I am sitting at my lovely kitchen table that my husband built for me (one of a kind), I’m staring down at a cup of warm hot chocolate, my dog is laying her head in my lap and my fireplace is on and I am reading thru an email tonight from a local nonprofit that I support and it brought me to tears. It’s been a rough month, emotionally, for me. Lots going on at work, not enough sunlight (IYKYK), missing my maternal grandfather and one of my best friends from childhood would have turned 33 today if not for losing her life to a drunk driver at age 20. I struggle this time of year anyway with seasonal depression and reading an email this evening about a local man experiencing homelessness, receiving gifts for Christmas just opened the floodgates.
Even though it made me cry (not anyone’s fault), this story is one of HOPE and JOY. A man and his partner were gifted some things for Christmas from the nonprofit this year; they received socks and boots (they walk everywhere) etc and he was also gifted a digital watch.
He immediately opened the box and put the watch on his wrist, looking down at it with tears in his eyes. “This is my favorite gift,” he said, “it means the most because time is the one thing we aren’t given enough of.”
Can you imagine being in a position where you have to choose whether or not to feed yourself or your dog? To find a place to stay that doesn’t allow pets or sleep outside during the winter? Whether to buy new socks and hoots because you have to walk everywhere or to buy food for yourself and your partner and dog? Our friends experiencing homelessness have to think about all of those questions and more, every single day.
Of all the *things* he could have received or gotten, the thing the man cherished the most was TIME.
Y’all, I can’t 😭
I can’t even imagine this mindset for this gentleman ! I LOVE having a watch, I’ve loved watches since I was young but I’ve never attached such an important meaning to having one on my wrist every day. Trust and believe I will never look at my timepiece the same after this evening. Certainly puts things into perspective for me. I am a chronic over thinker and I put a lot of stress on myself trying to make things perfect or just right and get the perfect gift for everyone- but what if we all took a leaf out of this man’s book? What if we looked at time as our most important commodity? What if we took the opportunity to spend time with our loved ones instead of money or looks or power or greed or consumerism? What if, when we looked at our watches every day, we thought: “I am so blessed and grateful to have another day, how can I make the world a better place?”
I want to challenge myself and you, In this holiday season of more more more and consume consume consume, to be more like a watch and spend TIME with those you love and remember to collect MEMORIES instead of things.
For these are the things that will last a lifetime.
Peace and love to you and yours in 2024,
EMC
12.20.23
I love this! Thank you so much for sharing.
<3