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the importance of setting goals

I love the quote by Bill Copeland “the trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score“. This is a perfect visual image for me and I think it speaks volumes. Especially, as it seems, though goal setting is encouraged on every corner, in every area of life – educational goals, workplace or business goals, family and household goals, goals in gospel living – it has almost become too ‘common’ a term.  And because of that, many of us miss the point.  So what is the point of playing the game if all you do is run up and down the field kicking the ball?  Eternal ‘practice‘?  For what? Goal setting is MORE than a worthwhile endeavour, it is absolutely necessary to becoming the person we would like to become.

The truth is, without goals we will spend our lives either spinning our wheels in one spot, or aimlessly adrift being influenced by every wind. The key is to set attainable goals that are meaningful.

Whether they are long term all encompassing goals like getting out of debt, short term easier goals like getting on the treadmill five times a week, or even eternal goals of living with our families forever, the act of setting goals propels us forward. A ship leaving the harbour with no goal or destination? Preposterous. Throwing a dart without a target? For what purpose? And yet, we are no different when we allow ourselves to go through the whole day, a whole week, month or year without purpose, without visualization of a hoped for destination. A GOAL. Whatever talent and abilities we might possess, whatever potential is ours – without focus and directed energy, they will never amount to anything.

I like to look at the idea of LEGACY. Defined, legacy is anything “handed down” (be it good or bad), but for my purpose here, I am speaking specifically about what we as a person are remembered for after we’re gone.  Its humbling to acknowledge that we have a lot of control over the legacy we leave behind. For the most part, what it will be is our choice.  Imagine that.  We create a good legacy through effort and energy, or we let our legacy default into meaningless. Again our choice. So ask yourself these three questions:
1) Where do you want to be in a year? five years? twenty years?
2) What is important to you?
3) What do you want to be remembered for?  What legacy do you want to leave behind?

Whether we realize it or not – whether we actually use the words “goal setting” or not, most of us DO set goals for ourselves.  I have some suggestions for ways we can make them more meaningful, and have a more empowering influence in our lives.

1. Goals give us Direction and propel us forward

Setting a goal provides a destination to work toward.  When you set a goal you naturally direct your attention toward the first step in achieving it. Focusing on it leads your thoughts in a certain direction, and what you think about becomes behaviour.

2. Goals keep us on the path. 

You can not walk a straight line without a fixed point to follow. When you have a goal in mind – a particular destination, you will focus on it, and you will be more inclined to avoid detours that would distract you from reaching it. The more specific your goals are, the more likely your path will be straighter and more direct.  For example, it has been a life long goal of mine to eat healthily.  Generally I do pretty good, but the goal itself is unspecific.  In the last few years, my goal has been to be ‘smarter’ about my choices.  Still very unspecific.  So recently I committed to avoid sugar for one month. This is specific, and measurable (see point #3), and very relevant to me. A clear and relevant goal sets you on a path and provides incentive to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve it.  There are always sacrifices involved in reaching a goal, because the nature of obtaining a desired outcome requires changing established behaviour. And that is never easy. Desirable maybe, but not easy.

3. Goals must be measurable to be of any value

By setting a worthwhile but immeasurable goal of “being a better person” or having a “successful business”, we never really know when or if we achieved it. We need to know where we are right now, and compare it to a fixed destination. Our goal should be “measurable“.  A big goal to “get out of debt”, broken into smaller goals of paying off the credit cards, the student loan, the car loan, setting a minimum dollar amount aside for unexpected expenses and to eventually replace the car so you don’t take on another debt, are all manageable, measurable, and as you achieve each step you have reason to celebrate.  A big goal of getting in a year’s supply of food storage, broken down into smaller goals of buying for one week ahead, one month ahead, and finally three months ahead, are all steps along the way, and are attainable. And measurable. And worth celebrating. The specificity of my goal to avoid sugar for ONE MONTH made it measurable and therefore attainable. I could see the end of the month from the beginning, the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. It was a mental exercise that made it easy to track success with every accomplishment. You cannot manage what you cannot measure. And you cannot improve what you cannot manage. (*1)

4. There must be flexibility in resetting your compass when working to achieve goals

Without compromising the end goal, you can be patient with yourself when you fall off the wagon briefly from time to time. Simply get back on. You are still better for being on the path, and it has been my observation that though our heart can change on a dime, behaviour sometimes takes time to follow, especially when you are dealing with a full out change of established habits and routine.

