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Show Page 6 THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Volume III, Issue III December 1, 2000 On Christmas By Janet Hoffmann Well, the Christmas season is upon us. It is said that we should simplify our lives. With Christmas coming, how can we simplify? With all the shopping, baking, decorating, visiting, partying, donating, etc. how do we simplify? It’s all a part of the celebration . . . isn’t it? Not if you don’t want it to be. Depending on what mood I’m in, is the deciding factor of what I do for the holidays. I love the season yet some years I’m too tired to go all out. Simple to me is getting a tree and decorating it. Wrapping some presents to put under the tree, but not all of the presents. Leaving all Christmas decorations in the attic and forgetting about outside lights. Having one potluck dinner on Christmas Eve and making something that is very easy. Eating whatever we can find for Christmas day and handing out unwrapped gifts. Now to most of you this isn’t a simple Christmas, it’s no Christmas at all! To others it might be more than enough. A simple Christmas to some is my normal Christmas. Our normal Christmas is decorating a tree and the rest of the house, including hanging Christmas towels in the bathrooms—wow. We wrap all the gifts and some I even make. We still have a potluck dinner on Christmas Eve, but we have other dinners and we make more elaborate foods. We hang lights outside and around the windows on the inside. We take gifts to our neighbors and other friends. We give to those with less material needs than ourselves. We might even go to a park and enjoy the lights. During a normal Christmas we go to all the parties we can and wish there were still more. We read Christmas stories and visit everyone we can throughout the holidays. This is the kind of Christmas I wanted this year . . . until we had our big Thanksgiving dinner and I became worn out. So now I’m thinking of scaling down. I must be getting old . . . If you also are getting old, don’t worry about what kind of Christmas you are going to have. Just decide what will work for you this year and go with it. If your stress level is up, only do what you want to do, unless your stress level comes down from doing it big. If so, then do it big! But don’t feel you have to do it like “everyone else.” Remember to cheer up everyone you come in contact with—that’s what the Christmas season is all about. But if you’re not in the mood to cheer-up others, at least let them cheer you up. Accept whatever they give, and realize you are loved. Maybe it will be just a smile from someone you don’t even know, or maybe it will be a sunset. What gifts you receive aren’t important, it’s your acceptance of the gifts that are given and allowing them to make you feel better. Gifts aren’t always obvious, so do your detective work and find all the gifts you can and accept each one with open arms. Maybe after you’ve found just how many gifts you’ve really received, you’ll feel like sharing with others. My gifts are many and I plan to be thankful this glorious season and enjoy each moment. I hope you enjoy yours. Striving for Acts of Kindness—We Can Make a Difference By Michael Yates What made America great can also make an enormous difference in our lives and the lives of our fellowmen. The founding leadership and others throughout our history have set up a system whereby many people across the world, in numerous countries could apply for citizenship and become Americans. Indeed, we are a great, great “melting pot.” People from the islands of the sea, the Far East, the European countries, Russia, Central and South America, Africa, and many other regions have come together and formed America. Our strength as a country is rooted in our vast diversity. In the history of the world, our nation, The United States of America, is rather young; but our accomplishments are numerous. Perhaps one of the utmost accomplishments is that our diversity makes us a strong people. That is not to say that our greatness as a people has not had price tags attached—the Civil War, racial tensions, Native American issues, riots, and other challenges. With greatness, comes responsibility. If we, as a nation, are to remain strong and united, free and diverse, blazing the path of world leadership, then we must turn ton one another individually. It starts with us. George Bernard Shaw said, “The greatest sin against mankind is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them.” Each of us is very important. The sum total of all good and kind acts towards one another can be boiled down to the singular acts performed by individuals. Our nation has seen millions of kind deeds performed—from the smallest to the greatest, but we need much, much more. We, as a great people, need to be more understanding, more tolerant, more forgiving, more loving, and more sharing. We need to practice patience and always, always be in a state of never-ending gratitude for one another and all that we have. As the saying goes, “No man (woman) is an island.” We depend on one another for our lives, our happiness, and all that we have physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and socially. What would happen in our families, communities, states, and our nation, if we performed 365 daily acts of kindness each year towards one another? Times those 365 acts of kindness by a family of four. This equals 1,460 acts of kindness. Times 365 acts by a nation and it equals just over 91 billion acts of kindness. “On this day mend a quarrel. Search out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion, and replace it with trust. Write a love letter. Share some treasure. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest you loyalty in a word or deed. Keep a promise. Find the time. Forego a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Listen. Apologize if you are wrong. Try to understand. Flout envy. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Appreciate, be kind, be gentle, and laugh a little more. Deserve confidence. Take up arms against malice. Decry complacency. Express your gratitude. Worship your God. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love. Speak it again. Speak it still again. Speak it still once again.”— Author unknown. MANSELL AND ASSOCIATES THE TRUSTED NAME IN REAL ESTATE Pete Bealba, GRI 25 year Valley Resident 10 year Valley Realtor 2580 North Highway 162 Eden, Utah 84310 Phone: 801-745-8800 Ext. 328 Fax: 745-1400 Cell-Voice Mail: 391-4100 E-mail: peteb@konnections.com Coming soon to Huntsville! We are now hiring for all positions. We are especially interested in people that can work early mornings and daytime shifts on weekdays. Apply in person at 570 South 7800 East, in Huntsville. (By the Chevron and Ace Hardware) |