11-28-09 I have been pondering the way my mother would give anything she had to someone if she felt a person had need of it. I remember feeling indignant, thinking that it was she who needed the item, and she who was being victimized by conniving forces.

The older I get, the better I understand what , back then, appeared incomprehensible to me. I am slowly learning that it is truly more satisfying to give than to receive (even if it is difficult to part with items one hasn’t used in years). So why does it take us so long to realize things like this?

The older I get, the commercialism of the holiday season bothers me more and more. This Thanksgiving weekend, as shoppers greedily swarm stores for the best bargains available, I once again find myself disturbed by the gross materialism of it all. Perhaps the older I get, the more aware I am of many who have not. It seems so incongruous that a nation such as ours, a nation that is reputed to be one of the wealthiest, can harbor hungry…and homeless…and those who cannot afford medical care in its midst. Appalling living conditions exist on Indian reservations, in Appalachia, and in city slums. How can a nation of wealth allow such grievous adversity to go unchecked? How can we daily expend exorbitant amounts on unnecessary items that simply crowd our homes while fellow citizens starve and die in our midst?

Therefore, I have decided to begin a mission. When daily newscasts recount grave stories everywhere, and television ads prey on the viewer’s “need” for all they offer, I find myself looking at my own home and possessions with different eyes. How can I live more simply? My mother was constantly “weeding out” and “pitching.” I think I’m beginning to get it. Perhaps by simplifying my life materialistically, I will be able to grow spiritually. Perhaps then I will be able to enjoy the true spirit of the holiday season – not only at Thanksgiving and Christmas but every day throughout the year.