To the editor:

I heard the cries wafting through the Just Food pantry before I saw the child.

It was only after the mother and her toddler son finished their shopping and arrived at my volunteer post — the checkout desk — that I noticed his tear-stained cheeks.

With one arm the mom lifted her bag of produce onto the table, while cradling her son in the other. The kid gave me that “who are you?” look.

Just Food keeps a gold embroidered wooden box stocked with delectable treasures, like lollipops and Tootsie Rolls for moments like this.

I reached over, opened the lid, and tilted it towards him.

“Here, a present! Take one!”

The boy’s puffy face lit up. I could have been Santa Claus himself.

While still holding her lollipop-sucking son, the mom gathered her groceries and left.

I’ve been thinking about that moment now that the holidays are upon us.

I’ve been slow to get into the spirit.

The negativity, the animosity, and the unfairness of the world has felt overwhelming. What can I do to bring light into this darkness, I ask myself.

Then I hear a whisper from within:

Let go of trying to fix the world. Instead, live in the moment. See the person in front of you, see this child.

Don’t just give a gift this season but be the gift — the gift of light.

Peter Luckey,

Lawrence