It’s snowing again today in my home town of Vancouver, and it’s tempting to get down about it.  We were inundated with snow for the whole month over Christmas, which almost never happens.  Traffic was disrupted, buses were going off the roads, plus the city has almost no snow removal equipment.

But right in the midst of all this chaos, people were wonderfully kind to each other - shoveling their neighbors’ sidewalks, helping to push strangers’ cars that got stuck in the snow.  Some people even went to the homes of seniors to offer to drive them to grocery stores and pharmacies, because otherwise they would be housebound.

I'm always inspired by the generosity people show to other people in the midst of difficult times.  This year I expect to see even more acts of generosity and kindness than I do in a normal year.  That's because hard times can bring people together.

2009 started off with no shortage of bad news.  Continuing war in the Middle East, massive job losses, trillion dollar debts.  It’s hard not to worry.

Last week, when Obama gave his inaugural speech, he reminded his nation, “On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.”

Even if we are stressed – whether financially or otherwise -  we have a choice between worry and action, between blame and cooperation. 

We know that giving of our time can mean a lot to our neighbors, and to the nonprofits in our communities.  We know that building stronger communities means people support other people.  Choosing to give when times are hard means good news for everyone.