Five Hopeful Things You Can Do in 2015

By today, January 8th, everyone’s holidays are pretty much over. The Hanukkah candles are stored for another year. Kwanzaa on its way out on January 1st greeted the New Year, and the Christian Christmas season ended on the 6th with Epiphany. Relatives who traveled to be with you for the holidays have already returned to their jobs and lives at home.

Now what? How do we keep the joy and hope alive as we face the wintry months and holiday bills ahead? How do we remember the love when we’re alone once more? The answer lies in a very simple mantra, which is to “Connect your gifts to others’ needs.”

1. Give your love and kindness to someone who needs it. Whether it’s a neighbor who’s shut in and alone, or the dogs that need walking at the animal shelter, spend some time showing loving kindness to those who would benefit from a kind word and some attention. Write some personalized cards to folks who have been in your thoughts over the holidays, but whom you don’t see often. You’d be amazed at how your expenditure of time will lift your spirits as much as you lift the spirits of others.

2. Give your talents to benefit a helping organization in your community. Share your pleasant voice and smile by volunteering at the reception desk of your local hospital or human services nonprofit. Try teaching knitting, sewing, or carpentry at the senior center, or sign up to read to residents at a nursing home. Your volunteer service helps such organizations provide enhanced care to individuals and families in your community.

3. Give your extras and things you don’t need to help others. Most of us received some gifts over the recent holidays, and many of those gifts are extras or created extras out of things we already own. Instead of keeping all those extras in storage, consider giving them away to make another’s day more cheerful. The things we donate mean the most when they still have useful life left in them. Make your donations feel like gifts to those who receive them.

4. Give your dollars to people, organizations, and causes you care about. Let your charitable giving not be motivated only by receiving a tax deduction. Even after the end of year charitable giving season, many individuals and groups still need help to continue their good deeds in our communities. Some of them don’t qualify as tax-deductible charities, yet still do meaningful work for our neighbors. Don’t let your tax picture make you hesitate to give money where it will make a difference. Let your care, concern, and passion speak through your shared dollars.

5. Give yourself to being informed, involved, and invested in the world. There are many good and bad things happening in the world, and your knowledge, involvement, and investment can add to the hope of more good things happening locally and globally. Knowing the facts means that you can become involved in the solutions and invest in people and organizations that work on solutions and provide hope and transformation.