The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a Christmas campaign called "Light the World." On lds.org, you can find 25 ways to "light" the world this Christmas. I know it's the 6th, and I probably should've told you about this several days ago, but my girls and I have been using the simple suggestions offered on the website to "light" Elkhart. It doesn't matter if you are a little behind, start on whatever date you read this, and you can start lighting your community immediately.
I've thought so much about light on my morning runs. I have really enjoyed doing things with my kids every morning. My girls have invited all of our neighbors and several of their friends to participate in the activities. I love light. I mean I really LOVE it. It is rare when I have my shades drawn; in fact, people in Texas would tease me about closing my blinds because I was known to walk from my bedroom to the kitchen in my workout gear in the morning, and everyone could see through the windows. We'd all laugh about it.
At Christmas time, I run different routes to see the twinkling lights throughout the neighborhood. I just love how light shines in darkness. It is perhaps the reason I love light most. I am often afraid of the dark, but even the tiniest light helps calm my tight stomach when I'm stuck in the dark. I believe people can be as bright as the sun if they let their inner light shine. We all have goodness inside us, and I think for most of us, we want that light to shine, but we get nervous or busy or frustrated, and we let our light dim. But we really can bring light to the world everyday of the year, but even if that goal seems to lofty, we can at least do it for 25 days.
I hope you'll look at yourself in the mirror and find your light. Find your strengths, and let them shine this month. Be the light in your community. Pay for someone's coffee behind you in line. Help a struggling mom push her grocery cart to the car after checkout. Smile at someone in the car as they pass you. Donate a box of oatmeal or a can of soup to the local charity. Ring the bells for Salvation Army (They are in desperate need of bell ringers, and it's the best experience! Just go to registertoring.com and sign up in your area.). If ringing the bell sounds too scary for you, place a dollar in the red can as you walk into a store. There are a million things you can do that will take you no extra time. Your light will shine brighter each time you do.
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"Be kind and considerate with your criticism... It's just as hard to write a bad book as it is to write a good book." Malcolm Cowley