When I was a child, my father always delivered a turkey to the families of men who worked for him. He managed a construction company, but did not own it and we did not live modestly by choice.
Dad delivered the turkeys to thank the men for their support but also because some men would be laid off every year during the winter in his construction field. When a man had been laid off, or was about to be, Dad always made sure to give the a turkey "big enough to eat off for a week" and to buy a small toy for each child and to gift wrap and hide these at the bottom of the Big Bear grocery bags that he used to deliver the turkeys. He always said encouraging things and told the men how he would be working most of the holiday to try to finish quotes for jobs and get new work.
I always looked forward to riding with Dad on these trips, although I resented that he was spending "our money" this way. After all, money spent on these families meant that I didn't get the new bicycle that I wanted for my 7th birthday. When we still didn't have enough money for the bike a few months later on my birthday, I told my father that I would be more successful than him and ensure that my kids always had what they wanted.
I was wrong, of course. He was a much better man than I am. He didn't even remember that I had said it when I apologized to him years later, it is my single greatest regret in life.
I now know that my father taught me far more about eternal gratitude and well-being during those trips than at any other time in my life. Some of the men clearly had drinking problems and were drunk when we arrived. One even threatened to kill us with the gun in his hand. These people weren't the same religion as us. Even some who were didn't come to church on Sunday. Why waste money that could have bought my bicycle on these men? Why give money to Negroes and alcoholics?
My Dad always explained that all people were created in the image of God spiritually and that a central belief in all religions was to treat others as one wished to be treated oneself.
My father was disabled on the job at my age. During the 30 years that followed, many of those men kept in touch with him. He took joy in seeing their kids grow and become successful in life, often telling stories about them.
Those acts of charity toward others less fortunate taught me a great lesson. I no longer saw African-Americans as "them" but part of "us". I understood that one could not judge others, unless one had endured what they had endured in life first and should leave what is between a person and God between that person and God.
I have been blessed to see a lot in life and I hope to see a lot more. I have seen the lesson that I learned from my father play itself out in Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Baha'i, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Hindu, and Sikh homes. I know that at least five of these religions are represented on BP.
This is a time of religious holidays for Christians and Jews but my wish is that you and those you love will enjoy time together, not because of a present that might be opened under a tree but because of your fellowship with one another. I hope that you will take the time to show kindness to those less fortunate than yourself and to support good causes that promote the unity of humankind.
So, my wish is that through these such acts that you might find happiness and joy. These are times of dark days and stormy seas, as humanity collectively transits from adolescence to adulthood. If this is a gloomy holiday time for you and your loved ones, then focus their attention on the possibility for true prosperity that beckons. Make peace with those with whom you have conflict. Call someone with whom you have not spoken for years. Have a real conversation with a friend. Get to know someone who is remarkably different than you, from a different religious and ethnic background. Break through the boundaries that define your interactions. Show kindness to someone in difficulty. Be more than yourself. It is in that way that we find the light that lies within each of us.
Best wishes to you all for a safe and happy holiday season.
Dad delivered the turkeys to thank the men for their support but also because some men would be laid off every year during the winter in his construction field. When a man had been laid off, or was about to be, Dad always made sure to give the a turkey "big enough to eat off for a week" and to buy a small toy for each child and to gift wrap and hide these at the bottom of the Big Bear grocery bags that he used to deliver the turkeys. He always said encouraging things and told the men how he would be working most of the holiday to try to finish quotes for jobs and get new work.
I always looked forward to riding with Dad on these trips, although I resented that he was spending "our money" this way. After all, money spent on these families meant that I didn't get the new bicycle that I wanted for my 7th birthday. When we still didn't have enough money for the bike a few months later on my birthday, I told my father that I would be more successful than him and ensure that my kids always had what they wanted.
I was wrong, of course. He was a much better man than I am. He didn't even remember that I had said it when I apologized to him years later, it is my single greatest regret in life.
I now know that my father taught me far more about eternal gratitude and well-being during those trips than at any other time in my life. Some of the men clearly had drinking problems and were drunk when we arrived. One even threatened to kill us with the gun in his hand. These people weren't the same religion as us. Even some who were didn't come to church on Sunday. Why waste money that could have bought my bicycle on these men? Why give money to Negroes and alcoholics?
My Dad always explained that all people were created in the image of God spiritually and that a central belief in all religions was to treat others as one wished to be treated oneself.
My father was disabled on the job at my age. During the 30 years that followed, many of those men kept in touch with him. He took joy in seeing their kids grow and become successful in life, often telling stories about them.
Those acts of charity toward others less fortunate taught me a great lesson. I no longer saw African-Americans as "them" but part of "us". I understood that one could not judge others, unless one had endured what they had endured in life first and should leave what is between a person and God between that person and God.
I have been blessed to see a lot in life and I hope to see a lot more. I have seen the lesson that I learned from my father play itself out in Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Baha'i, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Hindu, and Sikh homes. I know that at least five of these religions are represented on BP.
This is a time of religious holidays for Christians and Jews but my wish is that you and those you love will enjoy time together, not because of a present that might be opened under a tree but because of your fellowship with one another. I hope that you will take the time to show kindness to those less fortunate than yourself and to support good causes that promote the unity of humankind.
So, my wish is that through these such acts that you might find happiness and joy. These are times of dark days and stormy seas, as humanity collectively transits from adolescence to adulthood. If this is a gloomy holiday time for you and your loved ones, then focus their attention on the possibility for true prosperity that beckons. Make peace with those with whom you have conflict. Call someone with whom you have not spoken for years. Have a real conversation with a friend. Get to know someone who is remarkably different than you, from a different religious and ethnic background. Break through the boundaries that define your interactions. Show kindness to someone in difficulty. Be more than yourself. It is in that way that we find the light that lies within each of us.
Best wishes to you all for a safe and happy holiday season.