Watching the movie “How the Grinch stole Christmas”, I was reminded of how many Christmases past could be summed up in the lyrics of the song sung by Faith Hill: “Where are you Christmas, why can’t I find you?”
With all the issues and challenges we face in our fast-paced lives, due in varying degrees to the economy, it can be very difficult to get into the spirit of Christmas. As hard as we may try, it’s just something we can’t get pumped up for on our own — at least I can’t.
Where are you Christmas? Do you remember the one you used to know? I’m not the same one, see what the time’s done, is that why you have let me go?
Does time change our enjoyment of Christmas, or is there something else that gets in the way of it? No doubt life seems to become more complex each year. And those complexities are consuming, even pushing out room for the simpler, more satisfying things like love and joy.
If there is love in your heart and in your mind, you will feel like Christmas all the time.
Christmas for me started before Thanksgiving this year when I flipped on the radio in search for a sign of intelligent life, which is almost impossible to find, even with satellite radio. In my disappointment I made a last-second switch to local AM and heard a man talking about kids at the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home. I hadn’t heard of that organization since I was a kid myself, growing up in east Nashville, so he had my attention. Turns out that like many charitable organizations, funding is tight due to the economy, and the TNBCH was short several of its corporate sponsors to provide Christmas presents for the kids this year.
Something about that stuck. While I had no intentions to start another project, I thought, how could I let those kids go without Christmas when I was perfectly capable of helping? So I contacted them and said that I would at least help them make their goal.
It’s hard to explain the rest of what happened, aside from saying that my world and my Christmas was changed. Through working with the folks at the Steve Gill Show/Gill Media and their partner, A Generous Heart, we were able to exceed the goal of the Children’s Home Christmas and in fact we got to be there when the kids opened their presents and saw Christmas in action.
Through that initial response, we started down a new path unlikely to turn back to another lost Christmas. Along the way, we were able to provide the Nashville Rescue Mission, who found themselves short on food, with over 700 turkeys for their Thanksgiving meal for the homeless. After seeing a revealing segment which aired on CBS’ 60 Minutes about children who are in school by day, yet homeless by night, we were able to find several families here in our area who are in the same tough situation, and we were able to help bring them Christmas too.
I feel you, Christmas; I know I’ve found you. You never fade away. The joy of Christmas stays here in silence, fills each and every heart with love.
Christmas found me this year…and then Nashville Wraps…and now you!
Thanks and Merry Christmas!
Robby Meadows, President
Nashville Wraps
For more information on the events and organizations mentioned above, see the following links:
Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes
A Generous Heart
Great story Robby thanks for sharing!