Down the Lane: Finding the perfect gift
Published 10:41 am Friday, November 29, 2019
The next four weeks will have most Americans hurrying and scurrying to find the perfect gift for their loved ones. This time of year, our pocketbooks open, and we take money out more than any other time of the year.
However, we received the perfect gift years ago in a stall in Bethlehem when a baby was born and placed in a manger.
His birth was unusual in every way, but others witnessed it.
A bright star in the sky led shepherds to see what was going on. He was exceptional from the moment he was born. He was named Jesus.
When I read recently of South Carolina’s state motto, I could not help but think of Christmas.
It reads, “While I breathe, I hope.”
Christmas is a time of hope for many.
As a little kid, I hoped for a lot of things at Christmas even though I knew I would not get them because my parents could not afford those things.
I knew they did the best they could with five kids. It still did not stop me from hoping.
I can even see the displays in my mind: the old Newberry’s, JC Penney, Kroger, Western Auto.
I was in awe of the beauty of the decorations and toys.
Only one time did I get something I hoped for so desperately.
I think I have written about it before. It was a bride doll that was up on a high shelf in the Kroger store in Mount Sterling, where my mom and dad bought groceries every week on payday.
I would look at that bride doll and wish so hard that I could have it.
I would never tell my parents I wanted it. I never remember telling my mom and dad I wanted anything other than my lunch money at school.
I was thrilled when an assistant manager let my parents have it at a discount since it had been a display doll. I still have the toy, and she is one of my most treasured possessions.
I hope I will never lose my desire to hope. We should keep hope in our hearts all year and not just at Christmas.
Christopher Reeve, a former actor who played Superman and was a hero to kids, had been left paralyzed from falling from a horse, kept hope in his heart even after his injury.
I got to see him once. Though he was left with a spinal cord injury and could never walk again, you could see he still had hope for his life. He made me feel ashamed to think I was not thankful enough to be able to walk around.
His words of wisdom were, “Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.”
Wouldn’t it be great if this Christmas our Christmas would not be one of selfishness and what we want for ourselves but hope for the world in which we live?
I hope for no one to go hungry.
I hope that the despair of drugs and how it affects so many would not be so widespread or would be gone this time next year.
I hope there will be fewer murders, no abortions.
I hope the cost of medical care has a limit. I hope those who can work will work and not depend on welfare or others.
I hope bullying in schools is forever gone, and wars end.
I hope there is a cure for cancer, Alzheimer’s and so many other horrible diseases. Prayer and hope for all children with disabilities.
I hope people in our country will put God first in their lives, and it will make a difference in our world.
I hope there will never be another child who has to live in filth or be abused by parents.
I hope there will be no domestic violence.
We have so much to pray and hope for in our world.
If I were selfish, I would also hope nothing major tears up in my house. I hope my car will get me through another year. I hope for good health for my family.
I hope a lot.
I think it would be great for all of us to take a cue from South Carolina and think, If I breathe, I hope.
I also hope we realize we were given hope with the birth of our Lord many years ago.
Sue Staton is a Clark County native who grew up in the Kiddville area. She is a wife, mother and grandmother who is active at First United Methodist Church, and Towne and Country Homemakers.