Giving

This season I felt compelled to adopt a local family for Christmas. I had a stirring in my heart before and then it was confirmed when I got an email from a coworker who was organizing Christmas for families who would otherwise not have one. 
We are in the throws of paying for some very large projects during this season....a home study for our adoption, The Groovy House and it's high-maintenance-self projects, etc. It would be easy for us to say, "Not this year, we have our own selves to take care of". And yet, Christmas at its core is about giving....WILD giving.....God gave us His Son--sent Him as a baby to us. Vulnerable. Wild. Crazy love. I want my kids to catch that spirit of Christmas, not just the Joy to the World, Rudolph Christmas that we create every year, but the REAL core of Christmas. So, My Prince and I talked and I told him about what I was thinking and he agreed. We should adopt a family. I sent the email and received a reply that there were two 17 year olds from the same family at our local high school who hadn't been adopted yet. Would we be interested in taking them? Surely, we would! She sent me their lists and just looking at their lists made we cry. 

Boy 17I- Needs: Men’s size 10 gym shoes, XL boxers, socks(ankle),

Wants: a pillow, a small rug for his room(plain color), cologne.

Girl 17I-Needs: Gym shoes size 10 Womens, socks(ankle kind)

Wants: a pillow, wall decorations(cute pictures in frames, candles, anything!)

Family also needs food, a toaster and asked for a used DVD player.

Good intentions, but in the mean time, I've been under asteroid attack and pretty grumpy and out of it. I haven't followed through with my family being "in on the whole thing"....the difference between reality and fantasy. I've done the shopping (got GREAT deals Black Friday and Cyber Monday) and I am really excited about giving to this family, but I hadn't really talked enough about it to my family. Last Friday night I had to make an impromptu trip to that sprawling store down the street and REALLY wasn't in the mood, so I took along a boy--back up. While going down my list of things to find in the store (seek and destroy mission), I blurted out "a candle for our family we're adopting" and he-without-missing-a-beat said, "MOM, WAIT, WE ARE ADOPTING A WHOLE FAMILY? WHERE ARE WE GOING TO PUT AN ENTIRE FAMILY?!?!" ;) Then I explained that it was our Christmas Family and we weren't going to put them anywhere but just buy them presents so they would have Christmas. He was VERY relieved to say the least. Then he was thoughtful. Then he was worried, "Are we still going to have Christmas at our house?" (Human, right? What about ME?!) When I assured him that we were and that he would be fine, he was fine. Then I told him about what was on our family's list and we compared it to his list (which I have to say is not really all that out there, in his defense). He was sweet. He said, "I don't think I would ever have to put socks or shoes on my list because you just buy me those. I've never had to want them."  We talked about how, for a lot of kids, new socks and underwear are a treat...and then he marveled, "I still don't think I'd put underwear on a list for people who don't know me to buy for me. He must REALLY need them." ;) 

So, maybe, just maybe, "my plan" of teaching my kids about giving is going to work out afterall. At least for this boy, this year, he's thinking about a 17 year old boy and his short list of needs and wants and how they differ from his own. Putting himself in his shoes for a bit. And being more grateful than ever that he doesn't have to ask strangers for new underwear.