Friday Fun- Bringing Home Christmas

Christmas is a week away! Amazing how exciting that phrase can be for children, yet strike terror in the heart of adults who still have a long list of things to get accomplished. :) (Uh, that would be me, but what's new, right? Flying by the seat of my pants seems like my way of life this year!)And while I know this is supposed to be the day of the week where I characteristically poke fun at myself or tell you of my latest shenanigans, I have to share this article with you.  Read it all the way down. It's completely worthy of it. 
This, my friends, is exactly what Christmas is all about -reaching out and giving. Seeing beyond ourselves an into the life of someone else. Making life brighter and offering hope, even just a glimmer for a moment. Helping people believe that there is good in the world, and we are not a completely lost and hopeless cause. Christmas is about our most basic of human needs- to love and be loved.
May we all reach out in some way this Christmas!


Yours, keeping my eyes open,


Melissa

MY HOLIDAY CHALLENGE TO YOU

We have a charity here in West St. Louis County called Circle of Concern. Now, if you know anything about the St. Louis area, you’d be wondering why West County needs an organization like Circle of Concern, but believe me, they have their hands full, especially this year. Like any other area of the country, we also have families in need. Circle of Concern “feeds the hungry and provides long-term and emergency assistance to low-income families in western St. Louis County.” Additionally, they “create opportunities for needy families to re-establish themselves as productive members in our community.”

This holiday season, they need to collect 480 frozen turkeys so families in our area can have a proper Thanksgiving meal. For those of us not so badly hit by the recession, what’s a turkey? We take it for granted. But for those families where a parent has been laid off or an already low-income has been hurt even worse, a Thanksgiving turkey may be a symbol to their children that things will get better.

Our family has decided to help the Circle of Concern collect their turkeys. We are sending out an email to all of our neighbors asking them to purchase a turkey, or to donate $15 to pay for one already ordered. We will then pick them all up and drive them over to the Circle of Concern. Because I know, as good as our intentions are, sometimes it’s just a hassle to buy the turkey, lug it home, figure out where the Circle of Concern is and then find the time to drive it over there. We’re busy – I get it, so I’m making it easier for my neighbors to help.

So my challenge to you is to find a charity near you and do the same thing. And look not only for the inner-city donation spots, but look deeper into areas of your counties and municipalities for charities you may not have know existed. Needy families are all around us. They may even be your neighbors. So in this time of distress, let’s all help one another.

Karen and family