This holiday season, consider giving a gift that costs nothing but means everything
By Robert L. Thomas Jr.
Several years ago, I read a column in PN from then-Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) National President David Zurfluh that talked about the gift of giving (PVA From The Top, The Gift of Giving, December 2019).
Interestingly enough, this column was written during this time of year, however, it didn’t touch on the biggest tradition of December, which is the exchanging of gifts between individuals.
He mentioned only briefly about giving a monetary gift to PVA, but in that same sentence, he also wrote that if you were unable to give financially, to please try and give one of the most important gifts — time.
David’s column really resonated with me. It continues to hold true that some of us spend time away from our immediate families during the holiday season while serving in the military, but were we every truly alone? My response to that would have to be, “No,” because we had our brothers and sisters in arms who became our extended family.
I can recall spending the holiday season at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys (Camp Humphreys) in the Republic of Korea, where my extended family and I went to an orphanage to pass out meals and spend time with the kids there. These kids had no one and no place to go. Yes, the people who ran the orphanage were good to them, but I could only imagine how they must’ve felt not having a family. They seemed to really enjoy the time we spent with them.
After my injury, I was fortunate enough to do my rehabilitation at the Louis Stokes Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Cleveland, which is where I’m from, and my family was close by. I also had the opportunity to go home during the holidays and enjoy that time with them, but for those who I left in the hospital, I could only hope that someone would come and spend a little time with them.
Now, I try and get back up to the hospital periodically just to talk to the veterans and give them a little bit of time, showing that even as PVA’s national president, I’m not too busy to give them some of my time and attention.
Sharing your time could be the key to making someone’s day. It could keep someone from spiraling off into a depressed state. You could change the person’s mind from thinking no one cares about him or her.
So, I ask you, please take a few moments out of your busy schedule and spend a little time with a veteran at your local VA medical center. Show the person you care and PVA cares. As American author Peg Bracken says, “Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.”
