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'Tis the season to care and share blessings
Ebony, Dec, 2004 by Lynn Norment
VICKI was breathless, so much so that I assumed she had just finished working out. "You won't believe this!" she panted into the telephone receiver.
Before I could respond, she continued. "I'm sitting in the middle of a pile of hundreds of designer shoes! In my living room!" She went on to tell me, more breathless with every word, that a well-to-do acquaintance of her mother had sent her boxes of shoes and purses.
That evening, after she had gone through the boxes and settled down a bit, Vicki told me that her benefactor was cleaning out her closet and wanted to share her castaways with someone who could appreciate them. "That's what she wrote in the note," Vicki told me. "She said my mother had told her about my promotion at the bank. She thought I could use these 'gently used accessories and represent the Sisterhood well on my job.' Those were her words."
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Consequently, Vicki was blessed with Guccis, Chanels, Ferragamos, Pradas, Manolo Blahniks, Fendis, and some other names neither she nor I were familiar with.
That evening she called me again. "I'm overwhelmed," she said this time, having decided to spend Saturday night in bed pondering her good fortune. "I don't feel that I'm deserving of all this. I've never had anything like this happen to me before."
I suggested that she count her blessings and get a good night's sleep; she assured me no shoes were in her bed.
This could be viewed as just another example of materialism and excess when, in reality, it is a story of generosity and sharing. For the next week, Vicki tried on shoes and assessed her wardrobe needs. Then she proceeded to share her bounty. She donated shoes and purses to charities that helped to outfit women trying to get into the job market; and she shared with her sisters, cousins, aunts and girlfriends. She made a lot of Sisters happy.
Vicki has always been a loving, giving person and has even been criticized for helping and giving too much. She deserved this windfall of designer shoes and bags, and it's not surprising that she wanted to share her blessings with others.
Another friend also warms my heart with her random acts of sharing. By chance, she ended up with a surplus of small, foldup wheeled carts, and takes great pleasure in giving them to strangers in need. On a recent fitness trek, we encountered an elderly Black woman lugging heavy bags of groceries. Gail approached the woman, offered her a cart, and then set it up for her. When Gail returned to my side, she was sporting a huge grin. I glanced over my shoulder to see the grateful recipient smiling and staring at us as she adjusted her bags in the cart.
This generosity of spirit from Vicki, her shoe benefactor and from Gail are mirrored in the actions of thousands of other Sisters (and Brothers) who just like to make others happy, who get great pleasure from putting a smile on someone else's face.
During this holiday season, catch the caring-sharing bug and pass it along. Be inspired by the example of Holly Robinson Peete and Rodney Peete, who have a tradition of taking their children to a women's shelter the day after Christmas and giving their new toys to children there. Or follow the example of Oprah Winfrey, who gives and shares and funds charities and schools throughout the year.
You don't have to be wealthy or wait for the holidays to give and share and care. Like Gail and Vicki, take pleasure in everyday random acts of kindness and giving. Make yourself happy by putting a smile on someone else's face. Share your blessings with others.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
