There was this young teenage pregnant woman and her husband who were traveling on business and could not find a place to spend the night. She was tired of traveling, the weather was cold, but there was no vacancies.

They ended up staying in a barn where their child was born.

Most of us Christians recognize this story as told in the Holy Bible. When I listened to the story again Sunday morning, I thought about all of the homeless people and those without the bare necessities to live a comfortable life.

How many times have we looked at people who are less fortunate than us and assumed they made some grave error in judgment to end up in this position or it was of their own choice? Nonetheless, we tend to judge and ignore.

We may not have many homeless people in this county but I’m sure there are those who are barely getting by — those who are not sure from where their next meal is coming.

There are probably hundreds of people right here in our communities who work at jobs but still do not have enough money to pay their bills, have health insurance, and eat three meals a day.

During this blessed holiday, let’s be thankful for all of the luxuries we have — a place to live, clothing, food, family, and friends.

And let’s extend our hands to those less fortunate who may need support — monetary, emotional, or physical.

Instead of doing this only during Christmas, let’s try to do this year-round.

— susan berg