Kindness

This Christmas, I have been so touched by the kindness I have experienced. As I mentioned, someone did a 12 Days of Christmas for our family. My children looked so forward to receiving the gift each day. It was so kind and made our season extra special. It made us feel very loved.

On December 23, I took Gabby to get her ears pierced at the mall. Afterward, the girls and I were sitting at a table in the mall eating ice cream cones. We saw a man with three boys. They were all wearing elf hats. One of the boys, probably ten years old, walked up to me, handed me an envelope and said Merry Christmas. Then he walked away. The envelope said Merry Christmas and had $20 inside. We saw them give a couple more away, and they had several more envelopes in their hands. Made. My. Day. There are so many good people in this world.

I now have the envelope hanging in my office to remind me of this kindness.

That same day, Alfredo went to Kneaders. He had preordered some pies. When he got there to pick them up, the pies weren't ready. It took 45 minutes for them to get them ready. The employee that was helping him said they would give him a platter of desserts for free to make up for their error. They were very apologetic. When the pies were ready, the manager gave him his receipt...and he had not only given him the platter of desserts for free, they had not charged him for the pies at all. Alfredo politely argued and said that was too much and he would pay for the pies. The manager said the mistake was theirs, they wanted him to be a repeat customer and the entire order was on them. Great customer service. Great kindness.

These are what Christmas is all about. Helping others. Showing love to friends, neighbors and random strangers. I didn't DO anything to deserve these acts of kindness...my family didn't NEED these gifts, at least not in a financial sense, but maybe our hearts did. It made this Christmas just a bit more special, just a bit more jolly. I am so thankful. These acts taught my children (and me) about the true spirit of Christmas better than any lesson I could have given. We are anxious to "pay it forward" in the future.

George Matthew Adams said, "Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first. The birth of the baby Jesus stands as the most significant event in all history, because it has meant the pouring into a sick world the healing medicine of love which has transformed all manner of hearts for almost two thousand years... Underneath all the bulging bundles is this beating Christmas heart." I'm thankful for so many who have that true Christmas heart and have shared it with us this year.