Today is Monday 10th December 2012 and whilst I was working out at the gym earlier I began thinking about how people around me are coping with the costs and run up to Christmas. I’m not sure why it crossed my mind, or why I suddenly felt so emotional about the homeless, elderly and sick who I have never met; but for some reason the thought of them found their way into my heart and I realised at this time of year I should be thankful for what I have and try to give something back to help others.
Each year Luca and I hold a family fun day to raise funds and awareness for local charities and provide families with free and fun things to do, but as we welcomed the new arrival of baby Gabriele this year we were unable to hold our annual event, so I thought it would be a nice idea to volunteer my time instead. Throughout the year I give donations to charity tins and events that I pass by, but this time I’d like to get involved as a volunteer and be more hands on to help with fundraising.
When I returned home this afternoon I telephoned some local charities in the area in the hope of volunteering my time over Christmas to try and make a little difference to the lives of others around us. I am so thankful that I have a healthy family with a roof over our heads and warm food to eat and it’s important not to forget others who are less fortunate than us, especially at this time of year.
So here I will be detailing the things that I aim to do to help over the festive period. As of yet I have made phone calls and enquiries to local charities and hope that I will have a response to be able to help in time before Christmas.
Having supported charities for many years now it just doesn’t seem a justice to try to put into words the feeling that it gives me to go out of my way to help others. I look at all of the amazing things around me and realise how thankful I am to have access to such support and guidance all around that can easily be taken for granted. Our eight month old son, Gabriele, was taken to hospital recently with dehydration and the NHS children’s ward staff were fantastic and thankfully he is now back to full health and happy again; but if we hadn’t had access to their services it could have been a very different situation for us.
We have a home that is free from mould, leakages and draughts and that keeps our children safe and warm at night but there are thousands of families living in squalor, sleeping on the streets or in homeless shelters and what may seem a basic human right to us is a rare luxury to them.
I hope that you will follow me in my journey to help others and perhaps be inspired to give something back yourself. I’m not rich, I’m not overtly religious, there are four mouths to feed in my home with a five year old and an eight month old and both my partner and I work but I am on maternity leave at the moment. It goes to show that everybody can do something to help others, no matter how big or small. Whether it’s giving your time, making a donation or helping to raise awareness, every little helps and you can be the one to make that difference, so I urge you to give it a go and offer your help at a difficult time of year and throughout the coming months. Be thankful for the things that you have and recognise that not everybody is as fortunate.
