‘I care!’

BY DEXTER MCCREE, Feature Writer

It seems almost incomprehensible that less than a year ago, on the first day of Christmas was a song indicating bells were ringing and Ole St. Nick was hitching up Rudolph to soar through  the air with his nose so bright.  Where has the time gone? What happened to the blooming flowers of spring and the weltering heat of the summer? The seasons have already circled and we are back to the period where there is much sharing and caring.

Is this seasonal or does the time remind us of a yearly need? Although these times are intended to be festive, for many, the challenges of feeling loved and cared about do not lead to a partridge in a pear tree. For some, the display of “I care” skips like a heart pressing to beat for life. For others, it is disheartening to knowing what your heart really feels has flat lined on the “I care” radar.

The season of festiveness is upon us again. The joy of the season could very well be determined by how one says “I care!” Our community panel shares with us how they know that the intended message is to say “I care!”

Anna Miller-Naar, insurance

“I believe one of the nicest things that a man could do is to buy ‘just because’ flowers. It’s good to get flowers and gifts on your birthday or some special holiday, but it’s predictable. When I get flowers just because, it really says to me he cares. It lets me know that I’m appreciated and he’s thinking about me and I’m special.”

 Renee O’Neal, insurance

“One way that I show my husband I care is by sending him text messages saying ‘I’m thinking about you’ or ‘I love you.’ He works off shore and is gone for extended periods of time. When he comes back to his phone he sees the warm fuzzes that I sent to him. He shows me he cares by opening my car door or when we go to dinner he will open the door for me.”

Kiara Mells, US Coast Guard

“A few things that I like to do to show that I care is to cook a meal or bring him a beer while he’s watching a game on T.V. I like to show affection, whether it’s giving a hug, kiss or holding hands. Some things that I like is doing things around the house. Helping out shows me that you appreciate me. Sending a text message or a little card tells me that you are thinking about me. When I know that you are thinking about me, then I know that you care.”

Kay-Kay Smith, owner, Elite Style Hair Company

“I care by listening to people. I think listening tells a person that I care about your soul, life and what’s going on with you in general. I’ve been listening to people for a long time. In this business, people are often coming to me with their problems or baggage. The blessing that I can be to them is to have a listening ear and counsel them in the word of God.”

Amanda Martin, Nursing

“I show my family that I care by making a little something that they like to eat, buying art pens for my husband who is an artist or giving toys to my young daughter. My husband shows me that he cares by packing my lunch for me to take to work and helping me clean around the house since I work a lot. This says to me that he cares.”

Keosha Fields, college student

“I know that a person cares when they are willing to spend time with me. What we do during that time is not as important as just being together.”