Lessons from the Home

One of my assignments at work today was to retrieve articles about the canning the Methodist Children’s Home did in the 1930s and 1940s. Apparently, in 1934 the Home purchased several thousand empty Ball canning jars. They gave these jars to United Methodist congregants across Texas and asked them to fill the jars and return them to the Home to feed the children.

While I did not find any articles about the Ball canning drive, I did find inspiration while looking through old Sunshine Monthly magazines in the Home’s archives. It was truly inspirational to see God’s faithfulness to the Home through the years—years that included economic depression, war and more than a few “lean” Christmases. I found this quote from David Swing in the December 1941 issue of Sunshine Monthly. I think it is a good reminder to remember the true source of contentment during the holidays.

“Let us learn to be content with what we have, let us get rid of false estimates, set up all the higher ideals—a quiet home; vines of our own planting; a few books full of the inspiration of a genius; a few friends worthy of being loved and able to love us in return; a hundred innocent pleasures that bring no pain or remorse; a devotion to the right that will never swerve; a simple religion empty of all bigotry, full of trust and hope and love—and to such philosophy this world will give up all the empty joy it has.”