It wasn’t even Thanksgiving yet. I turned on my radio just at the beginning of John Lennon’s iconic holiday song. There are no introductory chords or solos, just John, in his straightforward
way, not wasting any time, starting “And so this is Christmas, and what have you done?”
Just in that one sentence are two good reasons why I love listening to John Lennon. One is his directness when he needs to get his point across, and the other is his social conscience.
And every time I hear that one phrase, I start thinking: just what have I done?
Not nearly enough, I’m afraid. There is still war, famine, and disease. I know, I can’t end these things by myself. But there are others out there trying and giving the ultimate
sacrifice.
And our clients: so many of them are struggling just to make it day-to-day. They have health problems, job problems, family issues, houses that are falling down or being foreclosed on, and
sometimes, no house to go to.
But there are little things we can do, every one of us, to make people’s lives better everyday. We can smile more, we can be more considerate of feelings, we can offer a helping hand when needed, things that should cost nothing in money, maybe little in the way of time, but can go a long way in making someone’s day better. We can empathize, consider if we were in their shoes, and act accordingly instead of judgmentally. And we might consider living by the creeds of two of the bumper stickers I have seen recently.
1. Bark Less, Wag More.
2. God, May I Have the Strength to Be the Person My Dog Thinks I Am.
So as we go through this holiday season, and into the new year, let’s keep John Lennon’s song in mind. And let’s vow to make every day a little bit better for everyone with whom we interact so that next year, when John Lennon starts out “And so this is Christmas, and what have you done?”, we can truthfully say, we have done something.
No matter which holiday you celebrate, and even if you do not celebrate any, have a wonderful holiday season.