lessons from the drug lady: Tis' the Season

"It's the most wonderful time of the year." It's a Christmas Song that many of us could easily ramble off a few stanzas from. Christmas, Hanukkah and the overall holiday season can quite often be a magical time for many young and old. From the smell of fresh baked cookies in the oven, lights lining our neighborhood houses and time to reunite with family and friends there is a a lot of goodness packaged into a few short weeks of the year.

As we embark upon another few weeks in December that will be teeming with all the holiday trimmings it seems so very important to make a concerted effort to those who may be struggling to find joy in the tinsel, carols and cookies. In the past few weeks I have been in awe of the students at Seneca High School who, through facing the loss of one of their peers along with two younger siblings, chose to find means to encourage, remember and find unity through one another. It is amazing what powerful messages our own kids can teach us in trying times.

So what is it that we can do as a community and in our own homes? In the past eleven years I've had some in depth dialogue with students who may have suffered losses, face financial challenges, have family struggles and the list goes on. When I inquire about the holidays some roll their eyes others may shrug their shoulders and there are those who find mid-November to the end of the year as more of a positive distraction from reality. What so many of these young people have shared is that bringing joy to others at this time of year doesn't equate to taking out your wallet, rather it's getting creative with your heart.

(Tristan and Dean organizing & bagging clothes @ Holy Eucharist's clothing pantry)

When we face challenges, there can be an underlying sense of comfort or even joy when we don't feel like we're in it alone. It's meeting an old friend for coffee, taking a two hour break from the craziness of the world to watch an old movie with family members, baking cookies for the widow down the street, dropping a card in the mail to a friend who might be facing hard times or adding a place at the table for dinner for a young person or adult who may have no one else to share dinner with. The message of the holidays comes in many forms and it's fantastic to take a step back from the gifts, the to do list and all the other harried aspects of late December and allow the purity and richness of the last days of 2014 to be truly amazing.

(Your local food pantries are in dire need of your support both with food and volunteering your time)

Because the truth is each of us can make an impact on the hearts of others in the subtlest of ways that not only brings joy to those around us, but brings a deeper grasp on what this time of year is really about.