Several weeks ago, we asked the kids if they had any ideas on how we could make this Christmas extra special, without spending a lot of money. We talked about how we weren't the only ones whose Daddy had lost his job, and that some people had even lost their homes and barely had enough money to buy food to eat. The kids decided that we were blessed to have so many fun toys, and they thought they would like to share some of their toys with kids who didn't have as much. We spent the next Saturday going through our playroom. Each of the kids filled up a giant trash bag with toys that they thought other kids would be glad to have. The amazing part is, they didn't choose their worn-out, broken toys, they chose some of their very best toys.
We put a lot of thought into what we should do with the toys. We didn't want to donate them to D.I. or Good Will, because then someone would have to buy them. We wanted them to go straight to someone who couldn't afford them. However, because they were not brand new, we couldn't donate them to Toys for Tots. I finally decided that I would put an ad on Craig's List, saying they'd be available for pickup at a certain time. A couple weeks went by, and I still had not got around to posting the ad. The kids had even scattered quite a few of the toys that we had organized, making it tempting to just give up on the whole idea.
Pretty soon it was the Saturday before Christmas. I woke up feeling obsessed with giving those toys away. I spent the morning reorganizing the toys, getting ready to take pictures so I could post the ad. When I went to get my camera, my batteries were dead--and so were my backup batteries! I was pretty discouraged, thinking that I really blew it by waiting too long. I feared that it was probably too late to do anyone any good.
It was almost noon by the time I got the ad posted. I stated that we had some gently used toys in excellent condition looking for a new home for Christmas, and that they would be available until 4PM. I felt sure that I had waited too long; this would not be nearly enough notice for people to stop by. (I had intended, after all, to place the ad at least a week in advance!) But I had to at least try. No sooner had I walked away from the computer after posting the ad, then the phone started to ring. Minutes later someone arrived: a father of seven children who had just lost his job. He was filled with gratitude as he told us that these toys would be his kids' Christmas. Others who came had similar stories: one family member had just been diagnosed with caner and undergone extreme radiation treatment, making him unable to even hold his children; one family had recently moved from Michigan, and were forced to leave most of their children's toys behind. Within less than an hour and a half, everything was gone, and I had to remove the ad because the phone was ringing off the hook! We were left wishing we had more toys to give away, because we felt so good inside for being able to help in such a small and simple way. We realized that when you are focused on giving, you are a whole lot less worried about getting. It suddenly didn't matter that we wouldn't be able to buy as much for our kids this year, for we had been blessed beyond measure.
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