Love in a Shoe Box

For the second year we participated in Operation Christmas Child, a wonderful ministry that delivers Christmas gifts packed in shoe boxes to children around the world. Last year we did one box and Jilly was convinced that a little boy in Haiti, named Carlos, received it. She talks about Carlos a lot and, actually, the little three-year-old visits us from time to time in the form of an imaginary friend.

It's been great having Jilly associate a name with her box. It gives her little mind the ability to visualize an actual child who will receive something special this Christmas. We prayed that the children know that they are loved by someone who has never me them. She talks about Carlos quite a bit, especially the past month, and has been planning what to put in his box. Sometime before Halloween Jilly informed me that Carlos has two sisters - one his age and one older. She thought it would be a good idea if we send gifts to them too. So, we prepared three boxes this year.

Jilly has been blessed with family members who have sent her cards throughout the year and many times those cards have included a dollar or two or five. She wanted to use her money to buy Carlos' gifts. It was solely her idea and came about with absolutely no prompting by me. I have never been more proud of her. So, she dug out $9 and we trotted down to the Family Dollar Store to see what we could get. She bought two cars, two coloring books, three boxes of crayons (one for Carlos and two for his sisters), two Snoopy tooth brushes, some Toy Story soap and toothpaste. I added to it with a few more trinkets and a shirt from Target. Jilly wanted to write a note to her friends, so I took dictation and she made them pretty with stickers.

After preparing the boxes, we said a prayer for each of the children who will receive it. Jilly said that Carlos had a stomach ache so prayed that God would heal him. It make me wonder sometimes if she has a sort of connection of the spirit with the child who received her box last year.

As I previously mentioned, I am reading Francis Chan's Crazy Love as part of a Bible study. The gist of the study is that we should stop clinging to earthly goods in the hope of using them in the future. He really hammers home the point that those of us who have received an abundance of God's blessings should pass on more than we use. In Matthew 25:45 Christ says: "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me." And in 1 John 3:18 we are told, "...let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth."

I hope that this simple act of sending children goodies that fit in a shoe box becomes a building block for the type of giving heart Jillian develops throughout the course of her life. My prayer is that she becomes a person who, as her recent memory verse - 2 Chronicles 9:7 - instructs, is a cheerful giver.

New Friends

Our household has grown by three the past couple of months - two dogs and one little boy. No, we haven't adopted. They are all JillyBean's imaginary friends.

Air Bud was the first to enter our home, sometime in the Fall. I heard her yelling, "Air Bud! Come back!" I had no idea what she was saying or who she was saying it to, then it clicked. Snoopy arrived a month or so later. He causes trouble and is often sent to time out around nap time for keeping Jilly from sleeping. It is crazy how my "interaction" with these friends actually has an impact. Snoopy is booted from the bed and JillyBean goes to sleep.

The imaginary friend became a bit of an embarrassment one afternoon when Jilly and I were at a local Subway for lunch. We were sitting in a booth near a window that looked out at the parking lot. All of a sudden, Jilly jumped out of her seat and hollered, "SNOOPY!!!" She began moving toward the door, but stopping every so many feet, looking out the window, cupping her hands around her mouth and hollering, "SNOOPY!!!" I had no idea what was going on. I naturally followed her, stopped her and asked what was going on. She said, somewhat frantic, "That car has Snoopy!" while pointing out the window at no particular vehicle. I was unsure what to say, as the two other diners looked on, but tried to console her. I told her it was OK and that they were Snoopy's friends and they were taking him home. She didn't buy it at first, but after a couple of minutes she calmed down and went back to her lunch. The conversation continued on our way home with me assuring her that Snoopy would be home when we got there. She had her doubts.

And so it goes....Daily....

A new friend arrived at our house on Monday. I noticed Jilly walking through the hall with her hand cupped at her side, as if she were holding someone's hand, and she was whispering. I asked what she was doing and she said that she was showing the little boy around the house. Needless to say, I was happy to learn that this new friend is human and not another dog. I asked about this little boy and she told me his name is Carlos and he is from Haiti. "This is the little boy who got my box," she explained.

