I got an email from one of my blog readers who talked about her Christmas experience this year. I'd like to share some of it with you. She wrote:
"We had a great Christmas with hardly any presents.
A friend invited us to her home on Christmas morning to make sandwiches and put together bags for the homeless. We filled up the back of our car and left with the bags, jugs of water, shampoo, clothing and a lot of stuff we, ourselves, had been given more of than we could use - candy, nuts and fresh fruit - and set off to find people. We searched under bridges and in alleyways, went to bus stops, recycling yards and railroad tracks and stopped for people with shopping carts on the street and sleeping on the sidewalk. We also brought pet treats.
"I can't even describe how good it felt. Everyone had a smile on their face and was so enthusiastically thankful to be given something they needed. Finally, something that matches the sentiments of the season. I won't be waiting for Christmas to do it again."
That's an amazing experience. I think people are finding new ways to feel good. We're used to thinking we need to receive something in particular to be happy. But that turns out to not be reliable. However giving in a way that feels good is a way to experience being happy now. I know because I experience that whenever I write this blog.