The Friday after Thanksgiving is traditionally a huge sales day for stores. I was shocked to learn that a salesclerk from Walmart was trampled to death and a dozen people knocked over in the rush to shop for gifts and bargains. That story reminds me of another one that occurred many years ago. My family and I were in Bethlehem on Christmas day. We were very excited to go to the Church of the Nativity because we had seen it on television during this time, and now we were going to get to go there in person. When we got inside the church, we had to walk down some stairs inside into a small cave site where Jesus was born. People were pushing and shoving to get down the steps, and one of my young grandchildren was nearly knocked over. This young grandchild looked up at me with big eyes and said, “How come this is happening here?” I remember being speechless by the way that people acted.
This has to end!!! It begins with each person teaching children not only to receive gifts, but to give gifts. Gifts are more than presents that are carefully wrapped. They are also in everyday actions. Children need strong role models, people that teach them to be strong yet kind to others, people who teach them the true spirit of the holidays is to give, more than to take. This includes how to stand in line, and how to talk to others with kindness and courtesy. It’s back to basics time—a time to teach manners and respect. If the entire world did this, was kind and caring, and respectful of others, what a better world this would be. It starts with you. Every day you get to make a difference for children.
We are starting a new survey today about this topic. Go to our web site at www.atiseminars.org to make your voice heard.
Have a great day. You are a difference maker.
Maryln
P.S. If you want to see the story about Walmart, go to:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/11/28/black.friday.violence/index.html
Thursday, December 4, 2008
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3 comments:
Amen! Doing away with 'black Friday' (as has been suggested) will not help until people become accountable for their own actions! They must then teach the proper behaviors to their children. Was the money saved on that one gift worth a human life? I think not.
I totally agree -- we are moving totally away from what Christmas was supposed to be about and acting like this is just another secular holiday which is "all about me". I heard on the news about the new Christmas show for kids about Santa that has one line with a Christian theme. All the major networks are refusing to air it because of this. After all, this is a CHRISTIAN celebration. I, for one, am teaching "my kids" to help and be kind in every day of the year.
I agree. Celebrating Christmas is losing Christ and becoming Gift-mas. Everybody is worried about gift-giving instead of slowing down and thinking about the greatest gift ever given to man. The gift God gave to the world in the person of his son Jesus so that every one that belives in Him will have ethernal life in Jesus. If the world is going crazy, and things like killing in order to get the cheapest gifts are happening, it is beacause we have gotten away from the true meaning of Christ-mas.
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