At Christmas

Do you see those adorable kids??? That is me and my brother 🙂

I usually wait until a little closer to Christmas. But it’s been on my heart to share my annual Christmas story. So grab some cocoa and settle in 🙂

Once upon a time in the late 1980’s (which was a few years after the adorable picture below), there was an old farm house on a dirt road where I lived with my mom and brother. We did not have a lot of money. Our house had no central heat and was quite cold. There was one wood burner in the dining room and the plumbing would freeze in the winter.

That first winter when it was just us three in the old house, a local church had chosen our family to bless for Christmas. Of course we didn’t know that.

There was my little mommy, just under five feet tall, alone with her two little kiddos on a back country road, when two strange cars pulled up in front of the house on the road. The cars did not pull in the driveway, like a friend would do. The cars pulled over on the side of the road in front of the house. My mom sent my brother and I upstairs and she went and got her gun.

There was a knock at the door. My mom opened the door and pointed her .22 at the people on the porch. The gentleman in front stammered out that they were from the church and that they had presents for us – two cars full of stuff! They had pulled off the road because that was a shorter distance to walk to the front door than the driveway. My mom apologized and put her gun away! And I will now forever tease her 🙂 Because that is what a good daughter would do! 🙂

I remember watching the people bring in the bags of food and presents for us. I remember my mom being so thankful and happy. I still have a little wooden bench that I was given. I was too young to really understand at the time what all that meant to my mom. But I understand now. ❤

My family has now had such fun blessing others at Christmas time! Some years, especially when we first started, we weren’t able to help in a super big way. No matter how much money we have used to bless others, I feel just as excited as I was as a kid when we were blessed by others. I think I get more excited now to be honest! I love this Christmas tradition!

Tonight I am thankful for some kind people that chose to bless our family decades ago. I am thankful for a fun story to tease my mom about every year with pulling a shotgun on church members! 🙂 🙂 And I am super thankful for the chance to be a blessing to others, especially at Christmas; and to make someone else’s Christmas extra special ❤ ❤