The words we use so eloquently during this time of the year – words such as joy, peace, good will to all – need not be retired after the last present is opened and the Christmas ham leftovers refrigerated.
The hush you hear today is the sound of people slowing down to take in the beauty of Christmas, letting go, if only for a few hours, of the stress and strain the world imposes.
The words we use so eloquently during this time of the year - words such as joy, peace, good will to all - need not be retired after the last present is opened and the Christmas ham leftovers refrigerated. They speak to cherished values people of all faiths share.
There are myriad ways to make the holiday spirit last all year. A few to consider:
Rescue an animal in need. Check out the web site of the Trenton Animal Shelter and you'll meet Atticus, the playful shepherd puppy found in a box in a ball field. He and his siblings were left there to die. Adopting Atticus or any of the abandoned/abused pets waiting for their "forever homes" is guaranteed to bring the spirit of love into your home for months and years to come. (And win you bonus points from the kids, to boot.)
Join - or start - an interfaith dialogue. With anti-Islam and anti-Semitic incidents on the rise, and xenophobia growing, we need more understanding, not less, about the people who inhabit our corner of the world. Churches, mosques and synagogues are ideal places to start.
Commit time to a food bank or soup kitchen. Mercer County is blessed with an abundance of non-profits and social service agencies providing a safety net when needed. The Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, Mercer Street Friends and the Crisis Ministry of Mercer County - any of these or others would welcome a helping hand.
Give the gift of literacy. If you don't know how to read, your job prospects are limited and your future murky. The statewide group Literacy New Jersey, with an office in Hamilton, trains volunteers to work one-on-one or in small groups, tutoring adults in basic reading, writing and math.
Provide hope for victims of domestic abuse. Every seven minutes, an act of violence is committed in New Jersey; most of those on the receiving end are women. The organization Womanspace equips volunteers with the skills to help these individuals as they navigate the police and court systems.
Finally, bring light into a child's life with a gift to the Times of Trenton's 2015 Holiday Appeal. Proceeds this year will help support Christine's Hope for Kids, a foundation designed to help children facing trying circumstances. Thanks to our generous readers, the fund had topped $18,000 by midweek.
To make a donation, send a check payable to the Times Holiday Appeal to Times Charities Inc., 413 River View Plaza, Trenton, NJ 08611. Gifts are acknowledged in The Times unless the donor prefers not to be identified.