Look at this picture:
It's my baby girl, Jubilee, on Christmas morning. She is so small compared to all the presents she is surrounded by. The kind of picture that all kids dream of for their Christmas mornings... not that it's "all about the presents", but for a kid? Gifts mean A LOT.
Why am I showing you this picture? Because none of the gifts were bought by my family. You see, this year, we really didn't have money for Christmas... let me explain.
This is my son, Kyle:
He's going to be three this April. But he doesn't say a lot yet, so this wonderful woman Jen has been coming around to help him out with that. AND she's been doing a phenomenal job!! But I digress :)
She told us a few weeks ago that every year, she and her family have this thing that they do called "adopt a family". Yep, you read right... they actually choose a family who is in need, and they help them. Well, "help" is an understatement... they actually GIVE that family a Christmas. And this year, Jen felt led to choose my family. I can't write about it and explain properly how much of a blessing this was to us.
OK, so I'm trying not to cry as I type this.
As you can guess by the pictures thus far, Jen's "adopt a family" made a WORLD of difference for us this year. She basically asked us for a list of things we want/need. Just a ballpark list, to give the participants a general idea of what to get. Well, not only did her family get involved... but, let's see, a lacrosse team, teachers, local businesses... I can't even type here and give you an accurate picture of the scope of the kindness in people's hearts. Here, let me show some more pictures:
My Mom:
Jubilee and I:
My brother, Matt:
Not only did we get things we wanted, but a lot of things we desperately needed. Every one involved were truly angels in human form. The teachers in one school even opted to not do their own gift exchange and rather use the money to help US!!! They even included my Dad and our family dog, Skye... they were so thoughtful, they remembered the dog! Can you believe it?
This Christmas was a true miracle. I can not thank every one enough. I am still somewhat in shock when I think about it. I just had to share. I believe this last picture sums it all up perfectly:
