So what good are weekends if you can’t have any fun.
On a quick note, it’s time for the annual holiday card collection (my wife founded this in 2009).
We deliver cards to the veterans at the Coatesville VA Medical Center. Cards are preferred to be made by hand (card stock, white paper, etc), nothing fancy here. Just a nice hand-written message of thanks for the holidays that we can provide to our men and women who have served. You would be surprised how far this small gesture, and the small amount of time it takes to create these cards, can go. We have area children in the schools create them, and we still always need more. If you are interested in participating in the Cards for Vets program, please reach out to us. We deliver them in person just before Christmas with both Thanksgiving and Christmas cards (note that there are people of all denominations, so even Hannukah or more generic “Happy Holiday” or Thank You cards are more than welcome).
So what did we do this weekend? We went to Ryerss farm to see the horses. Yep, big spender here. Two bags of carrots and a lot of horse petting. And it got me thinking. We left Pretty and the other dogs at home, since well, horses are really big, and we went to say hello. My ole noggin’ asked “What does it mean to give?”
Well, for starters, it really didn’t take much on our part financially. Two dollars of carrots and a quarter tank of gas, and we were there. If you’ve never heard of Ryerss, it’s a farm for senior horses. I personally like the little horses, and my wife has a favorite, Sophie. The horses are all beautiful and full of personality. We go because it makes us feel good, and because the horses love getting the attention. I included some pictures and encourage you to visit them (or if you aren’t near, see if there is a similar place near you).
How many times do we hear a ploy asking for us to donate our time and money, and we say no because we don’t have the money part. There is always time. When we give of ourselves, that is often even better than a single dollar could ever be. There are many opportunities to enjoy the art of giving that cost nothing. We go to the VA hospital because we can. My wife took this on by herself and it has become a recurring event year after year, and it seems like we get more and more cards each year. The look on a soldier’s face, whether in the Great Hall or in the Hospice, lets us know that we did the right thing.
Funny story, my wife has a former tutor from her youth who is in a retirement home. We go to see her whenever possible. It’s about an hour and a half round trip, so it’s not exactly around the corner. But we go, and we talk to the residents as we walk through, and just the simple act of saying hi makes a difference in people’s lives.
So what do I recommend? Give. Always. Are you a student? Just say hi to that one kid nobody talks to. At the grocery store, just help someone grab one of those veggie bags on top of the veggie case, designed for someone 6 feet tall. Do you know someone who’s a shut in? Drop by and see if they want to talk for a bit.
It’s not always about spending money. Yes, for those who can, spending a few bucks really can make a difference. But I’ll tell you the most memorable event from the last 20 or so years. I had moved to Pennsylvania from Georgia, and I didn’t have any family or close friends. It was Easter, and I didn’t have the money to go home to be with my family. Easter Sunday came and I was all alone. And there was a knock at my door. I opened it, and a member from my church was there with a grocery bag of Easter food. I didn’t need food, but I was so thankful. It wasn’t about the food at all. Someone had taken a moment, just a moment, out of her busy life, and came by make sure I knew someone was thinking about me.
Do it. Make a difference. Don’t worry if you don’t have money. Somebody out there just needs a hello, a kind word, a smile, or something you can give away freely. And it may change their life. Make it a habit, and it will definitely change yours.
