Small Things Count

Today’s Thursday Thought quote heads us in the right direction for 2022:

“Let our New Year’s resolution be this: we will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity, in the finest sense of the word.” — Goran Persson

When I saw this, I just had to pass it on. I hope millions of little girls see it, too, and say to themselves, “Well, yeah…of course!”

DON’T BURN THAT GIFT WRAP IN YOUR FIREPLACE!  The metals and ink in much of the paper cause many fires each year and send harmful particulates into the air we breathe. 

[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. For a description of the book go to My Free Books).

“Christmas” is defined individually, within each person. The definition (and experience) is based on age, life-experiences, faith, family, stage in life–in fact, on all of those things, and more. Today’s Thursday Thought quote offers a universal, even practical meaning if we embrace it.

I keep seeing statements like this one I just got on NextDoor: “My fiancé and I have considered the vaccine but we know someone whose dad passed of a heart attack within a few days of the vaccine and he was very fit, at 48 years of age. A close family friend of mine (female) at 47 years old and healthy, had a confirmed mini stroke within days of the vaccine.” Please allow me to share my response to her, in case you’re on the fence regarding vaccinations because of such experiences.

Georgia — (Note that I’m not disagreeing with you or debating you.) You’re mixing up proximity of two events and cause/effect.  The cases you cite are valid only if it’s medically clear that the vaccine actually caused the stroke or whatever.  For example, a person ate German food and soon thereafter had a terrible headache.  Was there something in the food, or was his body ready for a headache because of stress (or the wine that went with the food)?  He’d definitely want to know what the specific cause was before he gave up his beloved German food.  We draw these causal conclusions all the time–if I hadn’t left five minutes late I wouldn’t have been in that accident or I should have (fill in the blank) so then (fill in the blank) wouldn’t have happened.  My response here isn’t intended to debate you, just to reassure you that not everything that seems like a cause should be accepted as a cause until it’s checked out.  For you and you’re family’s sake, and those you come in contact with, especially during the holidays, please put that in the mix as you decide whether vaccinations are what you want to do or not to do.

Mother (now Saint) Teresa marked Christmas 1948 as the beginning of her work with the poor.  The day was so important to her that she set aside time every Christmas to be with those people she ministered to—the poor, hungry, marginalized, dying, abandoned.  She would go to an orphanage or to the bedside of a dying person or give a lingering embrace to a child with AIDS or leprosy.  She shared her Christmas in ways that quietly highlighted the feast’s true meaning: coming into a world of people in need and serving them for no other reason than love.  During this blessed season, maybe we can each be a little like Mother Teresa.  We all know someone who needs comforting, companionship, encouragement, a helping hand, a person to pray with.  Maybe we can’t act totally like Mother, but we can certainly be true brothers and sisters to other members of God’s family.

You had a full-FILLING Thanksgiving and may even have some leftovers in your freezer.  Now it’s time to think about about Christmas dinner in only a few days.  Maybe you can invite that relative who has been on the outs with much of the family.  Your invitation may lead to reconciliation and rediscovery of a “new” person.  (You or he may have changed.)   Think about someone outside your family who will otherwise be alone because she has no one locally.  Or someone you know who is having a hard time of it financially or emotionally.  Even that neighbor couple whose health prevents them from doing much celebrating.  This year, let’s open our arms and celebrate with more of our brothers and sisters.

Put an eco-friendly gift under the tree for your dog.  Buy an all-organic toy (e.g., natural plush or bamboo ropes), or make a chew toy from an old cotton tee shirt cut into strips and tied into a rope.

[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. For a description of the book go to My Free Books).

The word “hero” is used in a multitude of situations. You might say it’s overused. Even so, for today’s Thursday Thought quote, I’d like to add one from Maya Angelou.

We tend to stuff our wallets and purses with all sorts of things that we need only occasionally and should not fall into the wrong hands via loss or theft. Below is a list of things AARP suggests we do NOT carry with us, although most of us carry at least a few. For details, go to their article 10 Worst Things to Carry in Your Wallet.

• Social Security card.
• COVID-19 vaccination record card, which carries your date of birth and hints at where you live.
  
• Multiple credit cards and credit-card receipts.
  
• Checkbook, or even one blank check.
• Work ID card.
• Passport or passport card.
• List of your passwords.
• Gift card not fully redeemed.
•  Birth certificate.
• Library card. It sounds benign, but a crook can always check out lots of books and sell them for a buck or two apiece.