Give

"There are two kinds of people in the world; takers and givers. The takers eat better, but the givers sleep better." Danny Thomas

Tonight starts the "eight crazy nights" of Hanukkah. In just a couple of weeks, Christmas will be here. It's the time of year that many of us think of others more that we might ordinarily do. We think about giving. At the store where I work, customers can make a donation for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital at our cash registers.

Do you know the story of how St. Jude's got started? Danny Thomas' early career as an entertainer was floundering. He was willing to give up on his dream of being in show business. He did, after all, have a wife and baby daughter Margaret (Marlo) to support. He prayed to the patron saint of hopeless causes, St. Jude of Thaddeus, saying, "Show me the way and I will build a shrine to you." Within a week, Thomas' career took a major turn for the better. Danny Thomas was a man of his word, and the shrine he built remains to this day the foremost research center for childhood cancer and leukemia in the country. It is St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. No child's family ever pays for anything at St. Jude's. What a beacon of light it must be for those kids and their parents, at a time when they feel helpless and hopeless.

Giving is one of the best parts of living. I am thankful for a time of year that is specially dedicated to bringing out the giver in all of us. Sleep well tonight.

Susan