Today Christians celebrate the birth of a baby who grew up to feed the hungry, comfort the sick and bring hope of a better future to millions.

Whatever your faith, the holiday season -- which includes the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights -- embraces the belief in miracles and God's love. In the best American tradition, the nation celebrates the generosity of the human spirit in trying times.

This is the season of hope for better days and love for one's neighbors. Americans' sense of optimism is being tested again as the nation is poised to recover from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

Today, while unemployment remains high, the number of job losses has begun to shrink and confidence in the stock market has improved. Florida's state economists are tracking more revenue than they had expected after last year's plunge.

Healthcare reform now seems a probability from coast to coast. Even the nation's automobile industry is registering a profit with a leaner workforce.

In Florida, with more than one million people out of a job -- an 11.5 percent unemployment rate that's the highest in 34 years -- the needs can seem overwhelming; the ability to help, daunting.

Yet even those who have less this year than last are putting in their little grain of sand to help others.

Through programs like the Herald's Wish Book, a 28-year-tradition, and many others, South Floridians have experienced the kindness of strangers, even the miracle of better health. One cancer patient profiled in a Wish Book story a couple years ago is now in remission, thanks to a bone-marrow donor's selflessness.

For however overwhelming these difficult economic times may seem, South Floridians remain fundamentally generous and thankful.

Many who live here know it can be worse because they have experienced it in other places -- their lives devastated by power-hungry men or nature's wrath.

So it is today that we can all be grateful for what sustains us through difficult times: our families, our friends, our faith -- and the generosity of this community coming together to make miracles happen.