UNITED STATES—The Christmas holiday is long behind us, but that does not mean the thought of giving should cease. It’s during the holidays that people tend to give more, but that giving should take place year round. I can not express the feeling of gratitude and happiness that I felt delivering gifts to family and friends on Christmas Day; particularly my nieces and nephews. Some children are so precocious.
They’re observant to everything that happens around them, but at the same time they don’t always ask for much. To see the expression on my nieces face when they opened their gifts were fulfilling. While they didn’t ask for anything in particular, they were happy with the gifts given to them and so thankful to the items received I couldn’t be any happier. The same applies for my two nephews, the youngest of the bunch and they are happy with the smallest items they receive.
They could care less what they get; the thought of them getting anything to begin with puts a smile on their face. All my nephew talked about all year was getting a sled, so when he opened his gift to see a sled standing before his eyes he nearly had tears in his eyes. Kids are great to give to over the holidays, adults can sometimes be tricky.
There are those people who expect to receive yet they never give. The audacity for someone to think they’re entitled to something burns my soul. If you don’t give however can you expect to receive? Reflecting back on Thanksgiving and Christmas think about those people that are still living in the streets, those children who are going to bed at night without a meal or perhaps the pets out there in the frigid weather without a home to go to.
Every donation or act of kindness done throughout the year, no matter how small or big has an impact on a person’s life. We as Americans may not understand the impact of that what we do right at the moment, but in time we do realize our ability to give brightens the human spirit and psyche. Let’s all make it a New Year’s Resolution to display one act of kindness each day of the year. Not only are you brightening the lives of the people you encounter, but your actions may also be contagious to those surrounding. All it takes is one person to give to see countless others follow suit.
By Trevor Roberts
