I know it is only October, but we'll soon be hearing Christmas music on the radio and in no time the stores will be filled with decorations for the holiday season. I know I can get as caught up in the commercialism of the season as much as anyone else can. I think I would like to believe that I always knew what the "true meaning" of Christmas was, but it was not until 2 years ago that I think I truly got it.
Two years ago we started what has become, and will remain, our annual Christmas Collection for the children in Thailand. That first year as Diane and I walked around Target, our carts beyond loaded with toys and other items for the children, I realized many things. First, I said to Diane, "You know if we're giving them Christmas this year, we have to give them Christmas every year from here on out." She agreed. So, I realized I'd be spending the rest of my life shopping for over 100 children at Christmas! Secondly, I think it was in those moments that I really "got it." I thought about my list and what I had been asking for for Christmas. I thought about the gifts I had already purchased. Suddenly everything seemed meaningless. We were in Target buying toys, but we were also buying shampoo, soap, tooth brushes, tooth paste, band aids, school supplies...simple items like this. For Christmas. It wasn't about the gifts for these children. I really was the thought that counted. And, this is what the children wanted. I had seen first hand what these gifts would mean to these children. Never under estimate the power of a new box of crayons. We passed by the aisle with the expensive electronics with our cart full of inexpensive toys and personal care items, and we knew how much these gifts would mean to the children in Thailand. We knew that these simple gifts would be so much more than "simple" to these children. I think that was the most fun I have ever had shopping.
My favorite Christmas poem is One Solitary Life:
He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant
woman. He grew up in another obscure village, where He
worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for
three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book.
He never held office. He never owned a home. He never went to
college. He never set foot inside a big city. He never traveled two
hundred miles from the place where he was born. He did none of
the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials
but himself. He had nothing to do with this world except the naked
power of His divine manhood. While He was still a young man the
tide of popular opinion turned against Him. His friends deserted Him.
He was turned over to His enemies and went through the mockery
of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He
was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property
He had – His coat. When He was dead, He was taken down and
laid in a borrowed grave.
Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone, and today He
is the centerpiece for much of the human race. All the armies
that have ever marched, and all the navies that ever sailed, and all
the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned,
put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as
powerfully as this “One Solitary Life.”
(Author Anonymous)
Two years ago this poem took on new meaning to me. The children we send gifts to in Thailand are the tribal children of that country. They live in remote villages. They are the children of farmers and craftsman. They may never have the chance to do what society considers "great." They are a minority. They are, too often, undocumented, unaccounted for, and unseen by others in their country. They are invisible. They often go uneducated. They live in simplicity, often plagued by illness that could be prevented if only they lived in another area of the world. So much possibility for these children, so much potential within them. They have been touched by the kindness of strangers from the other side of the world, who, for the past two years have thought of these 100 or so children living in Thailand. I wonder how this is affecting them and what they will do with it. They do not ever come from much, but they have so much to share. Their little spirits just shine and to be in their presence is to be in the presence of joy. Believe me, I have witnessed it and never have I been so changed by a group of children. I read this poem now and think of them. The simple lives they come from, yet the potential they have. I said to Diane "If we give them Christmas....." But the truth of the matter is, they gave it to us.
May your upcoming holiday season be filled with joy.
To join is celebrating the holiday season with children around the world, please contact info@bethechangefoundation.org.
Two years ago we started what has become, and will remain, our annual Christmas Collection for the children in Thailand. That first year as Diane and I walked around Target, our carts beyond loaded with toys and other items for the children, I realized many things. First, I said to Diane, "You know if we're giving them Christmas this year, we have to give them Christmas every year from here on out." She agreed. So, I realized I'd be spending the rest of my life shopping for over 100 children at Christmas! Secondly, I think it was in those moments that I really "got it." I thought about my list and what I had been asking for for Christmas. I thought about the gifts I had already purchased. Suddenly everything seemed meaningless. We were in Target buying toys, but we were also buying shampoo, soap, tooth brushes, tooth paste, band aids, school supplies...simple items like this. For Christmas. It wasn't about the gifts for these children. I really was the thought that counted. And, this is what the children wanted. I had seen first hand what these gifts would mean to these children. Never under estimate the power of a new box of crayons. We passed by the aisle with the expensive electronics with our cart full of inexpensive toys and personal care items, and we knew how much these gifts would mean to the children in Thailand. We knew that these simple gifts would be so much more than "simple" to these children. I think that was the most fun I have ever had shopping.
My favorite Christmas poem is One Solitary Life:
He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant
woman. He grew up in another obscure village, where He
worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for
three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book.
He never held office. He never owned a home. He never went to
college. He never set foot inside a big city. He never traveled two
hundred miles from the place where he was born. He did none of
the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials
but himself. He had nothing to do with this world except the naked
power of His divine manhood. While He was still a young man the
tide of popular opinion turned against Him. His friends deserted Him.
He was turned over to His enemies and went through the mockery
of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He
was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property
He had – His coat. When He was dead, He was taken down and
laid in a borrowed grave.
Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone, and today He
is the centerpiece for much of the human race. All the armies
that have ever marched, and all the navies that ever sailed, and all
the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned,
put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as
powerfully as this “One Solitary Life.”
(Author Anonymous)
Two years ago this poem took on new meaning to me. The children we send gifts to in Thailand are the tribal children of that country. They live in remote villages. They are the children of farmers and craftsman. They may never have the chance to do what society considers "great." They are a minority. They are, too often, undocumented, unaccounted for, and unseen by others in their country. They are invisible. They often go uneducated. They live in simplicity, often plagued by illness that could be prevented if only they lived in another area of the world. So much possibility for these children, so much potential within them. They have been touched by the kindness of strangers from the other side of the world, who, for the past two years have thought of these 100 or so children living in Thailand. I wonder how this is affecting them and what they will do with it. They do not ever come from much, but they have so much to share. Their little spirits just shine and to be in their presence is to be in the presence of joy. Believe me, I have witnessed it and never have I been so changed by a group of children. I read this poem now and think of them. The simple lives they come from, yet the potential they have. I said to Diane "If we give them Christmas....." But the truth of the matter is, they gave it to us.
May your upcoming holiday season be filled with joy.
To join is celebrating the holiday season with children around the world, please contact info@bethechangefoundation.org.
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