Give a little.

I have been touched by the kindness and generosity of the people I work alongside in the last few days.  Warm sentiments, from the heart, and such enthusiasm for what we do.  A number of bottles of wine also!!!

I am gathering that people think I am a bit of a lush.  Sitting here with my large glass of wine teasing me to drink it, I suspect that perception is more accurate than I would like!

I think I have finally been touched by the spirit of Christmas, certainly in terms of what it means to give without any desire to receive in return.  There were 3 lovely ladies in the queue ahead of me at the supermarket this evening. They had two fully loaded trolleys - full of basics/essentials and a few treats like boxes of biscuits.  They apologised profusely for holding me up which I dismissed with a "don't worry, it's no bother".   As they continued with the packing and loading, I heard them talking to the cashier about what they were doing - essentially, shopping for a shelter for the homeless in town, so that people have some food and some treats over this season where the rest of us seem to be absorbed with the draw of conspicious consumption.
When their bill was totted up, I handed over a twenty pound note - asked them to put it towards the bill.  I was met with 3 pairs of very wide eyes, an audible intake of breath, a passing look of bewilderment, tears and then big hugs and thank yous.  


If you are able, find the time to give something of yourself - your time, your resources, your shoulder to cry on, your ears to listen.  We don't need to receive anything in return.  If we could all give a little more, then maybe some of the inhumanity we witness on our TV screens, (in our warm homes, whilst we eat our meals and drink our wine), maybe it might just start to go away and be replaced by more acts of kindness, respect and civility, because surely THAT is what it means to be human?