Christmas is upon us. Today I would like to talk about the spirit of Christmas and giving. Let us go back 40 years to December of 1983. I was living in a charming town of 15,000 named Albany, West Australia. It sat right on the Indian Ocean. It had once been a whaling village. My marriage had broken up. I was almost broke and alone. Christmas looked to be a sad day.
Len and Eve Lees came to visit me. They brought me a Christmas gift,
"a tin of biscuits” (For those who do not speak British English this means
a metal box full of delicious Christmas cookies.) My whole day brightened
up. I became happy. I shall treasure the memory of this act of
kindness as long as I live.
Yesterday morning I drove through a driving rain to get to the swimming
pool for my morning workout. I went into the pool and found friends swimming
there. One friend named Janis gave me a small Christmas gift. It was a bag full
of caramel popcorn that she made herself. I was both touched and surprised.
Later in the afternoon, one of our readers, John Peterson, showed up at the
house. He had a small bag with some walnuts and homemade jam for Elena and me.
I was equally touched.
This year I gave Elena a handmade Japanese Christmas card with a special
message of love for her. She went to work using her incredible skills in
photography to make a touching memorial to my four high school friends who were
killed in Vietnam.
You do not have to spend a lot of money on gifts for those who you
care about. Something simple, thoughtful, and from the heart is better.
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