License plates and tail lights
“You haven’t lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” John Bunyan
It's true. You cannot fully experience the joy of giving until your gift has no strings attached at all. No expectation to receive anything in return. No reciprocal gift, no thank you note, no high fives and no atta boys. Nothing. Not even gratitude. We do it all the time in this community - in the Starbucks line we pay for the car behind us or we pay for a soldier’s meal in a restaurant. You buy Christmas gifts for an entire family and leave them with a local organization where the parents can pick them up.
Do you see what makes these random acts of kindness so powerful, and so different? Its simple. They’re completely anonymous – you’re just a license plate no one paid attention to or a diner among dozens who left before the veteran guessed you paid for his meal. And though you put thought and money into buying the gifts, the family will never know who you are. In fact, the children in the family will believe the gifts were from Santa or better yet, from their parents. And that single mother will weep with joy when she sees her child’s face Christmas morning – all because of you.
To be honest, it isn’t about the coffee, the meal or the gifts at all. It’s about the driving need to do something good and meaningful, especially this time of year. Your random act of kindness was really a gift from you to you, a warm-your-own-heart opportunity you could afford. The recipients were elated and your soul was fed. That’s what giving is about.
We are blessed to live in one of the most thoughtful, caring, and generous communities in the country. And not surprisingly, many of you have called or emailed asking about volunteer opportunities and areas of need. Mission Granbury is one of several organizations who serve the needy during the holidays.
Hood County Christmas for Children serves many families and is still looking for more volunteers for toy assembly and distribution. This is the largest toy distribution in our county and thanks to your generous donations, they will distribute toys to many families this week.
For those of you wanting to provide Christmas gifts for our shelter residents, please consider these:
Adult coloring books and colored pencils for our shelter ladies – a great therapeutic tool for those with trauma induced anxiety
Christmas movies and/or books for our playroom
Volunteer child care for shelter children while mom attends counseling, medical or legal appointments.
Volunteer drivers to take shelter residents to scheduled appointments or just to see the Christmas lights in town.
Volunteers to answer the hotline and serve as advocates during the Christmas holidays to allow staff to spend time with their families
Financial donations are always welcome and appreciated and when I say it helps us keep the lights on, I really mean it! Another popular giving opportunity is stock donations. Ask your broker about the tax benefits of donating stock to a non-profit. Mission Granbury gets the cash value of the donated stock and you get the full value deduction – it’s a win-win.
I know I speak for our Board, staff and team of volunteers in wishing each of you a Christmas filled with the overwhelming joy of giving. dscovel@missiongranbury.org 817-682-4842
