Being a Contemplative in Action
Christmas In The City is a volunteer run, non-profit organization established in
1989. Their mission is to support and mentor Boston's homeless families. They started
out by just trying to make the holidays memorable for children staying in Boston area
shelters. This was a perfect opportunity for me to be a contemplative in action. This event
lasted for five hours, making my project incomplete by five hours.
The service involved setting up tables, walking around in costumes entertaining
children, and helping the staff with other miscellaneous jobs. The Christmas in the City
staff's mission was to give kids a chance to have a real Christmas with real presents, and
give them an experience they would remember. This was an eye-opener for me, because I
experience how many people are actually too poor to have a real Christmas. I felt guilty
at first, then felt pride in the fact that I was enriching these people's experience for
christmas 2007
felt flower
christmas treeChristmas. Jesus was with me during this whole experience, and He helped me give these
children an entertaining time. I dressed up as a "Scooby-Doo", and walked around, posed
for pictures with families, and played along with the children. Their faces were so excited
during the time, it made the experience very rewarding. I felt like I was actually doing
something worthwhile. The children were all given gift bags, but the most important
thing is they were given gifts that they asked for on wish lists they had written months
earlier. This year, the staff was almost short by 900 toys. They asked the community for
help, and they responded, making the event a success. I felt proud to be part of an event
that reached out to so many children, and gave them such a good...