“Too much” definitely describes this last week of school before Christmas break. We have had: too much weather change for the worst; too much time needed to finish student-made gifts for parents; too much sugar in all the candies, cakes, cookies, etc. which everyone gladly consumed; and too much academic material to finish before report cards.
Is it any wonder that all of us have been counting the days until break?! At my age, I hate to live life looking forward to a special date such as Christmas holidays. After all, I desire to cherish each and every day I have left on this planet! In my mind, I see my life as the seasons of nature. When I was a young sapling, I rushed through every day, looking for new experiences. During the summer years of my life, I enjoyed life’s adventures fully! In my autumn years, I filled every day with memories, family- building of future generations and small catnaps between chores. Now I am in the winter years of life, and I see the delicate balance I must keep each day in order to feel I am completing my task which God planned for my life.
Too much of anything can be a killer! Even too much water…a necessity for life…can cause a person to die. (I witnessed this in a silly contest a few years ago.) Yet, our days are bombarded with too much advertising (every five minutes or so on TV) or too many robo-calls during the busiest time of the day. My husband is constantly reminding himself and me that the cost of a new pick-up is “too much” since it is as much as a new starter home. Since we’ve been watching our carbohydrate intake, we now notice the serving sizes of food in restaurants…definitely too much!
The thing that amazes me most, however, is that we never see “too much” love given to the lonely, or “too much” food and shelter given to the homeless in our community. I was proud of one of our parents who worked to help provide about eighty-four homeless students in our city with gifts of necessities. Our school received an award for having the third most participants of small schools in the Spirit of Survival Race for Cancer fund raiser. Our students, staff and parents graciously gave blood donations, volunteer time, and Christmas boxes to third world countries. Yet, the amount was nothing near the “too much” level of giving of selves. Jesus told us, “Greater love has no man than this: to give his life for a friend.”
The Giving Tree is a touching little book that inspires me every time I read it to my students. I hope that my life will make such a difference in the lives of others. President George Bush passed away a short time ago. His death caused people of all walks of life and all political ideals to long for the kinder, gentler nation he desired. Maybe his death was timely in our nation’s mad quest for “too much” of everything. My prayer is that I and others like me will take the time to pray for our nation to be able to renew that spirit of unity and to monitor our behaviors so that we do not overdo the “too much” of what life offers. Merry Christmas!
- Kay