Tis Better to Give than to Receive

I received a phone call from one of the sweet widows in my neighborhood last Sunday. She asked if I would bring her my Christmas presents so that she could wrap them for me. I was so touched and saddened all at the same time. I know why she did that - because she is lonely and nights are probably hard. Her husband passed away about a year ago and I'm sure the holidays are hard so what is the best thing to do when you are lonely or having a hard time? Serve others. I just picked them up from her and I told her that this was one of the best gifts I've ever received and she said, "I hope not!" But truly, one of the greatest gifts you can ever give someone is service. It's the most selfless act of kindness.

Last year, as I've mentioned before, we were the recipients of a lot of acts of service. Dinners, food, and even money. My mother in law mentioned one time when she was here that she had never seen a neighborhood as generous as ours. We have challenged ourselves since summer to return all of the kindnesses that we have received. We are the ones serving others. One time when I was in college, we found a family that couldn't afford Christmas. About 15 of us got together and we each spent a certain amount of money for the family, went home and wrapped them, then we put all of the presents on this family's porch. We ding dong ditched them, and then we all hid in bushes, behind cars, trees etc... to see their reaction. The 3 kids and their parents came out and I will never forget the kids reactions - they were jumping up and down, screaming out of pure excitement. It was very emotional and it was a feeling that still touches me as I type this.

I thank my sweet neighbor for thinking of me this past week and for all of the neighbors that have touched us since we've lived here. They are much more than neighbors, they are our friends. And anytime we think about moving somewhere else, we always come back to the fact that some of our very best friends are right here. We don't love our house but we do love our friends and as some of our friends who have left this neighborhood have told us, "this is the best neighborhood around!"

Tis better to give, than to receive.