Published: November 25, 2009 09:18 pm      

Public forum, Nov. 26

Remember reason for the season

Regarding the article on Walmart’s Black Friday (Pharos-Tribune, Nov. 21), I have a better solution.

If we remember who and what we are really celebrating, we won’t have the issues of “mad rushes” and lines being set up like Disney World. (Oh, how wonderful it would be if we had that problem in our churches Christmas Eve or Sundays.)

We need to remember and teach our young ones what we are truly celebrating.

Of course, we want to gift our loved ones. My question is why not gift them during the year if you truly want to give that person a gift. If you want to celebrate the season, why not give your gift for Jesus through your church. Call around and find a church of your choice and celebrate a Christmas Eve service. Bring your child and let him or her give a gift for Jesus.

Talk to your children. Ask them if they know what Christmas is all about and see if they truly understand about the greatest gift they will ever receive.  Instead of buying Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt, Uncle or neighbor a gift they don’t need or can’t use just because you feel compelled — because it’s Christmas — give the money for Jesus through a Church.

We are taught as children to expect gifts which most times turns into a competition to see if we got more gifts than the next person. Parents sometimes are guilty of wrapping a gift with separate parts in different packages so it can be counted for the competition game.

It is time to teach the reason for the season and gift the one most deserving. Not only did God give us the one and only gift we will ever need but He (Jesus) turned around and gave us a gift of His life. How could anyone be more deserving than him?

Juanita M. Hurd

Logansport



Red Cross offers thanks for support

2009 has been a year of challenge. As the economy changes we have seen our expenses skyrocket. At the same time we see our community resources more strained than we have ever seen them and our pocketbooks drained.

As the holiday season approaches many of us are working harder than ever before to make ends meet, let alone buy gifts for our family members. As we gather around our Thanksgiving tables, I for one am thankful to be living in Cass County.

Despite the hard times you, the residents of Cass County, enabled your local Red Cross to provide more than $22,000 in assistance to victims of house fires in your local community. You provided us with the resources to serve 720 armed forces service members and their families in times of crisis, complicated by their deployment in service to our country. You donated 1,334 units of blood to your friends and neighbors to save their lives while undergoing medical procedures. You enabled us to train more than 2,300 people in lifesaving skills through our First Aid, CPR and other health and safety training programs.

The Cass County Chapter of the American Red Cross is truly blessed to have you as a supporter. On behalf of the volunteers, staff and the board of directors, I want to say thank you Cass County for 92 years of support to us, your friends, neighbors and family at the Cass County chapter of the American Red Cross.

May your holiday season be filled with joy.

Rocky Allen Buffum

Executive director

Cass County Red Cross