Random Monday Memories...Revisited

I have some gift making to work on this week, so I think I'm going to do a bit of re-posting.  I'd like to share (again) some Random Monday Memories.  I first posted this one on 11/30/2009. 

I hope you enjoy reading it....perhaps again!

 

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We lived in Wisconsin for eight years and for six of those years we were blessed to be able to participate in a local Christmas program that allowed us to "adopt" a family for Christmas...I have such wonderful memories from that time.  The organization we worked with, matched us with a family and we contacted the family and asked about any specific needs or wants. 

One year, as I delivered bags of gifts and boxes of groceries, I saw a little boy watching me from an apartment's second floor window. Turns out he was one of the children in the family I was delivering to. I went in and out from my car to their apartment three times and he just kept watching me...never saying a word. I said hello to him...but he just watched me. At 7 years he was the oldest of three. He lived with his mom and two little sisters.

 

First I carried up the box of groceries, then a fresh cut Christmas tree with lights and finally the bags of colorfully wrapped packages containing toys, clothing and other goodies. As I put the bags of packages down I talked with his mom and played for a moment or two with his little sisters (ages 5 & 2).

When I was ready to leave I tried once more to get him to talk to me ~ I had some candy canes in my pocket and I wasn't above trying bribery to get a smile out of him. He came to me and took the candy canes and I turned to leave. But I stopped because he asked me, "Are you like a Santa Claus?" I told him I was just a friend who wanted to help him have a Merry Christmas. He asked me if there were any toys in those bags....for his sisters. I told him there were and that there were some for him too. He said "Is there something for my mother?" ~ I told him yes.

He smiled and then he said "I'm happy you brought a tree". He proceeded to show me the red & green paper chain that he made in school, the paper snowflakes his mom cut out of white paper and a box of twelve "not so shiny" red ornaments. He told me that all of it would look nice on the tree I brought and that he thought the presents would look really nice under the tree.

I was there at least another fifteen minutes because he wanted to tell me what his sisters wanted for Christmas, he wanted to know if there gloves for his mother (there were) and what kind of food was in the boxes. He didn't like green beans...oops! He talked about making chocolate chip cookies later that day and going to church on Christmas Eve. Finally I couldn't stand it....I said "what do YOU want for Christmas?" (Of course, I already knew because his mother had shared his wish list with me earlier.) He said, "a paint set and ear muffs and...oh, that's all." I asked if that was what he wanted the very most and he said what he really wanted was a Matchbox Car Wash and some cars to go with it. But his mom told him to be happy with what he got ~ so he would be happy with a paint set and ear muffs and he would be happy if his mom got some new gloves.

Of course I'm fighting tears at this point. I told him I had to leave and that I hoped that he had a very Merry Christmas. His mom thanked me and his little sisters bounced around waving at me and giggling. He told me thank you and walked me to the door and shut it behind me. As I got into my car I turned and looked up at the window ~ you guessed it ~ he was there watching me! I smiled and waved and he smiled back and...blew me a kiss! I cried all the way home.

The organization we worked with sent me a thank you note from the family. Mom loved her gloves, the little girls loved their dolls and dishes and he played with his car wash and cars all day long. (He got a paint set and ear muffs too!)

This day is one of my most treasured Christmas memories.