Give Presence

We had a little life lesson yesterday. Carter, Kim and I ran into Wal-Mart to grab a couple of things. On our way into the store I was happy to see a young Marine who was collecting "Toys for Tots". Maybe it's that it is military oriented, but I always feel immediately compelled to donate to their cause. I was excited about it and told Carter how we could go and pick out one toy for a boy and one toy for a girl. I tried to explain to her that some children don't get a lot of gifts and Christmas and the toys we picked out would make them so happy. She seemed to immediately get into the whole idea. The boy gift was an easy choice, it took us less than a couple of minutes. The girl gift was a whole different story. She carefully examined all the dolls. Each time I suggested one it wasn't quite right. Then, she finally saw it...on the top shelf...a little baby (which appeared to have the chicken pox) that came with it's own set of medical gear for you to doctor it with. She was sold! But, it was also at that very moment that it seemed to dawn on her she would not be taking this baby doll home with her. The remainder of our trip was a painful one. She cried, she begged, she bargained..."could we please get two? Mommy PLEEEAASSE I want that baby." I tried and tried to explain to her that this baby was for a little girl who wouldn't be getting very many presents for Christmas. I wanted so badly for her to "get it", I wanted her to want to give it away. It was a painful process. We placed our items in the box and her heart was not nearly as cheerful as I had envisioned it might be. We went on our way and as she and I stood in line at Subway her mood had done a complete 180. She said, "I didn't really want that doll. It wasn't for me, it was for another little girl." Small steps.

So, when I opened up my inbox a little while ago and received an email from my sweet friend Cayce with instructions on how to watch the following video...



I was inspired. My friend Sam had also posted information about the Advent Conspiracy a couple of weeks ago, but I'm ashamed to say I didn't really look into it. A BIG thank you to both of you for sharing this message. I just finished watching this video and felt inspired. This concept completely hits the nail on the head for me. Nate is always talking about living a "balanced" life. I love the thought of applying that same sense of balance around the Christmas Holidays. Don't get me wrong I absolutely LOVE giving gifts, and if we're being honest I like getting them too! But, it seems like it can so easily become too much. Going overboard kinda' runs in my family. Simple is good. Sharing what we have been blessed with is really what Christmas is all about. It's not really ours anway...it's what we've been given...all we have to do is pass it on.