The brittle sound of the fallen leaves as they got “crunched” under my shoes, the crisp air that gives me the chills each time it blows, and the busy “workings” of the squirrels as they prepare for the coming of the winter months, they all tell me it’s time to hibernate. I am no bear nor a sloth but I like the idea of “hibernating” during winter. Longer nights mean more sleep for me and I do like the idea of eat and sleep, eat and sleep.
Humans “hibernate”, too but not for long for we have jobs and other responsibilities to take care of. But I grew up in a tropical country and love the “feeling of warmth”. I just love it, but not the very hot summer months *smiles*. Although I don’t hate winter, but I am not that fond of the cold. This summer, I acquired a heat allergy that got really worse and got me scared of going out under the sun. And it just made me upset that I could not take hot baths anymore for it would cause more irritation. Now that the cold weather is here, the allergies are gone but the warm season is also gone. Sigh, sometimes, I just wish the weather doesn’t change.
What comes with the cold months are the “cold” hearts. However, people are trying so hard to keep this coldness away by doing kindness to others. Thanksgiving and Christmas makes people warm during winter. As often as it is in the summer, I also see people wandering along the streets or sitting in a corner all alone by themselves during winter. A couple of times, I had been asked by these people whether I could give them money for coke or coffee. One time, there was also this old guy with tattered clothes holding a dilapidated bicycle inside the grocery store asking for directions for the items he needed. And I have asked myself whether he could afford to pay for them. But giving to someone without them asking for it could be a rude act for them, too. What should I do? I often ask myself this question. Here I am, with a family, a husband who takes good care of me and my needs, friends to talk to, a church where I find good fellowship. I love holidays and celebrations but I could not help but also feel the guilt whenever I see people suffer misfortunes. I think about their survival. I think about their happiness. And it takes awhile before I could compose myself and come out of that feeling of sympathy. Is there something that I could do? I wish I could be more creative. Or like a friend of mine who said that if he will be rich, he’ll help others. But what if we would never be rich? Would we fail in our duty to take care of others? And if we do get rich, would we become too selfish that we keep our wealth in safety deposit boxes or bury them with us 6 feet below the ground and wait before we become the world’s number 1 millionaire before we do something about it?
Some said, it’s what we make of life that we live the way we do. However, there are people who strove too hard but have never really gotten where they wanted to be in life. There are also those who were born fatherless, never got to school, started working early and still couldn’t find a way to attend school. School loans get expensive and we don’t want to be buried in debt before we could even find a job. Well, life can be harsh sometimes. There are also those who were born with the silver spoon, others with the red carpet underneath their feet. Is it fate? But what about those who changed the way they were? Used to be a teacher, now a drug smuggler or a farmer and is now a CEO? Is life really the way we make it? Ano gid bala? Or is it just part of a greater purpose?
We sometimes think either we’re too rich or we’re too poor. We claim the first one as the results of our efforts and the latter as God’s will for us. When we look at others, we think the opposite. But we could never come to a conclusion because every person lives a unique life, but destined for a better and greater purpose. God has given us the will to make use of every energy, money, talent and skill so we could share our blessings with others. What we have, or what we have acquired is never meant to be ours alone. But instead of enjoying what we have we look at what others have and ask why they have what we don’t have. Sometimes we fail to see our purpose. We get drowned by the cares of this world. We work too hard to improve our status in life but never really make it.
God bids us to “rest” in Him and find our purpose in Him. There is a time for everything. A time to talk to God and ask Him for His purpose for us, a time to be thankful for every good thing that comes to us, a time to look at life squarely with courage to face tomorrows, a time to extend help to answer the needs of those less fortunate than us and don’t forget that there is also time to hibernate. Times change with the season. We could be down to the brink of depression or we could be up enjoying life’s addictions. But as we sleep and eat and enjoy the seasons, may we be found with a heart full of warmth to share life’s greatest blessings with everyone we come in contact with.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Read more of Helen’s musings @ http://helenhuynh.blogspot.com
Listen and learn Helen’s favorite songs @ http://heartspraise.blogspot.com
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