Changing my attitude to w here I didn't think of only myself was (and still is, at times) one of the hardest things I have ever done.  Yet it's opened my eyes and made me realize that there are other people out there who are going through things that I can't even begin to imagine.

Suddenly, my own problems pale in comparison.

For example, take my elderly neighbor, Mrs. Potts.  She lost her husband of 60 + years two months ago.  She has been beside herself with grief; what makes matters worse is that her own children don't even bother to call or even come see her.  And they live close by, too.

As a gesture of goodwill, I went over to her place, where I picked her up and brought her to my house to celebrate Christmas: that way, she didn't have to be alone and she could have a good, home-cooked meal, too, besides.

Mrs. Potts couldn't thank me enough.  What a sweet old lady she turned out to be!  It was one of the best Christmases ever, not only for Mrs. Potts, but for my own family as well!

Or take our homeless friend, Skip.  Skip Patton is a Veteran, and he's been homeless for a number of years.  We see him every day when my husband and I go to work.  To see him this way breaks our hearts because we feel powerless to help him; yet Jim takes takes Skip a cup of hot coffee and a warm bagel each and every morning.

I have been talking with Skip, trying to find out more about his life, and brainstorming any ideas that may help him in the long run.  It isn't easy, especially since it is a slow time of year for hiring people, but I am willing to try to get Skp a job where we work.  Goodness knows, Skip served our country; he certainly deserves much better than what life has handed him so far!

Helping people like Skip Patton and Mrs. Agnes Potts has, in turn, helped me heal from my own past hurts.  I was given up for adoption by my parents when I was very young; I spent my formulative years being shuttled from one foster home to another.  Up until I was thirteen, I had never known what it meant to be loved.  It was a very traumatic time in my life.

~To be continued!~