S: Is for becoming a shinning star

In this time of giving, I have learned from experience that a gift to an unknown person is the greatest gift of all.

#4: Becoming a shinning star to those in need.

One Christmas I was broke and depressed. I really wanted to do something for someone else to get into the holiday spirit. I found a teenage AIDS house where the teenagers and their babies all had AIDS. I had this collection of stuffed animals collecting dust. I called my friend Belinda and we went to the dollar store and got diaries, candles and made cookie trays. We went to the home to deliver the gifts and low and behold the gift that made the biggest impression, were the stuffed animals. The reason: they weren't going to have enough time to love the toys enough. The girls were so grateful, I knew I made a difference.
To be honest the feeling of joy that I had done something for somebody else has stayed with me all these years. I went back every holiday after that, when I lived in the area. By the next Christmas only one girl still lived. The workers told me most of the girls kept the stuffed animals with them till the end. I tell you this because we never know how we touch others lives or how they've touched ours. Here's how you too can make a difference.

We're going through global warming and though it hasn't been that cold, warmth is a need. Most of us have a coat in our closet that is just collecting dust. Here's a way to make some room and lighten your heart.

New York Cares Coat Drive through December 31. Tens of thousands of New Yorkers are forced to make a choice between buying a winter coat and putting food on the table. You can help by donating your coats. Here is the website www.nycares.org

Every year David Barton throws a party at his gym for kids with AIDS and St. Jude's Research Hospital, the admission is a toy. This years party has already been held but you can still donate at 215 West 23rd Street.

You can randomly pay for someone's bus or subway ride. I've done this a couple of times and the smiles are a definite. When your making your cookie trays think of the homeless, they weren't always. We can become angles in each others lives and that is a F.A.C.T.