One of my favourite quotes is from Maya Angelou.  She says simply “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, DO BETTER.” How very simple and yet profound such a statement is.  It gives me permission to be patient with myself when I know that I am doing the best I can – on my path to do better.  It steers me away from the temptation to beat myself up over former short comings, and to always move forward reaching for a new bar of excellence. It is motivating by not being unrealistically rigid.

5.  Goals provide accountability – especially when written down

When your goal is specific, with a start date and an end in sight – you make yourself accountable to both. By writing it down, you have more accountability.  A goal not written down is just a wish.  By placing it where we will see it often, it can be a constant reminder, providing even more accountability. And of course sharing that goal with another, or within a safe support group – strengthens that accountability more yet. The combination of all the above, creates the best formula for success. Do NOT allow yourself to procrastinate by giving yourself loopholes.  Remember, “the Best time to do better was yesterday. But the second best time is RIGHT NOW.”  Be firm.  Don’t let yourself off the hook with all your favourite excuses for not changing.

6. Goals provide motivation, and help us believe in ourselves

Setting achievable, measurable goals transforms mountainous challenges into manageable hills. Visualizing the end result provides the incentive to keep working toward it.  Without setting actual goals, be honest with yourself, you’re just dreaming. Providing yourself with the accountability of writing your goal down and sharing it, is excellent motivation to move forward. Having a clear, compelling goal motivates you toward behaviour that will help you reach it. The goal to pay off a specific debt is clear and concise. It is easy to understand. It is measurable. Visualizing it and what it can mean for you and your future from that point on provides the motivation necessary to make it a reality.  Fixing your focus on the end result, and being mindful of your continual changing behaviour along your path gives you continual feedback by which to measure your success. Success breeds more success, and a constant motivation to move forward.  It isn’t simply about creating a plan, it is also about providing the inspiration and incentive to aim for and accomplish great things.  Without making that goal and working everyday to achieve it, how would you ever expect to attain any level of accomplishment?  When you actually SEE yourself making progress your dreams suddenly become attainable and your motivation increases. Newton’s basic law of physics remains true in all areas of life. “An object that is at rest will stay at rest unless a force acts upon it. An object that is in motion will not change its velocity unless a force acts upon it.”  Once an object is moving, it is infinitely easier to keep it moving than to try to get it moving again once it has come to a stand still.  And the same principle applies in our journey toward a specific goal. 

7.  Reaching a Goal should be celebrated as the accomplishment it is!

Seeing progress is addicting. It is invigorating and it sustains momentum.  On the path to being debt free are many accomplishments. When you pay off a specific credit card debt (job well done bytheway), you have every reason to rejoice in your progress toward your ultimate goal. On your way to losing twenty pounds, you have every reason to rejoice in losing five pounds, and every other success along the way.  Don’t underestimate the mental stimulation of celebrating smaller successes on your way to large ones.  Achieving goals builds character.  And that is something to celebrate. 

Zig Zigler once said, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.”  Of this I think we can be assured. We can never be happy with merely putting in our time till life is over.  As children of God, we are simply not wired that way.  What we can accomplish by deliberately aiming ourselves toward something meaningful that is in harmony with those things that are most important to us – is absolutely limitless. Remember that what we get by achieving our goals is nothing compared to what we ‘become’ by achieving them.   

Warmly,


Cindy Suelzle

footnote:
*1
I have no idea where that quote comes from, or who may have originally said it, or I’d be happy to give them proper credit. If if was you – thanks

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making room in the Inn for Santa

part 3 of “to Santa or not to Santa”

I began my parental relationship with Santa Claus with slight trepidation. After introducing him to our four and five year old children I still worried (I was such a worrier) about whether we had done the right thing. The kids understood that Santa had a few rules to follow if he was to remain welcome in our home, and I tried to tread that ground carefully, balancing my idealism with allowing my children to enjoy the gift of magic and excitement that he had always brought to me as a child. I didn’t want to hold him hostage, but . . . . . .

