Before the end of the year...

It's almost the end of the year, a time when almost everyone is celebrating for cultural and spiritual reasons. We think of lights,family, peace, joy, and our blessings.

There are numerous parties, church services, and local events to attend. We seem far busier than any other time of year as we decorate, buy gifts, grocery shop to buy goodies to make meals extra-special, and the list goes on an on...

Would you consider taking some time before the end of the year to make a difference for others?

Here are a few ideas to get your "giving juices" flowing:
Send a monetary donation to the charity or cause or person of your choice.
Donate goods to a thrift store such as The Salvation Army,Goodwill, or St. Vincent De Paul.
Buy gifts or business needs from companies who donate part of their profits to help others.
Note: Some of the things listed here may be tax-deductible as well. A present for you in return!
Offer food to a food pantry or a pet shelter. They can all use other things as well, and many have an actual written wish list if you ask or can tell you what their urgent needs are.
Visit people in a nursing home , hospital, or prison. Many don't get any visitors at all. (It brought tears to my eyes just typing that last line.)
Find out which families or individuals in your local area could really use a boost right now and choose one family or individual to really help in some way. Try to find those who aren't being helped already by others.
Volunteer somewhere- Your gift of time is precious! Whether it's for an hour only one time or on a regular basis it's helpful.
Babysit for a couple who don't get out much so they can have some needed time alone.
Write letters to those in the military serving far away from their home and family, those who are lonely, shut-ins, and who you feel intuitively could use a boost.
Thank your employees, co-workers, mail person, delivery people, and anyone else who has helped you this year in a sincere enthusiastic manner.
Show love through your words, actions, hugs, and kisses to as many people as you can.
Be patient with everyone, including yourself. This is a real gift!
Shovel snow for a neighbor.
Forgive someone. This might be yourself as well as others too.
Pray for peace and love to spread throughout the world.

You can mail the fronts of Christmas cards or other all-occasion greeting cards to:
St. Jude's Ranch for Children
Recycled Card Program
100 St. Jude's Street
Boulder City, NV 89005

Are there any ideas you'd like to add? Comment below.

I'm wishing all of my readers a delightful holiday season and a blessed 2011. Thank you so much for reading, sharing my posts, encouragement, and your comments. You are appreciated!

Putting on your Angel Wings

This past week, an article by Barbara Winter in her Joyfully Jobless News ezine caught my attention. I was filled with enthusiasm by all the possibilities it stirred up inside me. The title was "Five Ways To Be An Angel This Holiday." All five ways were excellent, and shared ideas on how to support other people's dreams."

"Seems to me that this is a perfect time to don some angel wings and show your support for someone else's dreams. If that dreamer is an aspiring (or launched) entrepreneur, here are a few suggestions for adding angel power to business building dreams."

This quote preceding the five ways to help entrepeneurs got me tingling with excitement. What if we all would find ways to support each other's dreams on a regular basis? We can do this for everyone in the world!

We can encourage someone who wants to turn their passion into a business, a 5 year old learning to ride a bike or swim ,16 year old learning how to drive, or the athlete who is in training. We can choose to support someone in another country who dreams of finding ways to provide housing, food, education, and health care for their village. This can be done year-round, and not just at Christmas time.

We live in a world where there are some dream stealers in every single town and family. You and I have the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of both people we know and of perfect strangers to help keep their dream alive and actually manifest into reality. We can even be supportive of the dream stealers themselves, so they know that life is full of possibilities, and that goals can be reached- that dreams do come true!

Through words, actions, and deeds we can let others know we are rooting for them to succeed and that we know they have what it takes to do so. We can offer our help and support in many different ways.

My niece just got her double Master's Degree in Music and Music Education Saturday. This was a huge accomplishment for her as she lives in constant pain due to automobile accidents she was in a few years ago. She didn't give up, even when the going got extremely tough.

My sister and her terrific husband gave her the extra support she needed. They did things like help her study, clean her house, walk her dog, lend an ear, and much more. There were times I'm sure all of them wondered whether she was going to succeed. They kept going though by seeing the end result. She did graduate, and it would have been much less likely to happen if she hadn't had the support of her loving family. (I'm so proud of you Elaine!)

Parents, you can encourage your children no matter what their age is. Adult children need your support too. Other relatives can be supportive as well. My mother-in-law has gone above and beyond in the support for our family the entire 25 years my husband has been married. It has really made a difference for us.

You can "put on your Angel Wings" and support others too. As you are out and about in your daily life, become more aware of the opportunities that surround you. They are there no matter where in the world you are at the moment. Look for them, take inspired action, and not only will you help them, you'll help yourself too.

Whether it's the gift of your time, writing a positive sincere note, commenting on someone's Facebook page, a physical gift, or some other means of being supportive, you will have a precious impact on another person's life. That one little thing could be the catalyst that changes someone else's life for the better permanently!