What Christmas is all about.....

Today, me, Isaak and Connor had a very wonderful visit with a nice lady named Barbara at St. Barnabas nursing home.

We visited Barbara as part of the nursing home's Presents for Patients program, in which St. Barnabas partners with WPXI to bring local families together with residents at the facility who might otherwise spend the holidays alone.

Barbara was at the nursing home recovering from a bad fall. At some point, she likely would return to her home. She does have family in the area, but was very happy to receive visitors. We brought her a gift and spent about an hour talking with her. It's my understanding WPXI will use some footage of our visit to promote the Presents for Patients program on TV, so at some point, you'll be seeing my ugly mug on Channel 11.

I really enjoyed talking with Barbara, and spending time with her reminded me of the many years I spent with the residents at my parents' small personal care home in Blairsville. They had residents there who, without my family, would have had no one on Christmas. Those residents became like family to us, and now that my parents no longer have a personal care home, it sometimes seems weird for us not to be sharing our love with them on the holidays.

There is always going to be someone...somewhere....who is faced with spending not only Christmas, but every other day of the year alone. Many people are in need of our love and fellowship. If you're interested in spreading a little holiday cheer and remembering what the true meaning of Christmas is, I encourage you to get involved with Presents for Patients, your local food bank or any other organization reaching out to the community in which you live. I assure you, it will be an experience you will treasure for the rest of your life.