Being Helpful is the Best Medicine

My family and I felt very small over the the last Thanksgiving holiday. And, surprisingly, it felt wonderful to be small. In our ‘look at me’/’selfie’ society, it was rewarding to let others have the spotlight.

Being small is seeing a room full of canned goods, paper towels and shampoo — all destined to reach families who lost everything in a recent hurricane. Being small is realizing that you have so much and so many don’t have the bare necessities for survival — food, water, shelter. Everything they knew has been torn asunder.

These families have seen their homes flattened from a hurricane that lashed the Gulf of Mexico. Pets have vanished. Personal treasures are waterlogged. Cherished pictures were swept away – a fury of unrelenting, raging, merciless water causing irreparable damage.

Being small is knowing I have so much to give. Giving doesn’t need to mean money. Giving can be a word of encouragement or helping to prepare meals for people who haven’t had a warm meal in weeks.

In our culture of accumulation, where more is often the hollow and unsatisfying target, we should all aspire for humility, helpfulness and mercy. Being small – it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Until next time,

Dan Naden