'Tis the Season for PHILANTHROPY!

I'm a very lucky gal. I was raised in a family that valued helping others- on many different levels. I grew up know that it wasn't just about money, but about actually giving. When I went away to college, I was lucky enough to work with an organization called HAVOC- Hamilton Action Volunteer Outreach Community. I worked with children living in shelters; I spent time with mothers recently released from prison; I was able to help inner city children learn to read and write; I got to help build houses. These experiences shaped me as a person, and as a mother. My mom recently was able to attend the UNICEF Snowflake Gala- because she, too, is a giver.

I love food. Food is my comfort zone- this has translated into catering for families and individuals, but also into donating excess to organizations that desperately need food. I will keep cooking for others- the rest of my life. I am happy to be able to donate financially to organizations like Peach's Neet Feet- helped by many other families in lieu of birthday gifts for my two lovely, healthy sons. I can't wait to start sewing for Binkeez for Comfort. I donate monthly to the Jane Fund. My students and I have been filling purses with toiletries for Abby's House. These, to me, feel like very small drops in the pond. I have two amazing children that are OBSESSED with the tangible. They want every toy they see a commercial for, and feel like they are owed toys. Granted, they are still young. The BIGGEST struggle I have as a parent is teaching them the beauty in GIVING.

What makes me happy when I succumb to their pleas for a new toy? The GIVING of it. It's not in the having, the owning- it's in the joy that swells my heart when I GIVE. I see it in them, some days, when they bring a picture they made just for me. When Mr. M tells me I am a queen and he will be my knight. In the sweet snuggles J lays on me when I feel sad.

The holiday season brings out the best, and worst, in many. I encourage all of my readers, all twelve of you, to fight the urge to be cranky about what could be- and find joy in the "what is"'s. Celebrate every moment. Return every hug.

Above all, GIVE. It doesn't take money, it takes heart. There are ways to bolster our communities without spending a dime- search for those ways, and share them. Take the time to be KIND.

Kindness, and love, always win.