Every time I think I know how blessed I am to parent the children I parent, they up the ante and I realize I am one truly fortunate mama.
It is now 1:00 AM and Santa finally was able to visit. While leaving gifts out for the kids, Dominick and I received one of our own.
The kids had left out the plate of cookies and carrots for Santa and the reindeer, and both Matthew and Angela had left notes for him which we had not yet read. As we snuck back in the bedroom after having finished with stockings, we opened up their sealed letters and read them. What treasures they were!
From Angela:
Hello Santa. How are you? I am very happy to saw you. Thank you for being so genores (generous). Santa if you can't give me the gift I will understood you. But if you can't give me I steel have a gift because I saw you. That my very best gift. Thank you Angela
Yea, almost cried with that one. Then moved on to Matthew's. It requires a little explanation first. There is a man in town who is known by just about everyone. He meanders in and out the stores, walks everywhere he goes, and is developmentally disabled. He is someone whom many simply choose to avoid or ignore, but there are others who accept his warm hello's and greet him. We were in McDonald's the other day when he came up to us and wished us Merry Christmas and talked to the kids gently about Santa. Dominick is always talking to him when we see him around, so the kids were not uncomfortable with him and don't see him as being a threat. When we lef,t the kids all wondered if he would get a Christmas gift, so we went to Walmart right then and got a backpack and filled it with a few things like socks, gloves, a utlity tool, etc. Then we went home and wrapped it all up and placed it in the backpack, and have spent several days looking for him to give him his Christmas gift. The kids have asked daily if we could go to town and look for him, which we have, but wouldn't you know it...we can't find him anywhere at his usual haunts.
Matthew came home this evening after church and grabbed some paper to write a note. I figured it would be the usual note, but was surprised to read it below:
Dear Santa,
Since you gave ALL the good girls and boys presents, I was wondering if you knew a chubby man who is mentally disabeled and is friendly and is old with white hair. If you know him please give us his name and address so we can give him Christmas. He is just so friendly and has the Christmas spirit. We wouldn't want him to miss Christmas. Kindly, Matt
There is no gift ever that would means as much as knowing our children have these kinds of hearts. How did God select us to parent them? We are so unworthy of this sort of goodness in our lives...this is pure, this is the sort of love and warmth we get to live with every single day. This just happened to be Angela and Matthew, but Olesya, Joshua and Kenny at various times have all shown this sort of care and compassion for others. Often "others" is us as their parents.
So blessed...so very, very blessed...thanks, God, for the gift of our family.
3 comments:
Your beautiful children speaking (writing) wisdom again. These children who were born under and partially grown up under circumstances so different than most children in America. Yet they have hearts as large as the world.
"How did God select us to parent them?"
What better people to parent these special children! Parents with hearts as big as the world...
"We are so unworthy of this sort of goodness in our lives...this is pure, this is the sort of love and warmth we get to live with every single day."
I object. Not only are you worthy but you are part of the reason they have such pure and loving hearts.
Now, I'll add my bit of Christmas thought. God saw that the world was lost. We had forgotten that we were created in love, loved just as we were (are), and that we have the capacity to love and give and live in harmony. What better reminder than a child in a lost and lonely world? What greater model than a man who grew to love and live a life that reminds us of God's great love and care. Worthy? Of course you are worthy--just as all of us are. Loved? Yes, by more than just your children, your dog, any human.
The birth we celebrate, the life that follows down through the ages, the light that star signified--all those are to remind each of us. You were created out of love, for love, and you are loved each and every moment just as you are.
Joyous noel,
Lael
Our mealtime prayers often include mention of "people who no have home" and asking God to "give them home" and "people no have food You give food" and "people no have heat, please give heat", etc.
Our older kids especially remember not having some of these things that we Americans take for granted on a daily basis. It always touches me to hear these prayers from them for others.
-Anne
How dear of Matthew and Angela! I hope you save the notes and show them to the kids when they are older. I know they will get a kick out of them. Hope you've had a wonderful and blessed day!
Dee
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