We did it, AGAIN!
Holiday gifts for 171 children are on their way RIGHT NOW❤️
I feel like it’s the season to say, “No time to say hello, good-bye, I’m late! I’m late! I’m late!” Even though, I have promised myself and my friends, this will be my slow season. 🙄 Have I set myself up for failure? Let me rephrase, I have set myself up for failure. I’m calling this part of my life my season(s) of “No.” Anything after 5 PM is a mental health no for me. I’m still in the season of nursing and to preserve the peace in the house, I’m quite happy saying “No” temporarily to things I’d usually say “yes,” to. Or, meeting for an afternoon pub lunch. Or tea. Or coffee. Anything before 5 PM.
It’s 4:34 PM (16:34) and before I turn into a pumpkin at 5 PM, I wanted to say a GREAT BIG THANK YOU (Is there a font bigger than all caps?) to everyone who sent gifts for my holiday gift drive mitzvah. I started off this whole gift drive thing by thinking, well, maybe I shouldn’t do it….I’ve already asked so much of you all with our initial hurricane Helene relief fundraiser and essentials drive. But my heart knew, we all have so much to give. And so much to give we did! We raised $12,500 worth of gifts and they are being delivered to 171 children in rural Western North Carolina right now(!!!). They are going to children who have been identified as children who would have gone without a Christmas or holiday gift this year. 🥹
Gosh, I am so glad I decided to put a message out to you all and give you the opportunity to give. I added up 171 kids in my head, to try and put it in perspective and give myself a visual (I’m a visual learner)….It’s three entire grades at my son’s school (with four classes in each grade, fifteen children per class)…that’s twelve clumps of fifteen children. Now my brain can visually wrap itself around how big we were able to give!!! And…each child getting a hefty $73 worth of gifts. That’s more than the parent teacher association at our school “allows” us to gift our phenomenal teachers. (I always bend the rules). We really pulled out our pockets and emptied them for these kids. I love you all, many whom I’ve never met yet, reaching out and giving so selflessly, so thoughtfully. God bless you all. I hope I can hug each and every one of you someday.
In between me trying to placate Matt’s Amazon box anxiety (I could see his shoulders creeping closer to his ears with each delivery—3-4 deliveries a day, and I’m talking HUGE piles), I stashed all the thank you notes you thoughtfully included in your Amazon gift boxes in my pockets and tried to track all of your names to send you proper thank yous. While I don’t have your addresses, please accept my second best thank-you note….a modern day Substack shout out:
Holiday gift drive donors:
Julia Dagher
Gahan Christenson
Anonymous (x many)
Alexandra Davis
Kelly D. Schwartz
Pablo Bressan
Kimberly Ann Brown
Kelly Johnson
Lindsay, Jon, and Skylar
James Cool
Dr. Michelle Seguin
Tori and Jerry Tabin
Chris Carroll
David and Jeanie Schlessman
Elizabeth
Dr. Debi Corbatto
Diana Wyant
Kay Ann Jarrett
Santa
Someone sweet with “candy”something in her last name—sorry the paper got thrown out before I could stash it in my pocket! 😭
Susan Wegel
Mary Bahr
Ben and Betsy Nolan (for driving the gifts down!)
Thank you for joining me in spreading the holiday cheer throughout rural Western North Carolina. My heart is so full. Man does it feel good to give directly to children who would have gone without a single gift. Hard to believe that in modern day America, when we have so much, when we so often take ten seconds to thoughtlessly purchase whatever we need with three swipes on a smartphone, that this—children and families still go without—still happens. It does, and all of your hearts have filled these need gaps for 171 children.
Thank you for temporarily filling my home with your love (Matt is so glad the gifts are out!) and more importantly, allowing me to teach our son about the spirit of giving and include him in our holiday mission…even though he is still wondering, “Well, can’t we just send them all magic wands so the children can get their houses back? And get all the toys they want? And can’t we just tell Santa they don’t have chimneys so he needs to bring the presents directly to the children?”
God bless you all. And may He or whomever (or not) you believe in protect you, cloak you and your loved ones in warmth this winter, and give you those little life vignettes of laughter and love to hold on to in your mind forevermore. Here’s one of mine we took today, delirious and rolling on the floor with both kids. After 5 PM.
