December isn’t always the easiest month for a lot of people.  My family is blessed.  We’ve got a roof over our heads, we’ve got the money to buy our groceries, pay our bills…and my guy & I can buy presents for our family without hitting the credit cards (usually).

It wasn’t always the case.  There was a time when I’d been pretty sick-back when I was working as a nurse, had some health crap, had to take some time of from work, and we were just broke. I didn’t have the money to buy groceries and if it wasn’t for some friends at church…well.  I know what it’s like to be broke.  I know what it’s like to wonder how you’re going to put food on the table. I’ve been there.

I try to do what I can to give back throughout the year, and do a little more during the Christmas season.  We’ve got local things where you can buy a family a meal for Christmas- I do that, and we usually sponsor a child from the Salvation Army Angel Tree.  I send books to the soldiers through my friend who helps out with the SOS groups.

I firmly believe that when you give…it comes back to you.  Although that’s not why you should give…the world is much smaller than we realize sometimes and when we help somebody, whether it’s a stranger or a friend, we’re doing something that helps in a very deep way…there’s that saying, Nobody can help everybody, but everybody can help somebody…

Whether it’s a monetary sort of help, a donation of time…every time I’ve given back, every time our family gives, we get blessed.

I’ve had somebody say (paraphrasing), “It’s just too big a job.  There’s too much suffering and you can’t change the whole world.”

But that’s bull.  We can change the world.  We start small, and we help one person.  Because when we help one person, we’ve changed that person’s world.  When 100 people help 100 people…the world has changed for 100 people.  When 1000 help 1000…when 1 million help 1 million…that’s how we can change the world.  Maybe it’s not world peace, maybe it’s not the cure for cancer or AIDS.  But if we take steps where we can to alleviate suffering, it’s a start.  Even in just small ways…a donation to a local food pantry, sponsoring a child at Christmas, volunteering your time to a local school or nursing home or sending letters to those serving over seas.

After all, the world would be a pretty miserable place if nobody tried to help anybody because it was ‘too big a job’.