Grateful

I am amazed by the generosity of the people in my life.  Not that I think people are heartless or anything.  Just that they are willing to go the extra mile to do something good.

The holidays are a crazy, busy time.  We barely have time to get our own shopping done.  We barely have the money to pay for our own holiday expenses.  Yet...people find the time to shop for others.

The holidays can bring out the absolute WORST in people.  The impatient, the cranky, the ungrateful.  They are all out there.  They make shopping miserable and make gatherings unpleasant.  What we have to remember is that we have no idea what makes those people act the way that they do.  Generally, Grinch like behavior stems from a much deeper hurt.  Who knows what makes the holidays a struggle for some.  It isn't ours to know.  But it is ours to pray for.

The holidays can also bring out the BEST in people.  My living room is proof.  A couple of years ago when I was still doing daycare in our home, a friend of mine and I got to talking about those less fortunate.  I decided with the help of social media, I would see if there was a desire for others to take part in a toy drive. The first year was a complete success.  People wondered why we were collecting toys, but they didn't let that curiosity stop them from hitting the stores and delivering their toys.  We spoke with a few representatives of the school district and shared our toy collection with them.  The rest were wrapped and taken to the EMS building for others to hand out.  It was such a bittersweet feeling dropping off the toys.  I was happy to take all of those toys with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction that the need was filled.  However, when I saw the amount of toys gathered for families who are doing without...I realized the need for assistance in our community.  It is a humbling experience to say the least.

Last year, we decided to try the toy drive for a second year.  My thought was simply if there was a need, it would be filled.  If the toys didn't come in as well, then it wasn't our mission to do the toy drive anymore.  Within a few weeks, the toys were piling in our living room.  Families were taking their kids shopping and dropping sacks off daily.  The need was there and the need was met.

Just last week, Coach mentioned that we didn't have as many toys this year as we had in the past.  I told him that it was okay because I knew if the need was there, it would be filled.  I am confident that this was never my plan to begin with.  When God puts something on your heart, you have two choices.  You can ignore it or you can act on it.  I acted on a plan much bigger than anything I could have put together on my own.  The proof is in the fact that when I came home tonight, our toy load had almost doubled.  This doesn't account for the toys we gave to the district today for them to add to their wonderful collection.

So many people have given of their time, their money, their prayers, and their support.

I am blessed to say that this year's toy drive was another HUGE success.  Thank you to all who have donated.  YOU are the miracle in someone's Christmas.  You are a blessing in their lives and in my life as well.

Referee of 3