The day that we went to get our tree, we were unsure what our Little Love would be and had been discussing it as we pulled into the gas station. At the edge of the driveway was an older man with a sign that simply stated, "Please HELP hungry"
Now, I have admitted before that I have not historically been a very generous person, especially in these situations. But, our adoption fundraising endeavors certainly allowed for me to have a shift of perspective.
In the past, my main concern was that maybe they really didn't need the help, or maybe they used the money for alcohol or drugs, or maybe this or maybe that....
My husband didn't even blink about it but set off to get him some food....
He even tucked a little apple and a water from what we brought for family snacks. Oh, and of course, some hot cocoa!
The children were all so excited to see him get something to eat and craned their heads to see. And then something occurred to me....what the man does in regards to the food or the help does not ever cancel out the pure goodness that someone has in their heart when they wish to be helpful and ease someone's burdens.
The world tells us to worry more about being "taken" or seeming like a fool. But I think I am now more worried about seeming heartless....
The next little love that really touched me came after a very hard day. I was not functioning well at all and was very cranky about it. My older girls had a lot of school work to do and were tired and exasperated with the smaller children who were overly worked up and hyper about the holidays, the tree, and well...anyone that has children will know that children don't even need a reason at this time of year! :)
The younger children were expressing near desperation at wanting to have the tree put up but my husband was working yet another 12 hour shift and has been struggling to keep up with all of the new information he is trying to learn as he trains to be a sheriff's deputy.
I asked the older girls if there was any possible way that they thought we could heft that big tree inside by ourselves. The small children jumped up and down with excitement at the possibility.
The older girls met the suggestion with groans.
I insisted rather grumpily that we could at least try and amidst rolled eyes and protests, they eventually gave in and we headed outside.
So with a lot of tugging and pulling....
And, more tugging and pulling and groaning under it's weight....
It finally was standing in all it's glory....
Look at this sweet baby, looking in awe at his first Christmas tree at home!
And, I realized something...there was our Little Love for the day. Mary and Emily may not have intended to do something profound or special...and they weren't even initially all that thrilled about the idea. But, they honored my request because they respect and love me....and it meant so much. I love these girls!
By the end of it all, they were just as happy and excited as the smaller children and my grumpy demeanor had lifted.
We are taught in church to reach out to others with a pure heart. We are taught that we shouldn't be thinking of the rewards involved or the notoriety. I completely agree. I also agree with the teaching that sometimes we have to "fake it until we make it"...meaning that sometimes we may not feel like being Christ-like but we do it anyway out of our love and devotion for God and find that our heart will change through the process.
Tomorrow, I will have my EMG....I am excited to get the process started and finally get some answers. But, I am admittedly a bit scared and would love prayers....I will try hard to keep everyone updated.
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