My Christmas Letter

I’ve been enclosing a Christmas letter with my cards, ever since I began taking care of mom over 12 years ago.  Friends and relatives, I believe, were more concerned about her situation than mine, but even after mom passed I continued what had become a habit.  This year I got my cards out early (surprise) and received some comments on the enclosed letter (bigger surprise!).  So, I offer it to you:

Merry Christmas, Friends and Relatives (and a belated Happy Hanukkah);

I pray all is well with you and yours.  This year I finished removing myself from all leadership positions of boards and committees, and further focused my time getting to know God and on serving individuals in need.  My eyes have been opened to the fact that there are people in need everywhere, not just in foreign lands or the inner cities, but in my community, even on my block.  These are people whom no one visits, receive no birthday cards, and no one calls.  Sometimes they’ve made life choices which ended badly, but often they are among the elderly, ailing, autistic or have “special needs” in some way.  They are alone and without hope, and they are our neighbors. 

As a result, I now am helping to form a community organization we call P.O.R.C.H. --- Providing Others Renewed Confidence and Hope.  Through it, we will seek out the lonely and forgotten and match them with caring hearts.  Perhaps after they meet they’ll just sit on the front porch sometimes, and talk, like neighbors once did.  Maybe they’ll even become friends.

In MY community, remembering the commandment which says: Love your neighbor, I want no one to be forgotten or without hope.  Please pray for the success of this effort.

Recently I shared lunch with a 10-year old.  We discussed the upcoming holiday and her plans.  The talk centered around presents, visits and parties, and so I asked her: “But you remember whose birthday we are celebrating, right?”  And then she told me of some church and school-related plans which focus on God.  And then I told her this story:  Imagine it is Jesus’ birthday party, and you are there.  You place the cake in front of Him, light the candles and say: “Make a wish, Jesus.”  And then He smiles at you, closes His eyes for a moment, and then blows out the candles.  And then I asked my young friend: What do you think He wished for?  He looked at you before He wished.  Wishes are often something you really don’t expect to happen.  What present from you do you think He could open on Christmas Day and in complete surprise stutter: “But, but, but I never expected this!” --- a wish come true for God.  What do you think He might wish of you?  If you tried hard, could you totally surprise Him?  And that, I offered her, would be a REAL Christmas present.  And you could see her young mind begin to work.  Is yours?

I wish you much joy and blessings this Christmas, Hannukkah, and New Year.  I haven’t seen some of you in years; who knows if we’ll ever even meet again on earth, but I look forward to seeing you in heaven.