The Gift of Giving

During the past two weeks our city has engaged in what has become a holiday tradition, The Sue Stultz Turkey Drive. Each year our city rallies around a local hero, and recently elected MLA, to gather turkeys in order to provide a Christmas dinner to families who might not otherwise be able to afford it.

This year's drive had an ambitious goal for a city of 100,000 people. They wanted to collect 3612 turkeys in order to provide one for each registered family who needed one. So when the news report came on the air on Thursday (one day before the end of the drive) saying that they were still more than 1500 turkeys shy of the goal, I was disappointed but not surprised. What happened next however, blew me away... by the end of the next day, our little city not only reached the goal, they surpassed it. The grand total; 5255! In less than 24hrs, the people of my home town donated nearly 3000 turkeys!

I was pretty proud to be from Moncton this week, but hearing that news also made me ask a question; why? What is it that causes people to hear about an opportunity to give and then actually take action and do it? What causes people to take the time to go out, buy a turkey, and deliver it so that someone they don't know can have Christmas dinner? It's the same thing that makes someone volunteer in the Peace Corps, or travel to Haiti to help quake victims. The gift of giving.

If you've never experienced the gift of giving, you're missing out on one of the most joyful and meaningful experiences a human being can have. The feeling of knowing that you've made a difference in the life of someone else is the greatest emotion one can experience. Far beyond the fun of going to a great concert or buying some new gadget or outfit you want, the experience of giving to someone else goes to the core of your soul, and lasts a lot longer than emotions experienced when we "get"; it truly is better to give than to receive.

So as the busy holiday season gets into full gear and you rush around doing your last minute shopping and scratching people off your gift list, take a few minutes to appreciate the opportunity you're being given. The opportunity to make a difference. And don't forget all those who aren't on your list but still need you. Support a local charity, buy someone on the street a cup of coffee, donate a turkey:) Do something for someone else just because. Whatever you give you'll receive a gift better than anything that can be put under a tree; the gift of giving.