I cannot tell you how much this warmed my heart. We participated in Operation Christmas Child at Christmastime. We filled a shoe box with gifts for a little boy who lived somewhere between the Middle East and South America Southeast Asia and Africa. Each night during Christmas we prayed for the little boy who got our box. Once the earthquake hit Haiti last month I told Jilly that we still needed to pray for our little boy because of the disaster. For all we knew the box made its way to the hands of a Haitian child. We needed to pray that God is keeping him safe and that he is not scared. Apparently Carlos found safety in our home and we couldn't be happier to welcome him.

Season of Peace

I am so excited to host Christmas at our house this year. It is something I have been wanting to do for a very long time and now, with a child, it's easier to accomplish. We get to stay put every three years and that makes me happy. Of course all of our family is welcome to come and celebrate with us. I would love nothing more than to have a house full of people to open gifts, enjoy company and celebrate our Lord's birth. Only my mom and uncle will be here. My brother and his wife had planned to come, but sister-in-law started a new job and can't take off any time to justify the criminal airfare to get here for a short time. Beanie Daddy's family has decided to stay put in Tennessee. But that's OK. We have good friends who will join us for Christmas dinner and it is going to a joyous occasion.

Looking ahead I am amazed at how our calendar is already slammed. My plan is to make this a peaceful month and a time where we can really enjoy the build up to Christmas. We are going to be busy, but we aren't going to be rushed. I want this to be a time where we can teach Jilly the anticipation of Santa, the fulfillment of giving to others, and the joy of God's gift to us. Since she is older and is building memories, I want to begin establishing traditions - little things that she will treasure and hopefully pass along when she has a family of her own.

I have enjoyed reading Simple Mom's 12 Weeks to a Peaceful Christmas. It has given tips on how to make this an enjoyable time and not one where we're so busy worrying about making the house look.just.right.

Some of the highlights for the upcoming Christmas season include:

• Lighting of the Lawn - an annual event that began in 2001 in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The event was intended to gather the community together as a way to appreciate all they had.
• Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Rockettes - I wanted to be a Rockette when I was a kid. I am so excited that this show is coming to the John Paul Jones Arena and JillyBean and I are attending. I hope to make this the first of an annual holiday "date" she and I have together.
• Hope Community Chest - This is a event coordinated by the Hope Community Center that allows families in need to receive clothes and toys. Jilly and I are volunteering with our MOPS group to receive and sort donations as well as assist on the day that families "shop."
• Toy Lift - a local event that collects toys for children in need

Mixed in with these festivities is a slate of activities planned for home. We have a home to decorate, cookies to bake, crafts to make, and holiday movies to watch. In order to make this as enjoyable and memorable as possible we are going to simply take on the Christmas season one day at a time.

Jilly is thankful for:
gifts she receives in the mail
friends
Smoky and Snoopy (her imaginary friends)
Thomas the Train

The Gift of Giving

We decided to participate in Operation Christmas Child this year through our church. The program is part of Samaritan's Purse and delivers shoe boxes filled with gifts to children around the world.

The program allows you to pick if you want to get gifts for a boy or girl and the age range. I had originally wanted Jilly to help pick out gifts for a girl aged 2-4, but she was adamant that we shop for a boy. We filled our box with Matchbox cars; a small tin of checkers that look like the characters from the movie Cars; a Thomas activity book; puzzles; Sesame Street stickers; a UVA t-shirt; a stuffed frog; and some candy. It was a fun outing with Jilly this afternoon, picking out the toys for our little boy. We made it a trip where we did not buy anything for us so that Jilly could focus on getting something for someone else.

This week is National Collection Week where all of the shoe boxes are delivered to a local collection site. Tonight JillyBean and I volunteered at the collection site. She thought we were going to take our box to the little boy, but was excited to get the chance to help prepare the boxes. When shoe boxes were dropped off, it was our job to make sure they were tagged properly and had a rubber band around the box. Then we placed the boxes in large cardboard boxes to prepare for delivery. Jilly handed the shoe boxes to me to place in the large boxes. She had a good time.

I am sure that she does not completely understand the meaning behind our task, but she did get that we were sending Christmas presents to a little boy who lives very far away from us. Right now we are developing a foundation for helping others.

today Jilly is thankful for pasta