Traditionally, Christmas is a time of year when we trade gifts and when children are waiting for Santa — that mystical person that only gives to all the good boys and girls out there. It’s waking up early in the morning hours and opening presents, then eating a nice warm meal.

But what is Christmas, really? It’s when Jesus was born. On that day, God was giving more to us than we even imagined. He gave us a chance to look into our own souls, think about things we have done or continue to do.

God gives and takes for a reason, to see how you will deal with your problems. We all have choices and we’ve all bumped our heads; it depends on if you learned your lesson. God won’t ever give you more than you can handle. And if you think you have it bad, someone somewhere has it a whole lot worse.

The spirit of Christmas is about giving. It’s about giving just a little and helping those in need when you see it.

Giving rejuvenates the soul and makes a person feel really wonderful inside. It helps heal all the hurt. It gives you hope and it brings miracles — that’s when for a short while you feel what it’s like to be an angel.

If you’re mad at the world and think the world owes you, then you don’t love yourself. You cannot love anyone if you don’t love yourself. When you give, you get a special gift of compassion and your heart opens up to all these new feelings. It’s where your soul is healing, and where you find you can’t judge someone because you were there — you understand. It’s where you see more good in people than bad.

When we come into this life, we are selfish. You have to be — it’s our survival instinct.

But our parents take care of us and give us guidance. They teach us manners and to work hard for what you want. A child teaches us unconditional love. Anyone who has lost a child knows what you feel — the anger, the hate, the hurt. The feelings are extreme, it is so hard. I know, but every day gets better.

I think we’re meant to suffer, to know what it’s like to feel more. We are all taught to tie our shoes, because if we have someone else tie our shoes all the time we won’t learn how. You have to experience yourself to learn.

My adoptive mother passed away after fighting breast cancer for 13 years. She is an angel in heaven and watches over my son. My son was born with significant loss of hearing in both ears, only one kidney and a hole in his heart. My son is the better part of me. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t miss him. His name was Jeremiah, which means “God given.” I love my son.

The spirit of Christmas is to give, maybe not what people want, but what they need. I hope we can and do make a difference. Why would you not like this world and all the babies in it?