e c i v r Se GIVING
A Cure for What Ails You By Brigit Atkin These are hard times: economic woes, wars, sickness, and general uncertainty abound. The worry and stress of these things often result in flight-fight-freeze mode, sadness, and depression. So what to do in times such as these? While there is certainly a time to attend to your own personal needs, I’d like to focus this article on the different ways giving service to others can also bless your circumstances.
I’m going to share a very personal experience and do so only because it might help you see how your efforts may impact someone else. One Christmas years ago, I decided my family needed to think of the needs of others more than their own wants. I had teenagers at the time and felt that my family needed the experience of personally reaching out and giving to others. 62 www.sghealthandwellnessmagazine.com
I pondered on and looked for different opportunities to serve and give, but it was my youngest daughter who presented the perfect chance: her own friend was in need. This friend’s mother was single with three teenagers.They lived in humble circumstances, and the family realized there would be no Christmas gifts that year. What a perfect opportunity! My family got busy. We put together a hodgepodge of gifts, something for everyone. We didn’t spend a lot of money, but we did what we could to make it a special season for this friend and her family.
Late on Christmas Eve, we doorbell-ditched this large basket of wonders. I’m sure many of you have done things like this before. What made this special to us was that this friend of my daughter’s
