How to keep giving from becoming trite and stale

Lou Marzeles
News Editor

     Monday night I had the privilege to witness service of a high order. An almost palpable glow of gratitude seemed to fill the hall in the Methodist Church dining hall that evening, from both those serving and those being served, as volunteers dished out a hearty meal for those who dearly needed one. Christmas carols being played on the piano provided a lush soundtrack to the event, and it was like watching something from a Frank Capra movie.
     Of course it's all too easy to romanticize selfless service, to turn it into something maudlin and trite.      Giving during the holidays can have a kind of clichéd feeling, as if it's something that comes with the territory, like Christmas songs on the radio or ubiquitous trees on market parking lots. "Oh, look, there's somebody giving to the needy again." Some years ago I actually heard someone say that at Christmas, in a rote and slightly jaded voice, as she read her newspaper. She next mentioned how many more holiday decorations there seemed to be around town this year compared to last.
     I wonder how many people on the receiving end of such service consider it to be rote, trite, and/or maudlin. I don't think many of them say to themselves, "Oh, man, this year I've got to receive the kindnesses of others again." I know that some are weary of being in a situation of need-some eschew the word "need" itself, dreading its implication of self-insufficiency. I suspect none is weary of others wanting to be of help.
     The reality is, at all times we're either helping someone or being helped. That's how the world looks out my window, anyway, and it's we ourselves who determine the view we see. This year it's an honor and a pleasure to be here, to see the extraordinary tendencies in this community toward service and giving, at all times of the year. That is a most profound gift in and of itself.