Merry Christmas. By now, I’m sure you’ve opened your gifts, eaten too many Christmas cookies and nearly burned the house down by stuffing too much wrapping paper into the fireplace at once.
By now, I’m sure it’s mid-afternoon, the frenzy of morning has passed and the next batch of relatives is not due for another few hours. I know listening to me prattle is a low priority for Christmas Day and the only reason you’re listening at all is that you’re bored and you can’t think of anything better to do, although you could always shovel the walk.
Perhaps this is the time of day when the Christmas letdown is setting in. After weeks of bombardment on television and in the stores, it’s hard for any day to live up to the expectations we may have. Perhaps today is difficult because you’re alone; perhaps today is difficult because you’re surrounded by your family, but you’re not as close to them as you’d like to be.
Perhaps you’re like me and each year you look within for an ineffable gift of meaning and purpose to return to our lives just as the sun surely returns from its solstice.
But this season, as we so often hear, is more about giving than receiving. The retailers don’t care, they make out either way. But that’s not the kind of giving and receiving I’m talking about.
Here are a few of the gifts that have impressed me this holiday season. Last Saturday, as dusk was falling and the temperature was dropping into the single digits, a couple hundred people gathered to light candles and remember the homeless in front of Burlington City Hall. Moving unobtrusively through the crowd, distributing candles, was one of Vermont’s senators, Patrick Leahy. I am quick to use this commentary to call attention to politicians’ acts of pettiness and greed, I’m happy I can also commend Mr. Leahy’s act of humility and service.
There were a few tables heaped high with donations of warm clothes for the homeless, but what I took away was the thought that we are none of us so wealthy that we do not share in the common poverty we have created, whether we are poor in wealth or in spirit.
The other gift of the season comes truly from our hearts, but it comes out of our arms. I was at the blood bank the other day and as I was draining away, the phlebotomist told me I am fortunate in that my blood is free of viruses. As we learn more about blood, it seems we learn many viruses stay in our bodies forever, even though we fought off the symptoms years ago.
While the presence of these viruses does not prevent us from giving blood, the blood cannot be transfused into patients who suffer from disorders of the immune system, or infants, who can be susceptible to a latent virus.
So, through no virtue on my part, I have virus-free blood, which is given to children and AIDS patients. For me, that thought is now the best part about giving blood. The phlebotomist also told me that Americans donate 14 million units of blood annually, but less than five percent of those eligible donate.
Christmas and New Year fall in the middle of the week this time around, so we all have plenty of days off. We still have the opportunity to give our most meaningful gift this year. It can go a long way toward lifting those Christmas blues.
One From the Heart
Merry Christmas. By now, I’m sure you’ve opened your gifts, eaten too many Christmas cookies and nearly burned the house down by stuffing too much wrapping paper into the fireplace at once.
By now, I’m sure it’s mid-afternoon, the frenzy of morning has passed and the next batch of relatives is not due for another few hours. I know listening to me prattle is a low priority for Christmas Day and the only reason you’re listening at all is that you’re bored and you can’t think of anything better to do, although you could always shovel the walk.
Perhaps this is the time of day when the Christmas letdown is setting in. After weeks of bombardment on television and in the stores, it’s hard for any day to live up to the expectations we may have. Perhaps today is difficult because you’re alone; perhaps today is difficult because you’re surrounded by your family, but you’re not as close to them as you’d like to be.
Perhaps you’re like me and each year you look within for an ineffable gift of meaning and purpose to return to our lives just as the sun surely returns from its solstice.
But this season, as we so often hear, is more about giving than receiving. The retailers don’t care, they make out either way. But that’s not the kind of giving and receiving I’m talking about.
Here are a few of the gifts that have impressed me this holiday season. Last Saturday, as dusk was falling and the temperature was dropping into the single digits, a couple hundred people gathered to light candles and remember the homeless in front of Burlington City Hall. Moving unobtrusively through the crowd, distributing candles, was one of Vermont’s senators, Patrick Leahy. I am quick to use this commentary to call attention to politicians’ acts of pettiness and greed, I’m happy I can also commend Mr. Leahy’s act of humility and service.
There were a few tables heaped high with donations of warm clothes for the homeless, but what I took away was the thought that we are none of us so wealthy that we do not share in the common poverty we have created, whether we are poor in wealth or in spirit.
The other gift of the season comes truly from our hearts, but it comes out of our arms. I was at the blood bank the other day and as I was draining away, the phlebotomist told me I am fortunate in that my blood is free of viruses. As we learn more about blood, it seems we learn many viruses stay in our bodies forever, even though we fought off the symptoms years ago.
While the presence of these viruses does not prevent us from giving blood, the blood cannot be transfused into patients who suffer from disorders of the immune system, or infants, who can be susceptible to a latent virus.
So, through no virtue on my part, I have virus-free blood, which is given to children and AIDS patients. For me, that thought is now the best part about giving blood. The phlebotomist also told me that Americans donate 14 million units of blood annually, but less than five percent of those eligible donate.
Christmas and New Year fall in the middle of the week this time around, so we all have plenty of days off. We still have the opportunity to give our most meaningful gift this year. It can go a long way toward lifting those Christmas blues.
Happy Holidays.