Is anyone else in shock that this is the last week of November and Christmas is right around the corner? It seems to me that every year, the Christmas decorations are getting displayed earlier and earlier. I even saw some things out before Halloween!?! We're in such a rush to "get to Christmas" that we forget what the holidays are about and the true meaning is lost amidst all the decorations, decadent sweets, and overindulgent human nature. I'm sorry...but yes...I believe that we are in fact an overindulgent society.
Right now I'm dealing with how to portray to a 5 yr. old that he CAN'T get everything he wants. I feel like the Grinch sometimes telling him that's he's acting spoiled, he's got the "gimmies" (read the Berenstain Bears Get the Gimmies...great book!) or he's being the "green-eyed monster" (another BB book!). I desperately want him to learn how to share and give to others without expecting something in return. And don't get me wrong, I have a wonderful kid with a big heart and I'm so proud of him, but I'm afraid that since he's an only child that he will end up being more spoiled because of that.
So...this year, I've decided to do something instead of just talking. We participated in Operation Christmas Child, an organization through Samaritan's Purse run by Franklin Graham (name sound familiar...he's the son of Billy Graham). We made 2 shoeboxes, one for a girl and one for a boy, and filled them with everything from socks and sneaks, to dolls, candy, toys, coloring books, crayons, etc. Last Sunday we dropped them off at church and as we brought them up to the front, I couldn't stop smiling and feeling that inner joy. It was so great to get involved and do something for a change, but also instill in Brady the importance of giving.
However, I didn't want things to end there with just the shoeboxes. I had this mixture of feeling to want, have, and need to do more with myself, my time and my resources. I look around at everything that I have, all the the things I own, and I try to picture myself without anything. It's a scary thought, but it makes me think of my priorities in life--what things are necessary and what things aren't.
In the fall of 2001, I was presented with an full-time internship opportunity from my prof, Bob Thomas (R.I.P) to work at a homeless shelter in Norristown. I took on the internship, a little hesitant about working with homeless people, but at the time I had no other options. In the end, it was the best 3 months of my life and one the most fulfilling decisions I've ever made. The shelter is called Norristown Ministries Hospitality Center and it's a daytime homeless shelter for individuals who are homeless. They do not provide any overnight housing, but they have a great ministry in place through the distribution of breakfast on a daily basis, resume help, shelter and housing placements, food and clothing distribution, and even assistance paying utility bills. They are a marvelous organization and survive through charitable donations only.
I worked there for 3 months on a Business internship, but after a while my focus changed and I started doing client intake evaluations. Every new person (client) that walked into the center was interviewed and through that process, I heard dozens of stories about failure, tragedy and turmoil. It was sad, but it enlightened me to think differently about the homeless. Instead of viewing them as lazy because they didn't WANT to work, my understanding grew tremendously. These people not only had everything working against them, but so many times they are plagued with mental disorders, uncontrollable addictions, and the inability to hold down anything secure in life. They loose their jobs, then their homes, then their families and through all that loss, many times they fall into a deep depression and can't pick themselves up again. It's a tragic cycle and with this economy, things are getting worse and worse.
So, to do "more" this year really took a lot of will to get me out of my sluggish procrastination slump and to get back to the Center. It's been 7 years since I last stepped foot into those doors, but this past Saturday, Brady and I took a little trip back to Norristown to begin the journey of giving of myself, my time, and our love to help others in need. And it was just as wonderful as it was 7 years ago. Some things don't change and that 's a GOOD thing!
The director, Jo Ann Engard was still there and I almost started crying when I saw her face. We sat down in her office and I got caught up with the ongoings of the Center. She told me that everyone's facing hard times, there's no overnight shelter for these people and they are living everywhere and anywhere...abandoned homes, cars, on the streets. A new shelter opened up in Norristown a few months back, and they have 300 beds--they were all filled in a matter of days and there are waiting lists of people for the next year. It's hard to believe, but to see it in real-life is even harder to grasp. And just by going back there for a day, I'm not an expert in any sense, but it was great to open up my eyes and see things for what they really are. In the end, we donated toiletry packets on Sat., and we went back this morning to donate a Thanksgiving meal for a needy family to have for Thanksgiving.
Since that happy euphoria feeling has overcome me, I want to continue on helping out, but I don't want to do it to make myself look better or to only focus on teaching Brady to share...I want to do it because one person CAN make a difference! So I urge you all this holiday season, think of the small ways that you can make a difference in someone else's life!
Oh and Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Here are some pics of Brady this weekend with his friends & with my parents 2 wks ago.
Here are some pics of Brady this weekend with his friends & with my parents 2 wks ago.
