“Hope For Tomorrow” Hope Chests
It must have been about 1977. I was pretty young and so the details of the events are somewhat fuzzy. It had been a tough year financially for my family and the rigors of providing for a family of 7 kids had been a monumental task for Dad. We never went without. All of the necessities of life and living were taken care of for us and most importantly there was love in our home. I treasure the memories and even though I was young, I remember the struggle, and in retrospect, I treasure the struggle as well.
The holiday season was upon us, and we all knew that times were lean. We knew that there would be a Christmas, but we also knew that it would be meager at best. One night there came a knock at the door. No-one was there, but there on our front porch were packages. There was something for each of us. It was significant. That Christmas I received my first three piece suit. It was fancy and it was just my size. It wasn’t cheap and I was so proud to own it. Someone had been wise enough to know our circumstance and willing enough to act. That event, along with other acts of service in my life changed me.
This year when my company was invited to participate in The “Hope For Tomorrow” event I was excited. We were asked to build hope chests based upon the theme “Hope Reclaimed” I immediately started out with a few ideas and then little by little my crew became involved. Collaboratively we came up with designs; One inspired by my first bicycle, another made completely from reclaimed barn wood. One was made from
materials taken out of a discard pile of materials from a mill and one was made from materials from a recent remodel. As each chest was transformed from something discarded into something complete and beautiful, our enthusiasm and excitement for the project was built too. In the process of serving a worthy cause we were notably changed. I look forward with anticipation to the date of the concert and hope that with the support of the community that we live in it will be a success this year and will grow each year so that we can help more and more people. e creative juices are already owing for next year’s event. I can’t wait to see what we come up with in the future. Small acts of kindness change both the giver and the recipient. I invite and challenge each reader to be changed. Give generously, receive graciously and be changed. Tickets for the Hope For Tomorrow benefit concert can be purchased at www.foodandcare.org for $10. The event is at the NuSkin building on December 6th at 7 pm. Recommended dress is business casual. All proceeds benefit the hungry and those in need at The Food & Care Coalition.