When I was a kid, Christmas time at my house was filled with the smells of pies, cakes, vanilla and lots of love and laughter. Two days before Christmas the house was crazy busy because Momma and Gran were cooking maniacs, even I had to help shell peas, peel onions and stir pie filling. People were always stopping by to visit my Gran and Gramps, no doubt in hopes of snaring a bite of something delicious Gran had just made. Even Gramps got in the act. Periodically, he would make his wonderful sugar cookies, boy were they sweet, soft and ridiculously tasty. Love was all around my home; our neighbors, my friends I played with every day, even the manager at the bank, all of them in their own way gave us so much love.
The bank manager started out as somewhat of a racist towards my Grandparents when they moved to our midwest town. Gran broke her back and couldn't tie her shoes, the manager would see her and wouldn't even bend down to help. Gran, being the caring woman she was, didn't let it get the best of her. She always said hello to the bank manager, always smiled if she saw her. Eventually, I guess Gran's kindness wore the woman down and one Christmas, the bank manager stopped at our house and left a present for me. She had made a small doll for me because she always saw me outside with my baby doll and carriage. She became a family friend and it happened without yelling, cursing or name-calling. People can change, people do change, sometimes all it takes is a smile, a kind word and just a little faith. My wish for the world is that EVERYONE will start making an effort to be more tolerant of others, especially of those we don't understand or don't want to understand.
Make a batch of sugar cookies, buy some inexpensive plain material and make a soft cloth doll for a kid. You'll be surprised at the simple pleasure received from doing something nice, something that will make someone smile. Especially you.
