Thought for today:
"I know it's customary to focus on the coming festival of Christmas once the month of December has arrived, but I sometimes get fed up of the daily count down of 'shopping days left' which seem to start off every December evening's news bulletin, especially when I think of the only food that some will eat on this special day, will be what is begged and foraged from soup kitchens, dumps and skips.
I welcome the practice of being reminded at this cold time of year how many destitute people are still sleeping out in shop doorways and on park benches, though it grieves me to think of them in such unfortunate circumstances. Christmas, at its highest point, is best felt by religious observers and the parents of very young children who still believe in all things bright and beautiful. There is no pleasure that can ever match or hope to improve upon that look of a child's face of innocent expectation as they tear the wrapping from their presents beneath the Christmas tree on Christmas morning.
Then, there are those people who live alone or the recently bereaved who have nobody to look forward to seeing during their Christmas Day. Some have insufficient income to celebrate and there will be others, whatever their level of income happens to be, who don't feel like celebrating or socialising!
There are those whose marriages are failing or which have ended, and where one parent may or may not see their access children. With regard to the ones who suffer from emotional disturbance and severe depression, they may even choose this time of year as their most-favoured time to commit suicide. For them, the sooner the day has passed, the better. Christmas means so many different things to different people. God Bless them all." William Forde: December 2th, 2013.
"I know it's customary to focus on the coming festival of Christmas once the month of December has arrived, but I sometimes get fed up of the daily count down of 'shopping days left' which seem to start off every December evening's news bulletin, especially when I think of the only food that some will eat on this special day, will be what is begged and foraged from soup kitchens, dumps and skips.
I welcome the practice of being reminded at this cold time of year how many destitute people are still sleeping out in shop doorways and on park benches, though it grieves me to think of them in such unfortunate circumstances. Christmas, at its highest point, is best felt by religious observers and the parents of very young children who still believe in all things bright and beautiful. There is no pleasure that can ever match or hope to improve upon that look of a child's face of innocent expectation as they tear the wrapping from their presents beneath the Christmas tree on Christmas morning.
Then, there are those people who live alone or the recently bereaved who have nobody to look forward to seeing during their Christmas Day. Some have insufficient income to celebrate and there will be others, whatever their level of income happens to be, who don't feel like celebrating or socialising!
There are those whose marriages are failing or which have ended, and where one parent may or may not see their access children. With regard to the ones who suffer from emotional disturbance and severe depression, they may even choose this time of year as their most-favoured time to commit suicide. For them, the sooner the day has passed, the better. Christmas means so many different things to different people. God Bless them all." William Forde: December 2th, 2013.
