During this time of giving...

I had this pop up in Facebook Memories for my old book blog. It's from a few years ago, but it seemed apropos to the season.

One of my good friends, someone I used to work with back in the 1990's, who I don't see as often now that she's in MA and I'm in FL, called last night to tell me her father died in France. She came here alone as a young woman, got a job answering phones in a travel agency, met her husband (American) and raised two kids here. She's amazing and so firm in her faith. She is extremely helpful to people, friends, neighbors, strangers, alike. She lives life with verve as they say in French.

Some of the things she's done over the years, took care of her neighbor Mary when she had cancer, met a young woman from Poland on a flight from Paris to Boston (the girl was going to be sleeping on an airbed at some guy's apartment via AirBnb). My friend would not let the girl stay there, though she did go to meet the guy with the girl (he turned out to be a super polite international medical student). The girl ended up staying in my friend's daughter's room. The daughter is married and living in the Midwest.

One summer my friend and her husband met a group of French Naval sailors down near the waterfront in Boston and invited all 10 of them to her house for a complete New England lobster dinner!

When her parents had to sell their apartment in France to go into assisted living, my friend got an unexpected windfall when she and her siblings sold the place. She told me she did not need the money for anything. A few months earlier, she had met a young man from Bangladesh on the bus to NYC. He told her he had been saving his money to buy a car to start driving for Uber. Well, my friend gave him her windfall, enabling him to buy the car. He now supports himself and his parents, by driving Uber. Plus, my friend always has a place to stay in Queens!

My friend met a cashier at her local CVS who is in her 70's, takes the bus home in all weather conditions at 10:00pm, but now my friend drops her home whenever she calls. My friend befriended the guy who pumps the gas at her local station many years ago. He is Nepalese and she helped him to find a free place to get his taxes done. I could go on and on. This is who she is.

She told me that she's done with watching the news. It's too depressing and frustrating. I said she should start reading something light. She's never been a big reader, but I told her about Patricia Sands Love in Provence Series. I had just finished The First Noel at Villa des Violettes (a wonderful story if you are looking for a light Christmas read). She said she might go to her library to see if they have them. I know she won't do it, so I ordered all of the books for her and asked Patricia to send me signed book plates for them. I told my friend she'll feel close to home reading the series.

Thanks for listening. I just wanted to spread a little positivity during the season of giving. Will you tell me about someone close to you who radiates positivity?