Friday, September 24, 2010

Sometimes You Find Gifts From Santa When You Least Expect Them


 A few years back we had a massive snow storm hit our town two days before Christmas. Almost everyone’s power was knocked out.  The frigid temperatures and ice were making the job of repairing the lines nearly impossible. Our family was luckier than most because we had a generator running and a warm fire blazing in the fire place. All of my kids were writing letters to Santa by the light of the fireplace. The news reported that it could be over a week before they had power restored to everyone.

I couldn’t help but worry about Emily, the young mother who lived down the street. I knew that her power was out. She was new to the area and had mentioned that she had no family nearby. There was no way I would be able to relax until I knew that this woman and her four year old little girl Kendra were alright. Driving was out of the question so I put on my snow clothes and went on foot. Emily opened the door to her apartment chattering her teeth. At once I told her to pack up Kendra and come to stay at my house. It took us awhile to maneuver in the knee deep snow. Once we were in the house I placed Emily and little Kendra in front of the fire. Kendra hid behind her mom and watched my kids work on their Christmas letters. It brought joy to heart to see this women and her child warm and at peace on this cold night.

Everyone in our family loved having little Kendra around. My girls helped her make a letter to Santa. The glitter sprinkled across the card gleamed in the light of the fire. While Kendra became the center of my kids’ attention Emily got a chance to sit back and relax. After they finished with the letter they showed Kendra how to make cotton ball snowmen. It was a surprise to me how grown my kids seemed compared to Kendra. The smallest thing would just light up her face.

It was clear to me that the power wouldn’t be restored before Christmas. I wasn’t sure how I was going to come up with enough gifts for Kendra to open on Christmas morning. My youngest daughter went through her toys and found several that would make nice gifts. I decided that I would give Kendra the clothes I had bought for my niece I could replace them later. Emily cried when we showed her the gifts.

On Christmas morning Kendra was so excited to find gifts from Santa. We had a wonderful Christmas that year. Not only did we get the chance to share our home and hearts with these two wonderful people but we also made new friends for life. It is clear to me that this terrible snowstorm turned out to be a wonderful gift from Santa.

Bookmark and Share

Enhanced by Zemanta

No comments: