Black Friday and the Reason for the season

Wow, it's been a while since I've blogged. This site was starting to feel a little neglected. Sometimes it's hard to find the time to blog with working and school. Life's a little crazy at times. Yet, this morning I find myself inspired, so here I am.
I'm actually done with all my Christmas shopping but I was still out not so bright and definitely way too early this morning. We are going to have a full house at Christmas with my mom, stepfather and MIL all here, so I realized I had to stuff some stockings for them. Hence the reason I was out today.
The morning didn't start out well. My Dunkin donuts had a big cop car blocking the entrance and for those of you who know me, you know that me on NO COFFEE is not a pretty sight. I'm also blind as a bat so driving with the crazies was a little hairy. I missed the turn off to the highway and had to go way out of my way to get to the mall. Things weren't off to a great start. I had to drive by Starbucks' and thankfully, they were open. Eggnog latte really helped improve my holiday spirit, not to mention make me coherent.
I went to the craft store this morning. It was a great experience. I got the stockings and everything else I wanted. It wasn't too crowded and all the shoppers were still pleasant. ( Nice to know that they had managed to maintain the holiday spirit for a few short hours anyway) Then I headed to the mall. I just had one stop. Again, got everything that I needed, everyone was pleasant, and I headed home feeling pretty good.
It was cold and rainy this morning. As I was leaving the parking lot, I noticed a women with her dog on the corner with a sign that said Cold - Homeless - Hopeless. Wow.
Turns out I had a bag of stuff in my car for goodwill. ( We are getting ready for yet another move). I pulled over - I had to. I got out the bag for good will - had a weatherproof blanket and a big sweater in there. I gave them to the women and the money that I had in my wallet - enough to feed her and her dog, maybe get them a warm, dry place for the night. As I was driving away the devil on my should said that she would probably buy booze and that if she really cared about her dog she would take it to the pound. The angel on the other said asked why she should lose her beloved pet and everything else? In the end, I was glad my angel said won. I know it isn't much. It won't buy her a house, but maybe, just maybe it was enough to offer a little warmth and a little hope and a small reminder of what the Christmas season is all about - spreading God's love. I know the reason I was out this morning and it has nothing to do with Christmas stockings. What will you do to share the love this holiday season?