Loving One Another In The New Year

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you make.” – Jane Goodall, primatologist and conservationist

On these cold, dark and shortest days of the year, small acts of kindness make me smile — someone holding a door, a genuine “thank you,” a moment of patience instead of frustration. It might be a stranger letting me merge in traffic, a cashier who takes time to ask how my day is, or a thoughtful message from a friend. As we work, run errands, and complete other responsibilities, just think what these chilly busy days would be like if most of our interactions with others were met with grumpy looks or people absorbed in their own worlds.

Some of the bright spots in my days are interactions with other people, whether it’s time spent with friends and family or the simple smiles and positive words exchanged with people around me.

When Jane Goodall died last fall, the above quote of hers resonated with me. Every action and interaction throughout our days are opportunities to make an impact, ranging from the simple choices of our tone and word choice to larger decisions and actions we take.

How we choose to use those opportunities is up to us. The beautiful part is not only do we have the power to make someone’s day brighter, but we also have multiple opportunities every day to make a positive impact on those around us. If we are stressed, angry or rushed and our words don’t come out the way we would like, the good news is we can try again. We can choose to make our world better or worse.

The holiday season is always an incredible time at SPAN and has been overflowing with examples of people bringing joy to others. The generosity of those in the community is amazing and helps SPAN assist so many neighbors in need. This year, SPAN’s Holiday Caring program helped make the holidays brighter with food for Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas gifts for over 200 families and over 500 children.

Many people sponsored families through their churches. Asbury United Methodist, Baldwin United Methodist, Our Lady of the Fields Catholic, Our Shepherd Lutheran, St. Andrew by the Bay Catholic, St Martins-in-the-Field Episcopal, Severna Park United Methodist, Trinity Bible and Woods Memorial Presbyterian churches all played a big part in making SPAN’s Holiday Caring a great success.

There are also many groups and businesses, such as Chesapeake Plumbing, Edinboro and Our Shepherd preschools, and neighborhoods like Fair Oaks and Oakleigh Forest, who provided many of the Christmas gifts. Many individuals and families also sponsored families. Several families made it a group project – shopping as a family for another family. One family involved their youngest children in decorating the boxes, and the family all came together to drop off all the beautifully wrapped gifts.

Likewise, on the day of the gift distribution, many of our clients took time to share their gratitude. One mother wrote how blessed she was to receive the gifts after a difficult year. Many people shared with us how these gifts are the only things their children will receive. Several of us were struck when a little girl immediately tried to comfort her mother who started to cry. She had no transportation to get the gifts, and SPAN gave her money for the ride.

The Christmas season is a time each year to focus and remind us of the importance of loving one another. As we start the new year, let’s take Christ’s message of love with us. Let’s continue to be bright moments, making a positive impact for all.

SPAN (Serving People Across Neighborhoods) is an independent nonprofit food pantry and emergency services provider that has been helping local families with eviction prevention, utility turnoffs, medical/prescription bills, and food since 1990. For more information, call 410-647-0889, email spanhelps@yahoo.com or visit www.spanhelps.org.