A Christmas Message For Celebration And Consideration

Hopefully, you’re up before the household’s munchkins discover that Santa and his flighty reindeer did a hit and run.

As gift wrap and ribbons are spewed around the tree that had been the centerpiece of the living room, the scents emerging from the kitchen are leading to the day-long feasting.

Despite the losses and challenges that we’ve all encountered during the pandemic, you have met them all with greater appreciation for the little things.

But if you need a reminder of the little things, then you need to visit hospitals with workers and patients fighting together for recovery, with homeless shelters for the hopeful, with animal shelters for residents that have only a 24-hour timeline left, with VA hospitals for those who have served and with senior neighbors and friends wondering what is so special about the day.

This holiday time is just a reminder that regardless of your religious beliefs, your political affiliation or your cultural choice, it is a time to show a little kindness, understanding and thanks for what you have.

In the days ahead, the MySweetWishList series will continue to share stories and needs of the North Texas community. Just as you learned this past week about a foster who cared for a terminally ill dog to make his last weeks special, and the former Dallas mayor’s daughter with an autistic child, there will be stories that make you applaud and understand the neighbors who make our community a shining star.

The MySweetCharity crew wishes you a safe and healthy holiday with the hope that your blessings be bountiful and your regrets be few. Or as the Irish say,

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

And remember, calories don’t count until 2022.

* Photo credit: Pulitzer Prize winner Skeeter Hagler