This is a special day. A day that blesses everyone. For me and my family it will be exchanging gifts, and hugging the grandchildren. A lot of our celebration will be done on Christmas Eve. Some of it will be done on Christmas morning. Our nuclear family has grown. It now includes the families of our children and their children. It is no longer just me slinging pancakes and making the kids wait to open their gifts. It takes planning and cooperation. That I am surrounded by this much family has been a blessing.
Come noon on Christmas Day, I will be out the door and heading to work. That is OK. I am blessed to have a job that I enjoy. It is typical for me to tell the company, "I don't really want to work, but if you need me I will." It seems that they always “need” me. I am older now, and if working allows a younger driver to spend the entire Christmas Day at home, I am good with that.
It is important to remember that there are others less fortunate. One Christmas, probably more that 20 years ago, I had a conversation that I can't shake. The conversation took place at a Michigan Rest Area near Battle Creek. It was with a young woman. Yes, she was a prostitute. She approached me as I walked into the comfort station. Of course, I turned down her proposition. Then she asked me “Do you know why there is so little truck traffic today?”. Her question stopped me in my tracks. I told her that it was Christmas Day.
She looked back at me with a blank stare. She just looked sad. We talked for a minute or two, and I asked her if she was OK. She said yes, and I accepted her answer. Then I drove away and left her there. At the time, I thought that was the right thing to do. This was long before I had heard of http://www.truckersagainsttrafficking.org/ . I thought that prostitution was a victimless crime. All too often the prostitutes themselves are the victims. We can help them.
Many of us are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ today. That is a wonderful thing. Some of us have favorite parts of the bible. Mine is the first letter of John. In the letter John explains that the best way to show our love is by the way we live our lives. Do we help others less fortunate? I don't have the power to change the past. Maybe, someday I will have the opportunity to help another. Visit the TAT website and get educated. Others need our help, and helping others is the best way to celebrate Christ's birth.