Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matthew2 5:40
Those people paying off the layaway gifts at K-Mart, and other stores, are not even doing it to get a tax write off! Can you believe such a remarkably creative idea? People giving just to help others and not even getting recognized for it. Amazing! Marvelous! Wonderful! How many other awe inspiring words can we use for these unselfish acts of kindness? Of course, there are many other examples such as dropping a donation into the Salvation Army bucket, delivering countless anonymous gifts and cash to charities and individuals in need. Yes, Christmas is truly a miracle-of-love time of year.
Reflecting on past holiday seasons and all the years gone by, I am more aware of the truths the Savior taught and in them his wish that each of us cherish one another by loving one another--demonstrating that love and not just having it locked within our hearts and minds. Say love, do love, reach out and pull someone into love's warmth.
The worth of your soul is not measured by what you may not have been able to do so much as who you are and how you have treated others along your way in life. "Ah," you might say in all humility, "I am nothing, and I have done nothing much worthwhile." Oh, but you are something! You have loved as you lived; therefore, you have given the greatest gift you had to give. It's the gift that truly does keep on giving as long as you never stop as long as you live.
The innate goodness and caring, the warmth extended from one human being to another, is something that is priceless above all things.
May you and your loved ones feel an inner peace knowing that you have given the most, the ultimate best there is to give. May you have a deep abiding respect for this fact and value who you are, along with all other living beings. Celebrate life!
May you have joy in seeing, comfort in hearing, fun in living, and time to find and experience the treasures all around you in people, places, and things.
May you experience even more of an abundance of love throughout the new year. Only this one thing in itself can perpetuate charity in the world and save it from becoming a dark and dreary place. Love nourishes hope and heals lonely hearts.
A Different Kind of Star
To appreciate fully the warmth of family and friends at Christmas, I am convinced that one, at some time in their life, must have experienced a Christmas without them. I remember such a Christmas Eve during the Great Depression. Homeless and penniless, I was wandering the country searching for a job.
This night--a cold one--I was in the railroad yard of a Midwest town whose name I no longer recall. To escape the penetrating cold, four other men and I climbed into a boxcar. Soon the train began to move, and as it picked up speed, the wind pushed through the cracks in the doors. The cold inside soon became as fierce as it had been outside. The car had been used for hauling flour and had some sheets of paper in it. We wrapped them around our shivering bodies, but we were still cold.
Then one young man with a Spanish accent said, "We make a star for warmth. We sit on floor back to back."
He tucked the paper all around us and took a place for himself. We sat huddled there with knees drawn up and toes pointed out. Gradually heat from our bodies spread from one man to another, warming us. The young fellow began to sing, "noche de amor, noche de pas." We sang for a long time, cozy and warm, until I dozed off, dreaming of other Christmases. When dawn came and the train stopped, we went our separate, lonely ways.
That was long ago and my Christmases are comfortable and happy now but I've never forgotten those fellows who shared the boxcar with me. I give thanks for them often, especially to the young Spanish man who showed us that no matter how bleak and difficult circumstance may be, it is always possible to be warmed by the light of the Christmas star.
Reflecting on past holiday seasons and all the years gone by, I am more aware of the truths the Savior taught and in them his wish that each of us cherish one another by loving one another--demonstrating that love and not just having it locked within our hearts and minds. Say love, do love, reach out and pull someone into love's warmth.
The worth of your soul is not measured by what you may not have been able to do so much as who you are and how you have treated others along your way in life. "Ah," you might say in all humility, "I am nothing, and I have done nothing much worthwhile." Oh, but you are something! You have loved as you lived; therefore, you have given the greatest gift you had to give. It's the gift that truly does keep on giving as long as you never stop as long as you live.
The innate goodness and caring, the warmth extended from one human being to another, is something that is priceless above all things.
May you and your loved ones feel an inner peace knowing that you have given the most, the ultimate best there is to give. May you have a deep abiding respect for this fact and value who you are, along with all other living beings. Celebrate life!
May you have joy in seeing, comfort in hearing, fun in living, and time to find and experience the treasures all around you in people, places, and things.
May you experience even more of an abundance of love throughout the new year. Only this one thing in itself can perpetuate charity in the world and save it from becoming a dark and dreary place. Love nourishes hope and heals lonely hearts.
A Different Kind of StarTo appreciate fully the warmth of family and friends at Christmas, I am convinced that one, at some time in their life, must have experienced a Christmas without them. I remember such a Christmas Eve during the Great Depression. Homeless and penniless, I was wandering the country searching for a job.
This night--a cold one--I was in the railroad yard of a Midwest town whose name I no longer recall. To escape the penetrating cold, four other men and I climbed into a boxcar. Soon the train began to move, and as it picked up speed, the wind pushed through the cracks in the doors. The cold inside soon became as fierce as it had been outside. The car had been used for hauling flour and had some sheets of paper in it. We wrapped them around our shivering bodies, but we were still cold.
Then one young man with a Spanish accent said, "We make a star for warmth. We sit on floor back to back."
He tucked the paper all around us and took a place for himself. We sat huddled there with knees drawn up and toes pointed out. Gradually heat from our bodies spread from one man to another, warming us. The young fellow began to sing, "noche de amor, noche de pas." We sang for a long time, cozy and warm, until I dozed off, dreaming of other Christmases. When dawn came and the train stopped, we went our separate, lonely ways.
That was long ago and my Christmases are comfortable and happy now but I've never forgotten those fellows who shared the boxcar with me. I give thanks for them often, especially to the young Spanish man who showed us that no matter how bleak and difficult circumstance may be, it is always possible to be warmed by the light of the Christmas star.
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