‘Mother to Son’ is always good advice…

Well, the holiday season is drawing nigh and the consumer numbers are in…but what does it all mean for those who’ve been impacted by this bleak job market? As you sat with your family over the holiday period, did you take a moment to think about the parents who were not able to provide the smallest gift (of hope) for their child?

In this age of Americanism, we sometimes forget that things have not always been good. No matter what your current situation, you’ll always be better off than someone else; but give back. Give that ten percent in “tithes & offerings” to a cause or institution (religious or secular) or person of your choice. Pay it forward. Someone will always benefit. And if you need inspiration:

Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor — Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So, boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps.
‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now–
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

Langston Hughes