Heart Hope by Olga

For as long as I can remember I have heard bells ringing at Christmastime. The tinkling of the tiny bells is a reminder that there are many people in need and that there are also people who by their generosity of time, energy and money want to help others who are less fortunate.  My first memory of the bells ringing and the money dropping into the red kettles was as a young child in my hometown, Jackson, MS. There was always a Salvation Army collection spot between the Jitney Jungle and Brent’s Drugstore which was made famous in The Help . Whether in Mississippi, Texas or Colorado, the jingling of bells makes me feel warm and cozy.  Because of my fondness for the mission of the Salvation Army I too have become a bell ringer. My spot is outside Wal-Mart and no matter how hard I try to pick a warm sunny day, I often end up with a gray, cold snowy day. The thing that warms my heart and soul is the people that I encounter. I have begun to categorize the people who pass...

In the last week I have heard it said several times that Thanksgiving is actually two parts—the thanks and the giving. I saw that happen at our recent community dinner. There were many people who were giving thanks—some for the delicious meal, others for a great church, some for a place to feel loved and still more who were thankful for a warm place to rest for a while.  Yet the attendees were not just giving thanks, they were giving of themselves to help others who were in need. There were a couple of these precious situations that I observed. One woman from the community came to pick up ten meals in Styrofoam containers to deliver to shut-ins. She makes food deliveries 4 days out of every week—two meals are provided by the county and two days she cooks for the recipients. Last week they got an extra meal, because this precious lady found out that she could get them one more for free at our community dinner.   In chatting with this lady, I found out that she and her hus...