For it is in giving that we receive.
-Francis of Assisi
The holidays are a complicated time. They pack excitement and joy, alongside sadness, loneliness, and pain. The season is a reminder of traditions that you will no longer share with a lost loved one.
As a griever, our holiday needs are a little different. We gift lists contains things like getting the person we lost back in our lives, feeling love that we haven’t received in a while, getting a hug that solves dilemmas, and being surrounded by laughter that only lives in memory now.
While no one can package those intangibles for us in gift bags, we can get some of what we need by giving to others. Rather than focusing on what we want that we are missing, we can think about what we have to offer to others who might be equally in need this season.
Consider volunteering your time and/or your talents at this time of year: serve meals to those who are unable to acquire them on their own, donate gifts, craft household and clothing items for families, or help out at charity and fundraising events.
By giving to others out of love, we receive the things we need most this time of year: love and comfort.
A.N.Carroll 