I can remember how as a boy I looked forward to the holiday season with great anticipation. To me the season began with Thanksgiving and ended with Christmas and New Year's Day. It was a time to watch the leaves turn beautiful colors and to smell the brisk fall air. It was a time for looking forward to the traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner and football game be-tween East Rutherford and Lyndhurst High Schools. It was a time to think about Christmas trees, colored lights, falling snow, wrapped presents, and, most of all, family and friends. It was a time to prepare for all the good that comes with the holiday season.

This preparation, however, usually took the form of what we could do for others, not what we would do for ourselves. Fifteen dollars then could feed ten people on Thanksgiving Day; ten dollars would feed a child for a month; twenty dollars would put a warm coat on a child's body.
A story I heard recently reflects the spirit of the season, which remains strong today. A lady had volunteered to work a hotline that checked on shut-ins who needed extra care. She en-countered a lady who desperately needed a new coat. Without telling who sent the money, she enclosed $200 in an envelope for hand delivery by a friend and sent it to the lady with a note telling her to buy a new coat. A few days later, the volunteer got a call from this lady telling her about the anonymous gift and how she was able to find the perfect coat for only $150. She went on to say she was sending the hotline the remaining $50 in the hopes it could be given to someone who needed it.

The Arkansas Teacher Retirement System, where I am an administrator, is building a retirement village. Last week, I had an experience like the one related above. I received a card from an elderly retiree with a check for $50 and a note saying, "Sorry I'm late sending this contribution." I called the retiree and asked why she sent the money. As an eight-billion-dollar operation, our retirement system has sufficient funds to build this multi-million-dollar retirement complex. Also, our program was not seeking contributions, so the unsolicited gift was all the more surprising. She responded, "I just wanted to help get it started for those who need the facility." I asked her how old she was since the average age for those entering a retirement village is 75. "I'm 81," she replied, "and I am not ready to go to a retirement village."

Tears came to my eyes because of this good-hearted lady. I no longer feel the money needed today to provide a holiday meal for a family or a warm winter coat for a child is sufficient. Rather, I will increase my holiday giving in honor of this generous lady who was willing to donate what little she had to make life better for others.

Even with the present turmoil in our country, God continues to bless America. We are a generous people and will continue to share our bounty with the less fortunate. As Masons, we learn the lesson of charity early in our Masonic journey. Now, as the holiday season approaches, take time to think of that great lesson and share with others the bounty you have received. The upcoming holiday is truly a season for giving.

Angelo G. Coppola, Sr. is a graduate of the University of Arkansas with a doctorate in public school administration. He has served as a teacher, principal, superintendent of schools, Arkansas State Department of Education employee, and presently is the Deputy Director for the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System. A retired Naval Officer and a member of the Executive Board for the Quapaw Council Boy Scouts of America, Dr. Coppola is also a Past Master and presently the Secretary of Albert Pike Lodge No. 714 in Little Rock, Arkansas. He is a member of the York Rite and began serving as the Grand Chaplain for the Grand Lodge of Arkansas in February 2001.