Season Of Giving

By Kevin Gray

As we’ve moved from the season of dumping obscene amounts of money into political advertising none of us wanted to see, why couldn’t our candidates, regardless of party, find ways to raise their campaign awareness in other ways?

I continue to grouse about how that money could have been used to help the economy. I have nothing against the advertising – I am in the newspaper business, you know – but done differently. Why the name calling? Why can’t each candidate simply show who they are, what they do or have done, and comment about what they plan to do, instead of the despicable decapitating drumbeat from both sides. No more slams against one another. Stop it and grow up!

I am reminded of organizations in need. People are really hurting, and, yet, so much money was spent in unreal quantities. A candidate for governor of California set a new record for money spent in an election. And, she lost nonetheless.

Schools need help. Paola may be closing Hillsdale Elementary. Classroom sizes are certainly rising, when they should be staying the same or going down. So many television programs are airing about problems in American schools, but I am not seeing or hearing commentary about how schools are busy laying off teachers and sizing down as the children keep coming in greater numbers.

I can’t help but think about need during this time of year, no, actually, any time of year. My dad worked as the office manager/bookkeeper for what was known as the Religious Work Foundation, an organization supported by the various religious denominations in the state of Virginia. In dad’s position, he didn’t just keep the books; he also spent Sundays, holidays, summer vacations (his own) going around the state as a lay minister. He really enjoyed getting out of the office for fundraising activities and to help others.

Each fall, we had to prepare for the annual Christmas stocking campaign, where we delivered green, red, or white stockings made of tarlatan, crinoline, or cheese cloth to institutionalized Virginians. I remember stuffing thousands of those stockings with toothbrushes and toothpaste, combs, wrapped candy, candy bars, shelled nuts, ballpoint pens, bar soap and talcum powder. Who knows how many stockings I personally stuffed, but the memory is etched in my brain.

After one of the first stocking campaigns I helped with, I received a thank you note dated Dec. 28, 1959. I was seven, then, and still have the note. Dad and I had delivered stockings to an orphanage called the Study Home for White Boys (remember this was segregated Virginia still), one of the many children’s organizations we covered over a period of weeks.

Ben R. was about my age, blond-haired like me, stocky like me, but he had no parents, and I did. He wrote:

Dear Kevin,

I would like to thank you very much for the gifts you

gave me for Christmas. I enjoyed the games, guns, and candy

very much. I had a very happy Christmas and hope that you did,

too. It’s very nice to have people who think of others happiness

on Christmas. Thank you very much for giving me a happy

Christmas.

Sincerely,

Ben R.

I often wonder if Ben is still alive. If so, he would be around 58. He seemed like a happy boy. We had played for a while, and he really appreciated having us as guests, as did the other boys. I guarantee my Christmas, then, was happy, but what I found under the tree at my house in comparison made his seem so sad in my young mind. Yet, Ben appreciated the kindness of others, a lesson I learned when opening this little note from Ben.

But back in the present day, we continue to go from nasty, unpleasant advertising in the media, most of it questionable from both sides, during our elections and right into the season of giving. Why not put some of that obscene expenditure of cash into channels where it might actually do something to help people, get the economy moving, and helping to cure our ills

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Posted by admin on Nov 10 2010. Filed under Kevin Gray, Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry