Lumps of coal... Anyone? If you've ever played the white elephant gift game at a Christmas party, you know exactly what I'm taking about when I refer to lumps of coal. It's the gift that no one wants and everyone tries to get rid of.
I've had my share of lumps of coal... I was put up for adoption when I was born (fortunately my mother came and got me after 4 weeks... but I think I still have abandonment issues). I was raised by a disabled single mother with Multiple Sclerosis. We were the poor family on welfare in a middle-class neighborhood. I was sexually abused by a babysitter at age six. I was beaten by a step-father from age six to nine. I lived with a crazy family (when I was 9) who had schizophrenic adult children running around with butcher knives at midnight yelling... It's the end of the world! I lived in many HUD homes that were terribly sub-standard. I worked from the time I was 10-yrs old collecting bottles door to door. And, on my first babysitting job, at age 11, the house burnt down on my watch. It was also my last babysitting job.
Lumps of Coal... It's the gift that keeps on giving! I've been discriminated against for job promotions. I failed miserably in business which left me $150K in debt. I had a car accident that herniated two discs in my neck and tore my rotator cuff. I've had several lumps (tumors) removed from my body that were fortunately benign. I've had my heart broken more than once. And the list goes on. I think I know a little something about lumps of coal ;)
If there's one thing that's certain, it's that life is filled with lumps. And those lumps are sometimes given to us as gifts (life's lessons). It's what we do with them that defines us. You don't have to be naughty or nice to appreciate the gift. You simply need to pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and make the world a brighter place by warming the hearts and souls of others. If we do that... just think how we could solve the world's energy crisis with just a few lumps of coal ;)
