(Letter to the Editor - Graphic Illustration/MetroCreativeConnection)

This time of year there are so many things to think about such as what the Christmas season really means. We all know, or should know, the story of the birth of Christ. I’m not going to focus on that today. I want to talk to you about the people in our lives and something I heard on the 23rd.

Blessings are abundant in my life; family, friends, health, and retirement status. But Saturday I was in line at a local restaurant behind a woman who was giving her phone number to the cashier. I only heard part of her conversation. As she turned to leave she told me she had lost her purse which had all of her important cards, ID, etc. in it. Not only that, she continued, that she had gone to the bank and withdrawn $3,000 to give $1,000 each to her 3 grandchildren (or children, I can’t remember) as Christmas gifts. She was absolutely devastated. My heart went out to her. I told her hopefully someone honest would get it back to her. Afterwards I imagined her telling her family what had happened. Then I thought of, “How could she have been so careless to have left it in the first place?” Think about it, she wanted to do something so generous and ended up losing it all, probably including the confidence of family members.

As my husband and I left the restaurant I told him about the older woman’s problem. He said these days most people would keep the money. I replied, “How could anyone do that with a clear conscience?” Sure having $3,000 extra would be nice but at someone else’s expense?

This reminded me that not everyone is as lucky as I am to have the support of family and friends. Was she alone? Would her family understand the way she felt or blame her for the accident in the first place? Then my mind took a turn to the people who don’t have the means to exchange gifts of monetary value. Instead they share of themselves or things they can do for others. I thought of how important time with others means so much to me. Then I went even further to think about people who don’t have anyone to share the holidays with. It made me want to call my friends who live alone to make sure they had someone to be with for Christmas. Boy, I go into a place for a gift card, thinking I had finished my to-do list and end up with a new list of calls I wanted to make to people I care about. … To get back on track now, I’m still hoping someone found that woman’s purse, contacted her by her address or through the police, and returned her purse with ALL its contents.

By the time you read this Christmas will be over. The new year will be on its way. Whether you make a New Year’s resolution or not keep in mind what you want to do or improve about yourself in 2024. Then take a few minutes to decide if you can help someone else who may need a friend or at least a kind word. Or you might be the one who needs encouragement to make life more bearable. I say to you, count your blessings big and small. Be thankful to be alive in a country where we can be free to make choices for ourselves. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes, like the woman who lost her purse and so much more. What would you do if you found it with $3,000 inside? Would you give the money back? I hope so. God bless you.

Bonita (Bonnie) Eaton

Vienna