidays over Merry Christmas because they are justified by their religious convictions, and yet others that will demoralize Santa as nothing more than a consumer hoax to get others to spend money and forget about the birth of Christ. The very mention of Hanukkah over Christmas will raise the hackles of others. The truth is no matter how we entertain or live this special time of year, it is about the children as well as the Christ Child. If we wish to tell the story of Jesus, light the candles, or play Santa in our homes or to others,I can’t help but think, that God who judges and Christ whose birthday it is, would be pleased we remembered to celebrate our Blessings from above. Afterall mankind, as a whole, can grasp more than one thought in a celebration, at a time, without being accused of being atheist, pagan or heathen, in doing so.

One of the greatest gifts, we all have received, along with the birth of Christ is our own unique differences.Not all celebration need be literal to another time or place either, as who can find complaint, about the spirit of giving through love? Isn’t that really the lesson our children are learning? It is a fine tradition to give thanks, make sacrifices for others, and to give of ourselves to those less fortunate than ourselves. It has been my experience, that people who go to little or no trouble beyond a few Christmas cards or who ban Christmas altogether, or perhaps hand over cash out of a sense of obligation,duty or image and often resent the same ,instead of going to the effort and joy of personal shopping and giving, are often the first to slam Santa. Some will never understand the spirit of, “Santa,” as many of them will openly hang onto the idea that Christmas has become too commercialised. There does appear to be a real bitterness found in these people who would criticize the Santa Claus believers. Often, not always, I have found they do lack empathy for others, beyond their own black and white self-righteous world.

Santa Claus is very much alive and real, carried often to the grave of many of us, who give of our time, love, and thought in the memory of God or Christ. One is not a commercial entity that separates itself from the other, just as people who drop coins or money into the buckets of the blind,limbless, and poor, often do understand. If you have never tried it,then please do. You will be surprised how often you hear the less fortunate giving praise and thanksgiving to their Maker, along with words like God Bless You!” or “We have been Blessed by God” if it were not for God’s guidance of you to us,”We would not have made it.” We who play Santa in the real world, soon realize, every action of the generous who gives anonymously and without expectations of return, comes back in the praise of our Redeemer. Rare is the person who receives, who does not credit God or Jesus. I’m sure Christ would not mind at all.

The white hair and beard, along with the jolly belly and reindeer, is simply,an image we pass onto our children who have a more privileged life than others, to entertain a child’s curiosity of giving. The child whose parents could never afford the bike, the pretty doll, or the loving teddy bear and who smells the ham baking, sees and knows another kind of Santa who makes the lives of these children miraculous for a day as well as sends them to bed with a full stomach, if they are Blessed enough to receive from the kindness of others.

These Santa’s never dress in red suits, or ride in sleighs and often are never seen in public. They are not gender biased, faith affiliated, or any certain race. They are the True Santa Claus, that live amongst us, regardless of the season. Whether we are rich or poor, sick or well, or happy or sad, once we take giving to heart, the deed itself will raise our own spirits and bring joy into our own lives. So this Holiday or Christmas Season, lay off of Santa and instead stay out of the shoe department for yourself sometime during the year, as bitter belongs in limes and lemons. If you have not already discovered the joy of giving or playing Santa, now is as good time as any to learn it. Feed a hungry child or gift a poor child, even if all you can afford are the children in your own family or neighborhood, and you will be jolly or Blessed all Season. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to us all!

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