As we celebrate Christmas and other end-of year holidays with love, joy and reverence, there are many among us who are suffering and at their wit’s end.
They’re sad, lonely, stressed, unhoused, jobless or depressed, and are often invisible to the people around them.
A close friend of mine posted something on Facebook that got me thinking about this, and I felt prompted to write this column on behalf of everyone feeling lost out there.
Human beings are an interesting species. We have an immense emotional ability to love and be loved, yet we often fail to share an emotional connection with people outside our immediate circles, especially when their states of being make us feel uncomfortable.
It’s hard to relate to the plight of others unless we’ve actually experienced it. In some cases, judgement, blame or fear are attached to our perception.
In our continual quest for peace and happiness, many of us would rather ignore the sadness and suffering of another than extend our heart or hand.
And that’s our loss. Empathy actually enriches the essence of who we are. The gift we give is thus reciprocal.
Suffering of any kind truly has no season, so everything I’ve said thus far applies year ’round.
I respect and admire people who recognize this and reach out in various ways to touch the lives of others. They do things like volunteer at soup kitchens or food pantries, become phone buddies to seniors living alone, make cookies or a casserole for a neighbor who’s sick, send cards to a lonely someone who has no one or simply smile at a stranger.
The options for these acts of kindness are endless. Any acknowledgement, regardless of its size, is meaningful in so many ways. When you think about it, folks, it truly IS the thought that counts.
The way we deal with others says a lot about who we are. Let’s share our love and make kindness our operative word in 2025.
If we have something to give, however small, let’s get out there and give it.
Lois Kindle is a freelance writer and columnist for The Observer News. Contact her at lekindle@aol.com/.