Santa sitting in Charlie’s rocking chair

Oh how I wish that I could have had the slightest glimpse into the future – just enough to know that all would be well so that I could have relaxed a bit.

As time went on, I witnessed Santa evolve into the central figure in our Christmas celebrations as we enjoyed sharing the holiday with grandparents and aunts and uncles who delighted in the few children in both our families. We were riding a wave that I felt powerless to control, and I wasn’t happy about it. The way Christmas had developed – not because we actively created it, but because we allowed it – left me unsatisfied and feeling that I was letting our children down. Santa had become all I said I’d never allow him to become. He became our Christmas. I knew I could ask him to leave. I had reserved that right after all, but now there were so many others to consider. The overwhelming reality however, was that we were still the parents, and it was our responsibility to follow our hearts and reclaim the way we celebrated Christmas.

I tossed it around for months, considering different angles, and discussing the few that seemed reasonable with Dan. Santa and Jesus didn’t have to be mutually exclusive and although we had tried to talk about the source of the tender spirit-of-giving that motivated Santa, it seemed that our kids were so busy being ‘children’ (huh), full of the childhood wonder of Santa Claus with all his trappings, that I feared I had missed something really important. I sensed that time was ticking, and their memories were becoming more firm and important. It was clear that if were were to reclaim the way we chose to celebrate Christmas, we needed to create meaningful Christ-centered traditions. We were approaching Christmas 1986. We had four children, our youngest was just a year old.

In the end, we hit on a plan. We agreed to give Christmas Day to Santa Clause, but we reserved Christmas Eve for the Saviour. I wanted Christmas EVE to BE about Him. We wanted to talk about him and imagine the night of his birth. I realize that many families re-enact the nativity, but that wasn’t ‘us‘. We needed something that worked for us.

Journey to Bethlehem by Joseph Brickeyh

We talked about what kind of dinner Mary and Joseph might have had during their travels and after they arrived in Bethlehem. Research resources were not what they are now, but it seemed reasonable that their meal was very simple, and humble.

a Saviour is Born by Joseph Brickey

There was likely cheese. And undoubtedly bread. Flat bread. Perhaps figs or dates if they were lucky. Or dried fish. More than likely they would have drank water from a well or fresh wine / which wouldn’t have been much more than grape juice. It was probable that during their stay in Bethlehem they may have acquired mutton from time to time . . . . After dark, their only light would have been from candles or small lamps.
A picture began forming.

We envisioned, and then planned out our meal. It would be a simple one of white cheese with homemade flat bread, and grape juice. By candlelight. . . Preparing it was a family event. Making the bread. Cutting the cheese. Making the juice. Then we lit the candles and turned off the lights. Low light often reduces volume, and quiet discussion allows for tender feelings to be expressed. These are things we discovered while eating bread and cheese in the soft light of candles.

We have eaten bread and cheese by candlelight every Christmas Eve since 1986. There were years that were lean and cheese was expensive so there was less of it. In those years, we put homemade jam on the table. There were other years of plenty that saw fish and olives on the table. Other foods have been added from time to time. Figs. Dates. Pomegranates have become a personal favourite of mine. Oranges. More varieties of cheese. But always homemade flatbread. Always white cheese. Always purple grape juice. The grape juice has become our own, from our own purple grapes – saved for this meal.

It has become our most favourite Christmas tradition of all. One that we have maintained for over three decades. Half of my life. It is a delight to us to watch our children carry it on in their own homes with their children, and to hear that it remains their favourite tradition.

When does Santa get his time?

When the meal is over and cleaned up, and stories have been shared, and songs have been sung, . . . When guests have left, teeth have been brushed, . . . then we gather into the family room and Dan reads a favourite poem that we all know by heart but we listen to him anyway –

“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In the hopes that St. Nickolaus soon would be there ….. “

I’ll admit it gets a little animated. And for families who normally don’t role-play, or do charades, kid after kid has always wanted a chance to portray the “plump, jolly old elf with a broad face and a little round belly, that shook, when he laughs like a bowlful of jelly.”

