To the editor:

The Christmas season is here. Stores are overcrowded. Music of the season drones constantly on the radio. Yet, while being bombarded with the hype and store competition, I am having difficulty finding the Christmas spirit.

It is hard for me to see beyond the poverty among us. I don’t have visions of sugar plums dancing in my head, but visions of children with tattered clothes and sad faces, children who have nothing but the hope that Santa Claus does exist. What? Here in Lawrence? No way. Then, we complain about all the organizations requesting donations for the less fortunate. Face it. Yes, Lawrence is growing by leaps and bounds, both financially and in population. But, as it grows, the division between the well-to-do and the poor widens.

While you’re shopping for that special toy for your child or perfect piece of jewelry for your sweetheart, remember how fortunate you are to be able to do so. Try to remember parents who have no such fortune and feel lucky to have a home and adequate food but are not able to provide any extras that most children have. Can you share a little of your good fortune for those children who, through no fault of their own, have little or nothing?

Keep those children in mind this Christmas and give some of your “wealth” to them. After all, Christmas is truly about sharing and caring for your fellow man. Isn’t that the true meaning of Christmas?

Cheryl Mark,

Lawrence