After reading something on here this week about someone being alone at Xmas then saying even their friends don't even send or give a present or a card (strange friends). Maybe they and others feeling the same way could spare a bit of time for others worse off and give a bit of time.

 

This is aimed at anyone in that situation.

 

There are many ways anyone can brighten up a Christmas alone and bring some joy into others lives at the same time . Believe me it can give you great satisfaction too.

 

My family disowned me years ago after I revealed my true gender and Christmas to me is just another day now. I have invites every year from friends to go to theirs at Xmas but I always decline those invites because I have always thought of Xmas as a time for family. I am lucky to have such good friends but I earned their friendship and there are 364 other days of the year I can see them.

 

This Christmas I will be visting people in hospital who have no visitors , either because they have no family or their families just cannot find the time to visit them.

 

I contacted the hospital after hearing a plea on the radio to help those people with a few hours of my time. I have been told I will be able to visit up to 8 people. 4 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon and I have yet to hear about the evening if I will be needed or not.

 

I can imagine the relatives of those now! We better pop and see Mum or Dad or Auntie Uncle ect "Do we have to its Christmas?" Oh ok we will go tommorow lets just think of us.

 

Even though I know nothing of those people and of course the hospital don't yet I will take each of them a card and a gift. It will bring some joy to their day even though the nurses try so hard to make their day better they have not got the time to sit and have a nice chat with them.

 

So why sit around feeling sorry for yourself when anyone can make the effort to put something back? Its a nice feeling helping others worse off than yourself more so at this time of year "A time for giving" .

 

Life is what you make it , we all have the power to change things and the only one stopping any change are the people who think their life is worse than the next persons "Its not" There maybe a top ten Christmas songs but there is not a top ten of who's worse off than me or you. Simple fact is not one person  knows who is worse off than the next unless their life story is in front of them. I also heard on the radio this week some Doctors and teachers ect are seeking help from the C.A.B Because things are hard for them too.

 

Bring some joy into someone else's life and it will bring joy into yours. Wether that means being a hospital volunteer for one day out of 365 days in your year or your local homeless unit or whatever.

 

Of course there is always the other way to spend Christmas day alone. Sit around watching a screen and watching others enjoying themselves .Actualy last time I watched a Christmas soap Den gave Angie some divorce papers.

 

In just one day of your life you can bring joy and happiness to others and to yourself. You can make new friends and have a laugh with the nurses/staff whilst making thier job just a little bit easier "They have family too" .

 

Julia.

 

 

Julia that is very charitable of you. For the last twenty years I (as part of an organisation) have been visiting the poor and needy and helping them (weekly) Believe me there are many lonely people out there. As for the nursing homes, many put their relatives in them and forget them until they die when they all rush to see what they can get

Hi Joanne.

Thank you! I don't realy see it as charitable. I think it is our duty to think of others not as well off as ourselves. I always have put others before myself that is why it has taken me so long to be myself. I had the chance to change back in the 1980s but I thought of others and how it would affect them.

My Mother was in a nursing home for 5 years over 15 years ago before she finaly got her wish and passed away.

I witnesed people in there having no visitors even at Xmas.
I had 3 brothers and 1 sister and my sister and myself were the only ones who visited my Mother . We shared days so she got a visit every day she was in there.
After she passed away my brothers came out of the woodwork for her funeral and to see what they could grab . One of my brothers stole her wedding and engagement rings which were meant to go to her grandaughter. They were never recovered.

Keep doing what you are when you can because as you know it realy doe's make you feel good and also at the same time makes others feel good too.

Take care .

Julia x.