4 Morning Thought
Thursday October 5th
When I look at photos from last year’s pensioners’
Christmas shoebox distribution in one village, I remember it was a bitterly
cold day, with snow on the ground. I remember all the pensioners had cold hands
when they squeezed my hand in gratitude, but they had bright smiles on their
faces for they thought it was well worth the cold walk to collect a Christmas
shoebox.
Like countless other charities Mustard Seed Jersey
began distributing Christmas shoeboxes to children, but soon we became aware
that the neediest group in Romania are the pensioners and so we wanted to help
them. We run a sponsorship programme which benefits approaching 100 very needy
pensioners with monthly food parcels.
Each year we receive and distribute approximately
1000 shoeboxes to needy pensioners as well as approximately 2000 for children.
I have felt tears come to my eyes countless times as an old person has wept
with joy and amazement at being given a shoebox, sometimes saying they had
never been given a present before.
I remember one family from last December. The
grandmother came to collect her small grandson from
kindergarten, and he was delightedly showing his shoebox. He then waited with
his grandmother for the pensioners meeting that met in the same building about
an hour after kindergarten ended. At the end both Grandmother and grandson left
smiling broadly and each clutching a Christmas shoebox from Jersey.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta spoke of doing small things with great love as she lived out her Christian faith.
A Christmas shoebox is a small thing – but to the recipient it is HUGE.
Can I encourage you to pick up a leaflet from the
parish hall and consider packing a Christmas shoebox, knowing you will bring
great joy to the recipient and invariably as you give you will receive a sense
of reward and satisfaction.