We owe a lot to Clement C. Moore – it is his description we rely on when we visualize Santa Claus. And he should know, because he spied him in his very own parlour all those years ago. I am grateful he took the time to write his experience down so that all of us might benefit.

I have come to love Santa Claus – and all he represents to me. I no longer quarrel with him. I am satisfied that he has done our family a great service in visiting us every Christmas Eve since that inaugural visit in 1982. We have felt his spirit as each of our children have discovered for themselves in their own time – who he really is, and what he really looks like, and WHAT HE DOES.

I think the tipping point for me in making that final decision all those years ago, was that I never felt the betrayal I’ve heard others speak of. Of course like others, I reached the age of doubting, but my mother always maintained that she believed. You could never get her to verbalize anything to the contrary. To this very day at over eighty years old, she still maintains that she believes in Santa Clause and always has. Because she always has, I always have, even though I wondered for a few years, whether I’d invite him into our lives as young parents.

One Christmas Eve when I was fourteen years old my older sister and I talked my mother into letting us help fill the stockings. Our Dad was working that night. We prevailed, and she allowed us into the inner sanctuary reserved for parents on Christmas Eve. The next morning I was shocked to wake up and still feel the magic. I confided to my mother that even though logically I understood, and for goodness sakes, had even filled the stockings, I couldn’t help it – I still “believed”! She never let me help again. Not even when I was seventeen years old and protested mightily. Not even after I was married. Until my own children hung their stockings, I was excluded from her private ritual. Although outwardly I rebelled, inwardly I always appreciated her refusal to give in. It kept the magic alive for me. And I have tried very hard to do the same for my kids.

In this house WE BELIEVE.

I’d love to hear how you incorporate your important family values into Christmas traditions. Please comment below.

Warmly,


Cindy Suelzle

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to Santa or not to Santa

…… that is a question every parent must come to terms with at some point early in their parenting. (part 1 of “to Santa or not to Santa”)

And its not a question to be taken lightly, because whatever you decide, it isn’t your right to wreck it for others’ who may choose a different path. For me, in our very first year of parenting it could be avoided. We had the only grandchildren on both sides, so the precedent hadn’t been established. We in fact, unintentionally – had the responsibility for establishing a precedent in both of our families. A place of considerable pressure for someone as young and idealistic as we were.

The dilemma I felt was that I wanted our children to love the Saviour and to recognize that Christmas was first and foremost about celebrating His birth, and to acknowledging the important part He played in our life. I felt that a celebration the magnitude of Christmas, could be justified just as well with or without Santa Claus. But on the other hand, I had many fond memories of Santa and didn’t want to deny my kids the wholesome magic that he brings with him. But still, Santa had overshadowed any feeling I might have had as a child for the Saviour. In fact in my early childhood, I had no knowledge of the birth of Jesus and its connection to Christmas. Nativities were not a part of our Christmas. Truth be told, I don’t believe they were a part of very many people’s Christmas in those days. I never saw one when I was a child, or a youth.

I successfully dodged that bullet for a few years, while our extended families, the grandparents and aunts and uncles stood a respectful distance away from Santa while allowing us the privilege of making that decision. Christmas of 1982 was the year I needed to jump off the fence and make a decision. Jacob was four and a half years old. Sarah was three and a half. They were going to have memories of this Christmas and it was time for me to make the choice: Was Santa going to be a part of our Christmas or not? The problem was, that I didn’t have a crystal ball and couldn’t tell how inviting Santa into our lives would impact our family long term. Dan wanted Santa. Our folks all wanted Santa. All our kids’ aunts and uncles wanted Santa. . . . . And there were other issues to consider. Like how to introduce him at this point?

