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Health & Fitness

A Season for Giving

As the song goes, this is the "most wonderful time of the year".  As many of us prepare to celebrate Christmas (or other religious holidays), please remember that the most valuable gift you can give is free: yourself and your time. The true holiday spirit is about love and kindness, not materialism.

It is the non-material gifts and blessings bestowed upon us that make the biggest impact. To name just a few: the gifts of family, good health, love and freedom. Author Oren Arnold gives a great perspective on non-material gifts with his following list:

Christmas gift suggestions:

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To your enemy, forgiveness.

To an opponent, tolerance.

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To a friend, your heart.

To a customer, service.

To all, charity.

To every child, a good example.

To yourself, respect.

Special thanks to those that will not be spending time with their families this Christmas. American soldiers make many sacrifices but one that is particularly hard is missing time with their families. Keep our soldiers and their loved ones in your hearts and prayers.

I wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season. Please remember that there are many families in our area who are enduring hard times, economic or, a family loss or illness. Do what you can to help people in need. I know the area food shelf and many other deserving charities and organizations always welcome our assistance. If you are looking for a place to help, please consider one or more of the following:

·         Help your local food bank: White Bear Lake (http://whitebearfoodshelf.org/), North Saint Paul (http://northstpaulareaemerge.intuitwebsites.com/index.html) or Second Harvest Heartland (www.2harvest.org).

·         Donate Toys at Toys for Tots (http://www.toysfortots.org/).

·         Ring a Bell for the Salvation Army (http://salvationarmynorth.org/).

·         Donate time or money to help a military family through the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program (http://www.beyondtheyellowribbon.org).

·         Volunteer or donate to a local church. Many churches focus on helping local families in need.

As always, please contact me with questions or suggestions regarding any issue. I encourage you to visit me at the Capitol, or let me know if you’d like me to stop by your home or apartment.  Also, please tune in to my local cable TV show, “Your Capitol: What’s Up?,” which appears on public access channels 15 and 16. I can be reached by email at sen.chuck.wiger@senate.mn and by phone at 651-296-6820.




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