St. Charles Children’s Home is a special place that takes care of boys and girls who need help.  The reasons vary; sometimes one or both of their parents don’t want them, or can’t take care of them, or there might be a bad situation where the kids are “at risk” if they stayed home.

The kind-hearted nuns of St. Charles let the children to stay with them, teaching important life lessons, like how to at properly around people and take care of themselves.

Again this year, we visited the home and were welcomed by Pat Beaupre (no relation!) and some of the nuns.  We brought the children special gifts – things they hoped to get for Christmas – including clothes, books, games and toys.  Each of you helped wrap a present, bring one inside and place it under the beautiful, tall tree.

We took some photos and then were shown a magical wooden musical Nutcracker stage with hand-painted characters who danced to the music.  The coolest thing was seeing different stage settings come and go before our eyes.

Christmas is a special holiday for many reasons, but for me the most important reminder is that we are all very lucky to live the lives we do.  We have people who love us, we are in good health (can you imagine not being able to walk, or see, or talk?), we live in nice homes, we have food to eat every day.

Many people don’t have those things.  They’re sick, sometimes so sick they are in wheelchairs, or can never leave their beds (I have a cousin in Philadelphia like that), or they are dying and will not be blessed with a long life.  Some are not able to make enough money, and others can’t work. Can you imagine living on the street, sleeping on a sidewalk and not knowing where your next meal will come from?   These are horrible, sad things, and people shouldn’t have to go through such a tough life.

That’s why it ‘s important for you to always remember the importance of “giving back” which means doing something to help other people to make the world a better place.  Sometimes the kindest gesture of all is to simply smile and talk to someone who’s sad or lonely or in need.  Say something nice, make their day a little better.  That doesn’t cost a penny!

Other things you can do include “volunteering” (donating your time) to support a special cause (like working at a food bank when you’re older), or making something (a card, brownies, cookies, etc.), or saving money to give to others who need it or doing something physical like running a race that raises money for a special cause. We are so lucky, so remember to share your good luck with others to help them out and bring a smile to their faces.

Giving back, helping others, is the best feeling of all, way better than doing something for yourself.  Try it, you’ll see!  Love you always and Merry Christmas!