Finally, I hit upon a plan. I discussed it with Dan and we had an important family council with our kids. It was time. We told them about the old man who lived at the north pole, who loved children. His delight in life we told them was to make children happy, and because of that, he spent his whole year building toys for them which he gave to them once a year on Christmas Eve. We held nothing back. We laid out for them the whole picture. The red suit and beard, the sleigh and reindeer, the elves, the list, …. everything. They were spell bound, wide eyed and enthralled. We told them that there was only one thing Santa loved more than children. He loved Jesus Christ. And he celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ by giving gifts and spreading good cheer because it made him so happy to do so, BUT his one fear and worry, was that children would get so excited about him and the presents, that they would forget about the “reason for the season” – the celebration of the birth of our Saviour.

His commitment was that if that happened in any house he normally visited, he would simply stop coming to that house. As long as the children remembered Jesus, and were grateful for Santa’s gifts then he would come every year for their whole lives. But if the children got too caught up in Santa and thought that Christmas was all about him and not about Jesus, he would stop coming to them. Of course, he might depend on us as parents to let him know how that was going. We told our kids that Dad and I thought they were big enough for us to invite Santa for Christmas – if of course, they wanted him to come. You won’t be surprised to know that they very much wanted him to come! And they promised that they would always remember the reason we celebrated Christmas, which was also the reason Santa did all his wonderful stuff.

The Spirit of Christmas by Greg Olson

That was it then. We officially invited Santa Claus into our Christmas the year of 1982. We were expecting our third child the next spring. It was time we moved on. I had some trepidation, but I was determined to monitor our Santa-meter and keep our Christmases in balance.

As it would happen, Santa Claus happened to be visiting our local shopping mall that Saturday and I asked the kids if they’d like to go see him. They had never seen him – or any likenesses of him, before then. It is wonderful, the control a parent has over the influence the world has on a four year old. Don’t we all wish we could protect them for a life time with the same care and attention we could when they were toddlers? We controlled what they saw on television, what they read and what they saw of the world. And until we were ready, I prevented any exposure they had to Santa Claus. We made preparations to go the very next day to see him.

As we stood in a long line of excited children, (another new experience for Jacob and Sarah, as I normally avoided crowds and malls) – I noted that Santa was asking kids what they wanted for Christmas. Yikes. I forgot about that important detail. Our kids did not know they could make gift requests. I coached them “Santa Claus may ask you what you want for Christmas. If he does, Jacob why don’t you tell him you’d like a covered wagon made out of wood with horses?”
“Okay!” he readily agreed.
“Sarah, how bout you ask him for a princess dress?”
“Okay!” she joined.
Whew. That wasn’t so hard. We got closer and Jacob and Sarah were very observant of all that was going on around them. I too watched the minutes unfold – this truly was a departure point for our little family, at least where the kind old man of Christmas was concerned. My kids were getting big enough that it was time for me to let some of the world into their lives – while I could still control the circumstances.

Finally, we were at the front of the line. Santa invited them to come near to him. I accompanied. He asked them if they had been good children. They assured him they had. As predicted, he asked them what they would like for Christmas. Jacob announced that he would like a toy covered wagon drawn by horses. Sarah told him she would like a princess dress (which bytheway, in 1982 was not the Disney princess dresses we’re so familiar with nowadays). Santa nodded and made mental note, then asked “What else would you like?”
Oops. I hadn’t anticipated that one.
“We don’t know.” Jacob confided “Our mom didn’t tell us that one yet.”
Whew. Quick thinking Son. We said our good byes and received candy canes for our visit. Dad happily waited on the other side to hear about our experience.

It was a happy day for him and the kids. A bit traumatic for me, but happy nonetheless. Our family was growing up. And we had just taken a big step into a new world that could never be reversed. A tangible innocence was traded in that day, for another circumstance – another innocence that would carry us for several more years until our children were ready to make another transition: a coming-of-age discovery that Santa Claus would play a big part in. In fact, he was here to stay the rest of their lives – in one form or another.

(this is part 1 of our Santa story)  
I’d love to hear about how you made that important choice of inviting (or not inviting) Santa into your family’s lives.

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

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because I have been given much ….

My heart is full today.  I am still feeling the ‘feels’ of an astounding observation that culminated in a few short hours yesterday.

