It's the people who give that make a community that much richer
Editorial

Canada is widely regarded as one of the wealthiest countries in the world; a land of plenty with a high standard of living.

Yet for all that wealth, we have a large number of individuals and families who struggle. And while we sometimes might be in denial, there are a number of them right here in Caledon.

With that in mind, we at the Citizen have been heartened over the last couple of days as we have learned of the various activities carried out by organizations to lend a helping at this time of year.

It is, as Mr. Dickens so eloquently put it, "a time, of all others, when want is keenly felt, and abundance rejoices."

Many in this community have stepped up, and while many of these local efforts have gone toward helping those in need close to home, our fellow people who feel want all over the world have not been forgotten either.

And it's also nice to reflect that not all of the efforts have gone toward providing necessities. In some cases, people have provided a few of the niceties, such as holiday decorations for seniors' residences.

There are some who would call this a rich community, and in terms of the financial standing of many of the residents, and considering what so many make and own and spend, there is probably a lot of justification for such statements. And then we think of the way people have stepped up to help those in need. That is a real sign of richness in a community, because it is a sign of heart.

Acommunity, a village, even a household, can have all the wealth anyone could ask for, but without heart, it has nothing because it is nothing. A community or village or household with heart is rich, even if each and every individual within it is broke.

People, schools, churches, service clubs, businesses and other groups in this community have shown real heart this holiday season. But there is still a lot more that could be done too. Perhaps that's not such a bad thing. Maybe it just tells us that the best is still yet to come.