Oscar M. LopezFor many of us, Christmas is all about reunions. We meet up with relatives whom we haven’t seen all year. We have lunch or dinner with friends from our previous occupation, or from college or high school, or from the fraternity or sorority to which we belong.

We renew ties with people at that annual get-together, and pledge to see each other again soon. But more often than not, the next time we will see them would be at the same annual reunion to be held near Christmastime following year.

For some of our relationships, perhaps that once-a-year gathering is enough. But for our closer relations, we might have to exert more effort to see them more often. Why?

Think about your parents. How much longer, do you think, will they have time to spend with you? Each passing day brings us all closer to our end. And we can never be certain when our time to bid the world goodbye would be.

This is why we should seize each day as an opportunity to show love and importance to the people who matter in our life. I refer not only to our family members and friends. I also refer to the charities, churches and causes that we support. Some of us send scholars to school, teach catechism, visit the sick, clean or decorate the neighborhood, or even feed pets.

Let us devote some of our time to do all these good works. These things matter because they express our gratitude for the blessings we receive every day. If we just devote a few minutes each day to prayer, I am sure we will be blessed with even more time to do all the good works that only we can do…for the greater glory of God.

I believe that such volunteerism is good practice, not just for Christmas, but throughout the year.

I wish you all a blessed Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

OSCAR M. LOPEZ

Chairman emeritus

Lopez Group