“Because I have been given much I too must give” 

For many months of the year I plan for and work to pull off my assigned responsibilities in an annual city wide Food Drive.  This is a big event and my husband and I head up the efforts in the southeast part of Edmonton, a specific geographic area that comprises our stake.  A “stake” to Latter-day Saints,  is a church administrative/governmental unit composed of multiple congregations or “wards”.  Each stake has its own leadership that manages the overall affairs that influence each congregation in it.  Over the last decade our the “stake” I belong to has been conducting an annual large-scale Food Drive that has grown from the efforts of a single congregation in 2009, to include all five stakes in the greater Edmonton area as well as surrounding communities.  This Food Drive collects donations to provide our local Food Banks with essentials to feed those in need who visit them.  It has become a major player in the overall collection of sufficient food.  Every out-of-Edmonton congregation who participates, collects for their local Food Bank.

“Because of thy great bounty Lord each day I live” 

I want to tell you here that I have a tremendous amount of respect for the charity we all know locally as Food Banks, and the special people who work in them.  Perhaps I can tell you more about it in a future post, but for now that is another story for another time.

“I shall divide my gifts from Thee with every brother that I see 
Who has the need of help from me” 

In our situation we have six local congregations who participate with Dan and I in this wonderful charitable event in the greater Edmonton area, and three more congregations who also do so on different days in their own outlying areas.  The project has grown to be so big and all inclusive that governing it to mobilize the veritable ARMY of volunteers required to canvas every single home in Edmonton and its satellite communities, is a tremendous undertaking.  Currently there is a couple who act as Regional Representatives who undertake to work with each Stake, and there are five stakes each with a Stake Coordinator that have approximately ten congregations within them.  Each congregation or ward, has their own local coordinator who divides their ward (geographic area) into routes. They then motivate and gather dozens of volunteer families to take responsibility for one or more of those routes.  These route volunteers deliver notices to each home on their route during the week prior to the Food Drive, and then go back and pick up donations from those same homes.  The donations are brought to drop off points where they are loaded on to Food Drive semi trailers delivered there the day before.

“because I have been sheltered, fed by Thy good care
I cannot see another’s lack and I not share”

 This brings me up to yesterday.  I had been working within our stake for months, coordinating efforts of the wards to motivate and enthuse their members to save the date and get involved as volunteers.  Some had organized field trips to the Food Bank to provide their members with context and a personal connection for it.  Some had spoken in church and born testimony of the meaningful service we were engaged in.  All had been regularly announcing and building up enthusiasm.  All had coordinated routes and in the weeks prior to the Food Drive, assigned routes to volunteer families.  This is a project that our local stake leaders in consultation with each other, had agreed would not only be of great benefit to our community, but would also be one within which the members of our congregations could experience meaningful selfless service.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are all about meaningful, selfless service, so it was a perfect fit.

“my glowing fire, my loaf of bread, my roof’s safe shelter overhead – 
that he too may be comforted” 

I arrived at the meetinghouse around 9:30 in the morning. Ashli, Esli and the Becks were already there.  It was cold. Bitter cold for September 29 in Edmonton.  The wind had picked up and we all wished we had worn something warmer.  We brought tables out of the stake centre and set them up.  We set up pylons borrowed from the city to use to funnel traffic.  More volunteers arrived.  I gave them instructions, explained my vision for the day, and charged young Esli (who had taken the day off work to be with us) to be their ‘foreman’.  Our donuts arrived with Bishop Siakaluk who set up a table just out of the weather where people could gather and share their experiences and something sweet in warmth.  Ward reps arrived and set up stations to take reports from their route volunteers.

“Because I have been blessed by thy great love dear Lord;
I’ll share thy love again according to thy word”

Shortly after 10:15 our first donor car arrived and we put into practise what we had discussed.  It always works so beautifully when the cars come by ones. LOL

Then a few more cars, and a few more.  Before long it had turned into a veritable Beehive of activity.  More cars, and pretty soon there was a line up of vehicles, volunteers unloading as fast as they could to get them on their way.  Other volunteers transferred from table-to-trailer.  More volunteers working on the trailer began loading up the first of the twenty four bins.  Some route volunteers anxious to lend a hand, parked and joined the the brigade that transferred food from vehicle-to-table-to-trailer-to-bin.  Many hands make light work.

