t Christmas time, I always want to give and give and give--yet my finances rarely allow me to give as abundantly as I would like. That's okay by me--things are as they are--but sometimes I do like to think about the things that I would give if I could. Interestingly enough, most of the gifts end up not having anything to do with money at all.
If I were able to do so, the first Christmas gift that I would give would be to my students--and to every person on the planet, young and old. I would give them the desire to learn, and the ability to recognize the learning opportunities that come to them each day of their lives. Our lives are rich and full the more we know about life and living. It doesn't need to be academic learning, as life has plenty to know about that has nothing to do with school, but it sure doesn't hurt to have the desire to pick up a book now and then, and to actually do so.
To the leaders of the world, I would give a spirit of service, and the ability to accurately gauge the needs and desires of their constituents, not their parties.
To the teachers of the world, I would give them the gift of lower levels of stress brought on by the unrealistic expectations of administrators, politicians, and parents, most of whom know nothing of the dynamics of the classroom, but who insist on trying to control elements of the classroom.
To people who have experienced great loss, I would give the gift of acceptance of the situation. Acceptance doesn't try to change anything, but it's really the only element of our lives that allows us to move on with peace in our minds and hearts.
To the parents of the world, I would give the ability to share time with their children, an element of life that grows less and less common in our world with each day.
To our country's economy, I would give the gift of no more lotteries or casinos or other ways to squander money that could be going towards our communities, but that is instead going to create huge profits for very few people.
To the lonely and dispossessed of the world, I would give the gift of friendship, as well as the gift of being able to be a friend, with love and acceptance as the major elements of any friendship that they may have.
To all I would give the gift of peace--peace of mind and of heart, a peace that does pass understanding, as true peace has no need to be understood, but just experienced and enjoyed and cultivated and loved.
To the people who work extremely hard for minimum wage, I would give a raise to a livable wage, along with health benefits to take much of the stress out of their lives, the stress of worrying about what might happen in the future.
To the young people of the world today, I would give them the gift of attention from their elders--complete and unconditional attention, with no Internet or cell phones involved at all.
Also to the young people, I'd give them the gift of bicycles and basketballs, and not the gift of another electronic device that will keep them from experiencing the world around them while they sit indoors staring at a screen.
And during this holiday season, I would like to give everyone the gift of a simple smile, of encouragement, of a compliment now and then. And I think that I will do so, as much as I can, when I can and where I can. This is a gift that is completely free for me to give, and one that can have long-reaching effects in very positive ways. And as long as I have the ability to give such a gift available to me at absolutely no cost, what's keeping me from sharing it?
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