Christmas and the #YolandaPH Victims (Part 3): Give Gifts That Give Life

Image courtesy of Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This whole month of December, I will be dedicating all my weekly posts to the victims of Yolanda, and highlighting different ways that we can help in relief efforts, big and small. It is my hope and prayer that by doing so at least one person, one family's life will be changed somehow.

Christmas is just a few days away -- let's not forget to share our blessings with others (yes, our 13th month pay and Christmas bonuses are blessings!) by giving gifts that give life. I'm not saying you should donate everything you have to the Yolanda victims, or other people in need, for that matter (although it would be totally awesome and inspiring if you did). What I'm simply trying to "spark" is a flame of love and compassion, one that will enkindle a movement of sharing and giving that will go even beyond Christmas. Remember, like I said in my previous post: Every little thing that we can do to help goes a long way.

Anyway, for this post, allow me to share with you what my husband and I chose to give as "gifts" this year -- our own version of "gifts that give life." I am sharing this not to brag in any way, nor to seek praise or affirmation from others. I simply hope to inspire others to give and share more of their blessings, especially to those who need them the most. (Though I'm sure many of you out there have already been helping the typhoon victims in your own way.)

So here is what we did:

First, I designed a simple Christmas card, which included the original poem below:

The text on the card also told the recipient that we had made donations to the Yolanda victims in his or her name, particularly through the work of the Negrense Volunteers for Change Foundation.

My husband then had copies of the card printed as photos at a nearby photo shop. He also bought envelopes in which we could place the cards. I then wrote the names of the recipients on the cards, silently praying that he or she would appreciate our "gift" -- a different kind of gift this time.

As of this writing, we have yet to finish distributing our "gifts" but we hope that every person who receives one of our Christmas cards will be blessed abundantly, and moved to bless others as well. We pray that through our simple yet meaningful gifts, we and our loved ones, friends and other people, too, can focus on the true Reason for the season i.e., the coming of Jesus so he could His share His love and his very own life with us.

As we count down to Christmas, I pray for good things for you, dear readers, and your loved ones too. May all of us be inspired to "give gifts that give life" in one way or another, and may the spirit of generosity, of giving, of loving, and of sharing be always with us, not just during times of calamities and tragedies.