What is your Gift this Holiday?

Holidays are here once again. How nice? It is time to get together with family and friends and to bond, connect and celebrate achievements over the past one year. We all look forward to it. We should definitely thank God for the blessings we have received.

While we are thus fortunate, let us not forget that there are those who are not so blessed. In our own communities, we have neighbors, friends, colleagues and fellow human beings that are alone, needy and wondering “what did I do wrong”? They did nothing wrong. They are just unfortunate. They could be you and life is such that you could find yourself in their situation. This is what motivates me to help.

Let us tap into our humanity and reach out to them in whatever little way we can. While gifts are often appreciated, we at WISO believe that a kind gesture goes a long way. Let these fellow human beings know that you and I know about them and their welfare, and that we care and love them for who they are and for humanity’s sake. Hug them, share kind words, extend love and share gifts if you can. Parents, it is time to reconnect with estranged children, relatives and friends.

Some of us are estranged from our children for various reasons. Some of us are estranged from our spouses or parents because they betrayed us. Remember that we are all human and therefore bound to err. To some, a child who married from a different race is not welcome. To others, a gay child is not worthy of love.  The list is long. We should all remember that we are human and loved by God equally. Forgiveness is the highest virtue and blessed is he or she who is willing to extend it to others.

Surprise your neighbor by doing an unexpected act of kindness. Share gifts, a card or a simple greeting. While it takes two to tango, it only takes one to change a situation, a moment, a village and the world. In this blog therefore, I appeal to everyone and anyone that happens to read it to share acts of kindness far and wide.  I especially urge you to hug the next person you meet during this holiday season and tell them happy holidays. Put a smile on a child’s, woman’s or man’s face. Do not forget the elderly and the homeless. Pass by their house, chat and make them smile. That smile, which is worth a thousand words, is the best gift you can ever give anyone.

As the president of WISO, I want to extend our gratitude to all that have supported our efforts in various forms. While we acknowledge our task isn’t easy given the statistics of those who live in abusive situations, we believe that one act of kindness to change any one situation is worth it. Denying the existence of abuse is apathy. Taking it on to save one life at a time is worth it. With enough resources, many will be reached.  We hope you can continue to support us. If you have change that you have been putting aside, we could use it to take another girl to school, or help a woman move out of an abusive situation.

Send all gifts to WISO, 229 Orton Drive, Greenville NC 27858. You can also visit us at www.wiso2011.org. As we wish you happy holidays act in such a way to minimize acts of abuse and family violence. God created us all equals and would love it very much if we treated each other as God’s creations. Jesus, Muhammad, Gandhi Mother Theresa all cared about the unfortunate in our communities. Let us emulate them. Happy holidays to everyone!