Sharing Memories
We are all entering an exciting and stressful time of year. No matter what our backgrounds are or what we believe, many of us will enjoy festivities and the company of those we love. For some, though, the holidays may stir feelings of loss, making it tough to embrace the spirit of the season. It can be a very complicated couple of months. One thing we all have in common is that memories tend to come flooding back. The smell of cookies baking, the sounds of rustling wrapping paper, the early snowfalls, and hearing old familiar carols, or perhaps Hannukah songs—these traditions, and more, make us ponder, in our own ways, what the holidays mean to each of us.
I can’t be the only one who loves seeing all the lights strung around our villages. Cooking treats to share with friends and family always makes me happy. I think of all the friends I have had in the many places I have lived. Catching up with them is a huge project but it makes me feel so wonderful and lucky. I can remember where I was when certain music plays. Who doesn’t remember school assemblies with all kinds of musical productions of varying degrees of expertise? Yet we loved them all. Sometimes the worst performances were the best!
I can remember driving to visit family in Delaware one December and hearing on the car radio the old Elvis Presley recording of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” just as I passed the Dover Air Force Base, where the bodies of our service people were being brought home from the Middle East. As I drove, I cried for all those families and paid silent respect to the lost lives. We really do have a lot to be thankful for and I hope I never forget how much so many people have done for me, and for our country.
Here in Vermont, I was once very fortunate, around midnight at the end of December, to have looked out an upstairs window. There, in the moonlit orchard, about a half dozen deer were pawing the snow for apples. I was transfixed! I felt as if I were suddenly transported to the North Pole. It was sheer magic for me. Sharing the wonders and joy of the season helps us all count our blessings, even in hard times.
Help Fund Meals on Wheels Programs in Southeastern Vermont.
Senior Solutions has been selected as a beneficiary of the Shaw’s “Give Back Where It Counts” program for the month of December this year. Launched in April 2019, this program is good for the environment because it keeps disposable bags out of landfills. It also supports the work of nonprofits like Senior Solutions.
Here’s how you can help support our Meals on Wheels programs. Just purchase a re-usable bag at the Springfield Shaw’s, and the supermarket will donate one dollar to Senior Solutions, unless otherwise directed by the gift tag you will fill out.
To learn more about Shaw’s “Give Back Where It Counts” program, visit shaws.bags4mycause.com.
For more information on volunteering for Meals on Wheels or if you need help or have questions about this important food program, call our HelpLine: 1-802-885-2669 / 1-866-673-8376 (toll-free).
Final Holiday Thoughts:
Do you have a favorite holiday story or movie? For me, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol brings a wholesome Victorian sensibility to our celebratory parties and decorations. It also highlights the vast differences between the rich and those whose lives are not so fortunate. We need to be aware of the difficulties many of us face at a time where excessive materialism is on full display. We don’t need the latest device or the fanciest car to be happy. We need to see the faces of dear friends and family and to have them by our side sharing stories and good humor. Loving and being loved is the greatest gift we can share. It costs nothing, and one size fits all.