“I shall give love to those in need, I’ll show that love by word and deed;
Thus shall my thanks be thanks in deed.”

When I could spare a few minutes I did a couple of live videos to share the action with those who could not be there.  I would love to have been a bird watching it from above.  It was a wonderful thing to be part of.

As it happens, Dan and I were billeting two high school students from Nova Scotia this week, delegates of this year’s Canadian Student Leadership Conference hosted by one of local high schools – HARRY AINLEY. Part of our commitment as a billeting family was to provide some meaningful activity for them on Saturday afternoon.  Since both Dan and I were obligated to stay at our posts till 2:00 we invited them to join one of us. They arrived around 12:30, just in time for the busiest part to have subsided, but they were still able to put their shoulders-to-the-wheel and help us finish up. We were happy to have them.
(Big regret that I didn’t get their picture. Argh ….) 

 In the end – we FILLED all 24 of the bins in that trailer.  First time ever!
By all reports, it seems that every other area was ‘up’ in their donations too.  This weekend, we blew it outta the water.  Full to overflowing, with lots of stuff on the floor that we couldn’t fit in.  We couldn’t have fit another box of cornflakes into that trailer!

This morning I sat in church – still feeling the feels …. .  SO many good people all gathered together for one huge charitable purpose – to gather food for other people who’s names and faces they do not even know.  After months of anticipation and preparation on the part of so many behind the scenes, it culminated in a tremendous outpouring of “love to those in need“.  Truth is – although it took hundreds of volunteers to gather the food, it took literally THOUSANDS who voluntarily gave.  Gave from their own pantries, or gave what they purchased specifically for the Food Bank.   There were some donations that were so incredibly generous we shook our heads in disbelief when we heard the stories.  Truly there are those who have tender experience with the Food Bank and who for their own personal reasons – give so generously.  At the time of this writing, Canadians are preparing to celebrate “Thanksgiving”.  That one time in the year that we really do pause and reflect on the blessings that are ours.  We count them one by one, and express gratitude to the source of all those blessings.  The significance of the blending of these two great occasions is not lost on me.

The great prophet Moroni tells us that “charity .. is the greatest of all” and I truly believe it.  He tells us that in the end, “all things must fail — but charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever” (Moroni 7:46,47)  This weekend I witnessed “charity” and it warmed my heart to overflowing.  This morning, by no mere coincidence I’m sure, the opening hymn we sang was that beloved prayer of gratitude and charity by American poet Grace Crowell “Because I Have Been  Given Much“. It is probably my most favourite hymn of all.  I attempted to sing it with the congregation – to join my voice to this prayer in music, but sometimes sounds don’t come out of my mouth when my eyes are leaking, and I had to be content to listen.  I was content to do so.  Truly content.

“Because I have been given much, I too must give;
Because of thy great bounty Lord, Each day I live;
I shall divide my gifts from thee With every brother that I see
Who has the need of help from me.

Because I have been sheltered, fed By thy good care;
I cannot see another’s lack and I not share;
My glowing fire, my loaf of bread, my roof’s safe shelter overhead
That he too may be comforted.

Because I have been blessed by thy great love dear Lord;
I’ll share thy love again According to thy word;
I shall give love to those in need, I’ll show that love by word and deed;
Thus shall my thanks be thanks in deed.”

Thank-you Edmonton and district around, you did good this week.  You did good.

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

a postscript : 
At this point there are still many multi-family complexes and apartment buildings that are not getting canvassed simply because of manpower.  If you have an interest in taking a route for next year’s event, we would love to recruit community volunteers to help us with our Food Drive 2019.  If you will comment below and reach out to me, I will put you in touch with a team leader in your geographic part of the city.  If you’re not in Edmonton, tell me where you are.  I will do my best to put you in touch with a team leader in your neck of the woods.  There are annual Food Drives in many Alberta communities.   “By small and simple things, great things come to pass”, and truly this is a Great thing!