Giving
This past weekend the Atwood family went out to buy our Christmas tree. (We always buy a tree that looks similar to the Charlie Brown Christmas tree). We spent some time looking for the perfect tree and finally found it. As we were waiting to pay for our tree, we began chatting with a family that was purchasing their tree ahead of us. We joked with them and laughed. The mom even made a wise crack about our tree and how it was kind of "funny looking." We watched as this family with many children loaded their tree onto their suburban and left. Then we loaded our tree onto our car and tied it down. I handed Chelsea $60 and told her to pay for our tree. She asked the person who owned the Christmas tree lot how much we owed for our tree. He smiled and said that we didn't owe him anything. He told us that the family before us had paid for our Christmas tree! He had a big smile on his face and tears in his eyes. I burst into tears and threw my arms around the poor Christmas tree lot owner. He was a little bit stunned. Then my girls gave the poor guy a hug too. We left the Christmas tree lot with tears in our eyes after truly experiencing the "gift of giving!"
We are now trying to decide a fun way to share our experience by doing a "random act of kindness" for someone else. Do you have any ideas of ways the Atwoods can "pay it forward" and help someone this Christmas season?
That is the COOLEST story! Sorry, no ideas for you to "pay it forward" but if you keep your eyes open I'm sure something will present itself to you.
ReplyDeleteHere is an idea:
ReplyDeleteWrite and publish a children's book!
Go to any gas station and pay for someone's gas!
ReplyDeleteWe have so many students here at my school that need clothes that fit or a notebook for class or even a book in their home. We are doing Angel Tree gifts for our neighboring elementary but I am also looking for students in my school that can use a little help. Perhaps there is someone in your neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteYou know how neighbors give neighbor gifts and stress. My cousins family neighborhood held a neighbor fest. They chose a night, put tables around the street. They got some of those big cans that hold firewood and had fires going. They met and talked and had fun. Then, they gave the amount of money they would have spent on neighbor gifts to a charity. I thought it was so great, I did that here at school. I make cards that say how much I appreciate gifts but that I donated money with you in mind to somewhere like the Angel Tree. The teachers have little groups in grade levels to trade gifts with, but I have everyone. It gets expensive.
ReplyDeleteI love your idea of donating to charity in the name of colleagues. Kiva.com is a cool place to donate out-of-country.
DeleteEver since my kids were small we always had a change jar that gathered the loose coins in our pockets all year long. ( We did this long before the Christmas Jar book came out). Then every Christmas the kids counted the money and had to decide what to do with it. Over the years they have come up with some pretty creative things. The tradition continues even though they are adults now. Last year my daughter called from NY to see how much was in the Christmas Jar because she had a special project she was working on for a family in the Ukraine she knew from her mission. This year it went to support two families in our neighborhood who have had devastating health issues. Our whole neighborhood held a huge Festival of Hope to help these families and we were happy to be able to help.
ReplyDeleteWhen I went into the drug store to buy my prescriptions a few years ago a couple were trying to decide which groceries they needed to put back. They didn't have enough money for the basics. They weren't trying to get any fun foods. I listened for a minute to them talking to the clerk and then pulled out my wallet and paid for their groceries. Now I think it is fun to just find some family in the grocery store and pay their bill.
ReplyDeleteI think Julie B.'s idea is wonderful. And I think that part of the "paying it forward" idea is that it's spontaneous. Perhaps it's made more easy by doing a little shopping in a neighborhood where many may benefit from a Santa-librarian. I think I'll try it.
ReplyDeleteWe did a similar thing to Jean B. My sister started it several years ago by giving us all the "Christmas Jar" book and a jar to begin collecting. I collected my change all year long and gave it to a family in the school where I was teaching along with a copy of the book. I still collect my change and embellish it a bit and donate it to someone anonymously. I am not sure how many of my family members have continued the idea but it makes me feel good.
ReplyDeleteA teacher at school asked me the other day if I'd seen on FB the story about the police officer who gave a homeless man socks and a pair of boots. I had to share Julie's story with her and we both agreed that it's stories like these that inspire all of us to want to be a part of this spontaneous giving!
ReplyDeleteMy family has had many traditons related to giving, some carried on from my childhood, and some started with my own children. One of the latter is the legend of Sorta Claus. But I would like to tell of one from my childhood. I appologize for its length.
ReplyDeleteWith a family of 10 children in the mid 1950's (before I was born), my father and mother started to go to the neighbors, elderly, and widows in our neighborhood, to sing them a Christmas carol - all the verses - and give them a basket of fruit. Eventually there were 12 children, and as a child I looked forward every year to gettng up early with my father, and going to the produce sellers (usually A&Z under the 5th South viaduct) where we would purchase fruits in quantities of multiple cases. It was then my job to pack baskets and buckets full of fruit, and he and I, and my brothers would wrap them in cellophane for each night of caroling. By the time I was old enough to really remember the whole activity, in the week before Christmas we would carol to well over 100 homes of family, friends, and business clients along the Wasatch front, ranging from Sanpete to Davis Counties. One of the most memorable was a night in Moroni. It was late - past 9:30 - and as we got to the last house on the list for the night we saw no lights. Guessing no one was home - or awake - we drove past, thinking we would have to get them next Christmas. But someone noticed a light on in the back, so we circled around the block, came back and rang the doorbell. As the front porch light came on we began singing, and our carol and gift were received with smiles, warmth, and great holiday spirit. We departed with wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
One week later, my father came home with a somber mood and asked if we remember the home. He then told us that he had found out that the husband and father of the fam,ily had just died of an unexpected and sudden heart attack. There was no "next year" to shar the holiday with him.
I often pause at this time of year to reflect on how fortunate I am to have such friends and family, and want to wish you all the best. May you have blessings of joy, happiness, and peace in your lives, and may next Christmas find us together again.
A neighbor of mine was in the gas station with his kids and he had told them that they could get one treat each. They all got various items, Slurpees, Hot dogs, ect. and when he went to pay he gave the clerk his credit card. The clerk handed back his card and told him the computer connection was gone and they needed cash not a credit card. Well he didn't have any cash so he was telling his kids that they had to put their treats back...(how do you put back a Slurpee?) The guy behind them in line was not a real friendly looking man...you know the type...someone you might be afraid of if you met them in a dark alley at night. Well he proceeds to pull out a wad of money and paid for everyone's treats. Someone had paid if forward to him and he told my neighbor to do the same thing for someone else. That's why I love the book, Ordinary Mary's Extra-Ordinary Deed. If everyone paid it forward with just doing something nice for someone else how great it would be. It doesn't even have to be something to spend money on. One of the best presents I can get is to have someone shovel my driveway and sidewalks when it snows. I also have a neighbor take in my garbage cans every week. It's so nice to come home and find that done. I also have another friend that puts up Christmas lights on my house. Last year I came home to find them decorating my house. How fun is that? I get to enjoy the lights and don't have to freeze to get them up. My next door neighbor even asked me yesterday how much I paid to have lights put up professionally. I told here they didn't do it for money that was my Christmas gift from them.
ReplyDelete