Givers and Takers

I always reflect on the past year as the holidays approach. It's hard to believe Halloween is almost here. Then the days will speed by with shopping, planning, and caring for family until Christmas arrives and then the ushering in of another year. This has been a memorable year with the inauguration of a new president, the Phillies making it to the World Series (can you tell we're baseball fans?), and for our family, a new addition (a beautiful baby girl).

As a mom, I want the holidays for my daughters to be about family, traditions, and giving back to the community. Like most families, this year we are going to scale back in our gift giving to each other and to family. We don't plan to cut back on our charitable giving though because, especially in this economy, there are more people in need.

Last year someone had shared their personal philosophy with me. It had been at a voter registration drive where I had volunteered. She had been another volunteer. Several people had stopped by our table to lament the state of our country and then in the next breathe they told us that they weren't voting because they didn't believe their vote counted. As a former history teacher, that really bothered me. This volunteer told me about her philosophy. She said that in this world there are "givers" and "takers". We have all heard this before. But, she said, that trying to motivate the "takers" in this world is just a waste of energy. Instead, she said our job is to motivate other "givers" in the community. Her words really made an impression on me.

So before the craziness begins, take some time and start to think about what is important and how you can give back this year before the new bell rings and a new year is here.