On Thanksgiving I called my friend Chad as I do every holiday and wished him a joyous day from afar. There was a marked sadness in his voice, a tone I hadn”t heard in him before.
He told me that as he was driving back to his house after picking up the pies for dessert he saw a young woman holding a cardboard sign that read “pregnant and hungry.”
He said tears striped her face and he could tell she was embarrassed, humiliated and she probably never thought she would be standing on a concrete island amid traffic, begging, pregnant and alone on Thanksgiving Day while cars whizzed by her.
He emptied his wallet of his hard-earned cash and handed it to the desperate woman whose head hung in shame facing the cold ground. He wished he could do more. The recession has many tightening belts and giving less during the holidays. No doubt, it”s a tough time.
On my street, we do a community holiday. We all sign up for a portion of a meal to prepare, appetizers, entrees and desserts. We sing Christmas Carols as we walk from house to house, sampling homemade faire and finally end up playing holiday jeopardy on a makeshift board. I always lose, not because I don”t know the answers, but because I blurt them out neglecting the question form. I”m working on that.
My children and I open one present on Christmas Eve, and the rest early Christmas morning.
I am blessed with fabulous friends and family with whom I share these traditions.
Some people are not that fortunate. For those suffering, the holidays often serve as a pointed reminder of what they”re missing.
There are many worthy organizations and events in Lake County that may bring the holidays to those who might otherwise have none.
The Record-Bee and the Observer American are listing a number of these charity functions, events and opportunities in the community pages and calendar section of the newspaper.
Small business was walloped by the financial crisis. Shopping for gifts in Lake County is a gift to the entire community by keeping revenue in the county. There are many reasonably priced shops, restaurants, theaters, and businesses owned and run by your neighbors who need and appreciate your business.
Volunteering during the holidays with small children is a learning opportunity. It promotes gratefulness, caring, sympathy, empathy and sense of pride in the community.
When I lived in a larger city, one organization sought sponsors for meals and beds. During the Thanksgiving holiday, I donated enough for one meal and a bed for a night and at Christmas I splurged, giving money to supply a bed and meals for five days.
The holidays are magical times for most people filled with loving family memories, great food albeit typically too much.
The season can prove tumultuous, lonely and dismal for others. Suicides soar during the winter holiday season. At times it appears overwhelming, the number of people and families in crisis. Extend a hand to others by giving time, energy and money, if you can spare it, to the charity or individual of your choice.
Most of all, never take away someone”s hope; it may be all they have.
Mandy Feder is assistant managing editor/night desk for the Record-Bee. She can be reached at mandyfeder@yahoo.com or 263-5636 ext. 32. Opinions are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Lake County Record-Bee or its management.
