THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Sunday 7th Dec 2025
Sharing Kindness
I had not eaten all day due to a working crisis. I was so hungry. I stopped at Panera Bread for a sandwich. It was closed. Limited hours due to staffing shortages. I thought, “my local sub shop!” I was on my way.
Standing in a very long line, I settled in and patiently waited for my turn to order. It’s a busy sub shop. You cannot be in a rush. I was nearly to the ordering section and realized that I hadn’t looked to see if I had cash. It’s a cash-only business. I said, “Oh no!”
The gentleman in front of me looked behind and at me. I told him that I was going to use my debit at Panera and hadn’t checked for cash before getting in this line. I started to peek in my wallet and he announced, “Oh, ma’am, don’t worry at all. I am not a doctor but I have a lot of patience and I care about others. I have some money just for people in your situation. I got you. I will pay for your full meal so if you find yourself short, let me know and I will be there for you today.”
He did check back on his way out asking, “Ma’am, are you okay? Do you need me?” He reaches towards his back pocket.
I am so grateful for people who take the time to help others who might have a need. Looking out for someone who might be a bit behind themselves. Sharing kindness wherever they go.
I thank him and for everyone just like him!
~ Valerie Anne
We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers;
constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ
in the presence of our God and Father.
~ 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3
Thought for the Week - Jacquie Peal.
3 December 2025
Many years ago a programme on television about Christmas in Poland ended with the words, "It seems that in Poland Christmas is not commercial but is an affair of the heart and of the home ... "
Classic FM started playing Christmas carols on November 25th this year and one of our neighbours switched their lights on on December 1st! By the time we get to Boxing Day, just the second day of the Christmas season, most people seem now to think Christmas is over, to switch their lights off, take their trees down and start thinking about the New Year Sales. And Easter Eggs begin to appear in the shops.....
In Britain Christmas IS commercial.
In church, we start lighting our Advent candles on Advent Sunday, 4 Sundays before Christmas as we mark the beginning of our preparations for the celebration of the day when Christ was born into our world; preparations that, as well as joyful anticipation, include self-examination, confession and penitence then the real celebration BEGINS on Christmas day: or for many of us at midnight on Christmas Eve.
I love Christmas. I love the feeling of warmth, tradition, and family closeness that has always been part of it for me. I love the magical story, the music, especially singing descants, and the super-special "crown of the year" atmosphere. But above all I feel strengthened and reassured by the annual reminder that Jesus WAS born, really lived, worked, died and really rose again in real time in our real world.
Advent is the time during which Christians prepare our hearts and our homes for this most beautiful of all the celebrations of our religion, a time of joy and thoughtfulness: Christmas is when the celebration begins in earnest.
Christmas is far, far more than a time of lights and trees and present-giving, a time that's "all about the children": it is THE time that foreshadows the events of Easter and without which Easter could not have happened. It one of our two most important religious festivals, a festival of supreme commitment, joy and profound beauty and a time when we should be focussing, not just on the fun and the family stuff but above all on it's meaning for us and for our world, Christ's world which in this time and at this hour needs his love to be shared perhaps more than ever before.
With love,
Jacquie xx
Charles Hadley.It could be a proverb, a Bible text, an anecdote, a snippet of good news…Max length 75 words.