Decorating Ourselves

Several evenings this past couple of weeks as I was driving, I took time to stop and take in the decorations at homes. Happiness showed through quite clearly, not necessarily in the amount of decorations but in the care with which they were put up. I thought about other times when people decorated their homes.

Then I thought about how we choose the clothing we wear for special occasions. In a sense, we are decorating ourselves through our attire.

And I thought why not decorate our lives through what we do? We can add so much color, not only to our lives but to others as well, by doing very simple things.

In a few short days we’ll enter a new year. Of course, many people say they are going to resolve to do a list of things -- lose weight, become more organized, etc. But how much better would we feel by resolving to do little things. Like dropping a thank you note to your child’s teacher. Offering someone who has no transportation to take them to an appointment or out to get groceries.

Take your children on a picnic. Call up a long time friend and make a date for lunch. Husbands could surprise their wives by taking her out for supper. And how about a special treat for your children through both Mom and Dad --- separately -- taking them out for a hamburger and milkshake so they can have some alone time with their parents.

Is there someone you’ve known for a long time in the nursing home? You might be surprised at how much joy you can give that person by simply taking them a few flowers and visiting with them for a bit.

Show your support for our law enforcement personnel and firefighters by taking them a plate of cookies. Everyone likes to hear "thank you" for your work.

So as well as decorating our homes for the holidays, let’s think about how we can decorate our lives and those of others. May the New Year bring you all good things and may you even have a dream come true.