Give more than just a present

It's Christmas time! While that's not news to anyone who watches TV or shops at any mall, I think it is important to reflect on the kinds of gifts we buy for others. I find it especially difficult to shop for my Dad. Whenever he needs or wants something, he just goes out and gets it. This year I made a donation to Food for the Poor in his honor. Some needy orphan will get the shoes and coat my Dad does not need.

I have a similar problem with my brother and his wife. For the past couple of years we have been giving each other gift certificates. From my point of view the nice things about gift certificates is that you usually spend them on things you would like to have but might not spend your own money on. My brother, younger than I am, is out of work on a permanent disability so I try to get them certificates for items they really need. Two years ago I gave them a $25 gift card to the mall; they gave me a $25 gift card for gasoline. Last year I gave them a $25 gift certificate to their local grocery store; they gave me $25 cash in a card.

I have to ask myself, "what's the point?" I guess the sentiment is there, but I surmise that it seems to be more of a mutual feeling of obligation rather than a real desire to give something nice.

With all the catastrophes that have happened in the world this past year, I count my blessings daily and feel compelled to help those whom have suffered so badly by donating - time, money, goods - in as many ways as I can. Here is an interesting opportunity I came across in a book called Youth Mentoring: Sharing Your Gifts with the Future. It is about giving of your time to a young person who needs support. Here is a most interesting excerpt from the Introduction.

Sadly, the fastest growing crime in America today is children killing children. Juvenile arrests for murder were more than 50 percent greater in 1996 than in the early 1980s. All juvenile violent crime is about 50 percent higher than it was fifteen years ago.

What does it take to reverse this horrifying trend? It can start with just one adult expressing an interest in one youth. A solution for some is a positive association with an adult other than his or her parents. Just spend time with a child and the world will be a better place. For some children, it can be as simple and as complicated as that.

Children need to feel that someone cares. A Young person who has a strong support system of adults, or even just one significant adult in his or her life is less lifely to engage in self-destructive behavior. It is the angry teen who lashes out at society through vandalism. It is the youngster in emotional pain who hurts others. Kids who feel valued have a greater sense of self-worth, and one cannot respect and love others without first respecting and loving one's self.

I guess what the author is really saying is, give the gift of love to someone who doesn't experience enough love in their life.