The mail today brought me, amongst other things, the Stratford Festival visitor’s guide and funding campaign, and the Sick Kid’s Hospital gift guide. Throughout the year, but in December specifically, there are campaigns afoot to remind us all of others in need. This year, there’s so many prevalent causes. Mental Health initiatives on top of Salvation Army kettles on top of SPCA on top of food drives on top of Unicef and Arts Foundations and Trees of Hope, and toy drives and coat drives and sock drives. It seems never-ending and paralyzing to choose what need you want to address. I’ve been thinking today, though, about need. Someone with arms full needs help opening a door, someone with visual impairments needs a caption on an image in the release notes I’m working on, someone challenged with mental illness might just need a smile.

This Advent, beyond the charity catalogues of Big Needs, may I recognize and help meet small needs more often.