Finding an Angel

Christmas is often a time of miracles..a time when those more fortunate reach out to those who have less. With the state of the economy this year, there are more who are on the "have less" end of the scale, and it is important during this holy season for us to give back.

Our church adopts several families each year to try to make the season memorable, especially for the children. The kids in our youth group are very blessed--and are always willing to step up and help others. As part of our annual December activities, we go shopping for gifts for our adopted families. The purpose of this is two-fold: those in need get a little something, and our kids understand how much they've been given. This year, we had $45 per person to spend, which is actually more than we usually have. We have a list of "need" and "want," and the kids try to get something from each list. They find out very quickly how far the money goes (or doesn't go).

This year, we ventured over to Wal*Mart on Glendale to do our shopping. I am generally not a Wal*Mart shopper. However, in this case, the trip introduced us to an angel in human form. One child we had to shop for was a 14 year old girl. The one thing on her "want" list was an MP3 player. The boys shopping for her did a good job of finding some clothing that she needed at bargain prices, and managed to have just enough left for the MP3 player. As they were looking things over, one of the sales associates started asking them if they needed help. She then suggested that they get a nice case for the player. The boys explained the list and the budget, and then the sales associate gave them a hug for what they were doing, and she DONATED (i.e., paid for out of her pocket) the case to give another child just one more gift. Bless this angel who, with a random act of kindness, impacted a variety of teens in a number of ways.

To all readers (if there are any of you left!) have a safe and joyous Christmas.