Good will to men....

Every December, folks all seem to be in good cheer. Most people are slow to anger at this time of year and are fast to extend a warm greeting or helping hand. Packages, smiles and good will are all delivered to the doorstep. It is Christmastime and folks feel the happiness and cheer. It is in the songs we sing, it is in our mailboxes in the form of bright greeting cards, it is in our homes with the festive decorations, it is in our hearts as we open our wallets to help folks we do not even know. This is the way we are supposed to live our lives. My question...why is this limited to one month out of the year? What happened to the other eleven? Where is all of the love and kindness for the rest of the year?

Back in the day when my kids were small, I tried to share the giving experience with them. My "Real-life Santa" brought a lot of meaningful happiness to my life when I was small and I wanted them to feel the love that was only to be known by the pure act of giving. Every year, each of the kids would pick a number between zero and nine. Then throughout the year, every time I received any one dollar bills in change, they were to look at the serial numbers. If on any dollar there was a double or triple digit of the number they chose, that child kept the dollar bill. These dollars were dubbed "Angel Dollars". They would put these "Angel Dollars" in special banks. The kids were not allowed to spend this money for any reason. Then right before Christmas, they would take their money and adopt an some child that did not have bright aspects for a very merry Christmastime. They would pool their saved dollars and shop for the child and sometimes, when it was too little, Mom and Dad slipped a few extra dollars in with the Angel Dollars. The kids were always happy to go shopping for clothes and toys. They learned to look for bargains so their dollars would go further. They also learned the art of giving..something that seems to be lacking nowadays. Their giving was not limited to only Christmas, though. We tried to find some reason to give every month..if not every week. Nothing was a monumental donation of any sort..just something small. There were the cookies or pies that were baked for the older folks that lived down the road. There were times they helped by raking someone's yard and times when no gift was needed..just a few minutes of visiting to brighten someone's day. They were learning valuable lessons all the while of helping..giving of themselves..of sharing love.

Why limit our good will to just one month? Why not find at least one time every month to be giving? Why not strive for once a week or better yet...everyday? In the theater, an "angel" is someone that backs a production financially. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all be "angels" and share our wealth (even if it is not monetary wealth)? Spread the joy! Spread the love! Spread the good will! From the words of Henry W. Longfellow..

"And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of Peace on Earth, good will to men."