As you’re reading this, Christmas has come and gone.  Leading up to this wonderful holiday, everyone seemed in good spirits and more friendlier than usual.  Oh, if we could only keep Christmas in our hearts ALL year through.

Standing in Lowes looking at some light bulbs on Christmas Eve, an African American gentleman walked toward me, paused, smiled, and then said, “Merry Christmas, Ma’am.”  I smiled and said, “Merry Christmas to you.”  On an ordinary day, I just don’t think that brief exchange of pleasantries would have occurred quite like it did.   We both took this opportunity to share kindness from one stranger to another right there for a brief moment in time.

I wish it was possible to bottle up the kindnesses and thoughtfulness that is felt around Christmas time and sprinkle it around long after that special day has come and gone. People still need kindness.  They still need to know that they are thought of, especially when they are facing difficult situations.  Many are still in need of love long after the holiday season has passed.

Will you join me going into the new year?  I would like to carry the spirit of Christmas with me right on through the new year.  I don’t want to just feel that special feeling deep down in my soul only once a year for just a month.  There are hurting hearts that need your kind words, your gentle touch, your smiling face to remind them that people do care and that they DO matter.

Christmas is hard for a lot of people.  They miss their loved ones even more than the previous months of the year.  As people gather every where with their family and friends, we’re reminded that a huge part of our hearts is missing.  For me, it is my sister along with my Grandma and Granddaddy.  For another young man, this was his first year without his granddaddy.  It hurts, and we do need the kindness of a stranger even more so.   People are struggling with different things.  Some are dealing with job loss while others are going through divorce situations.  Others are still trying to mend their broken hearts.  We have no way of knowing what someone we encounter during the course of the day is dealing with.  That is why showing kindness and extending grace is needed even more!

Will you join me?  It’s not even a “resolution” type thing.  It is a commitment to think of others and extend love and grace to them all year through to help ease whatever pain they may be carrying with them.  It’s just below the surface, and any little thing may bring it all out in the open.  Your kind words and sweet gesture could make a huge difference in their lives.

Think about it.