It is a little early for me to be considering Christmas. I am one of those people who would prefer to begin in mid-December to prepare for the holiday. However, I can see that I need to adapt a bit. This year the focus of our Christmas will be less about gifts and more about helping others. That requires an attitude of timeliness.

Along with our friends Brent and Debbie Tyson we have decided to "adopt" a family for Christmas. We have chosen a family that has recently come to Canada from a much warmer climate. They are ill-prepared for our Canadian winter. We look forward to helping them with gifts  of warm  clothing.

Gary and I don't need gifts anymore. We are fortunate enough to have all that we need and most of what we want. We are grateful for the riches in our lives. Although we are not wealthy we are rich beyond words. We believe that people generally want to do well and when given a hand up can go far. It is an honor to be able to help this family.

This week Gary and I began the shopping process. We took our granddaughter Sullivan along. She was a great help and her enthusiasm for the project was heart warming. By shopping carefully we were able to find many items  of warm clothing. When we returned home Sullivan decided to phone her mom and asked for donations. That made me think of others who might want to contribute as well.

Our shopping trip reminded me a of a story told to us by Hanif Virani many years ago. Hanif, his family, his wife Nafiza and her family were expelled from Uganda in the 1970s during the reign of Idi Amin. They came to Canada and eventually settled in Edmonton.

Hanif was a handsome teenager at the time. A warm hearted social worker took pity on him when he told her he could not possibly wear the sensible shoes that were being provided for him. His pride would not allow it. The social worker took Hanif shopping and purchased stylish shoes with her own money. He was grateful not only for her kindness, but for her ability to see him and respect his dignity. He told the story to me many years later saying that it had had a tremendous impact on him as a young immigrant boy.

That story reminds me that all people want to be seen, acknowledged and respected. The family we have chosen to help are not just a Christmas project. They are deserving  people who simply need a bit of help right now. They did not asked for our assistance but they graciously accepted when they were asked if we could lend a hand.

We like the concept of "paying it forward." We are confident that this family will do exactly that.  In fact, we know that this is a family dedicated to helping others.

Our intention to help this family actually helped us as well. We have taken time to appreciate all that we have. As a result  our Christmas has become much more meaningful.

© C O P Y R I G H T   2 0 0 9.  Mary Sullivan Holdgrafer ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.