The joy of giving

This time of the season everyone is always busy. We are all rushing around to get everything done and there just never seems to be enough time to do it all in. It happens every single year for me. The holidays are over before I even know it. For the past couple of years I have been wanting to take Logan to go get a toy for a boy and girl that are in need. But time always slips right past me. This year was different though.

As my husband and I were driving to the store to do our weekly grocery shopping I was talking to him about I wanted to take Logan this year to go buy a couple of toys and teach him about the joy of giving. And how much it means to these people that others are thinking of them. We talked about taking them into our local television station that does it every year. Well it just so happened that there was a local radio station setting up outside of the store for a toy and food drive. So I seized the moment right there and decided to donate that day. We did our normal grocery shopping while adding a few extra things, trying to think of what people have at a Christmas dinner and what they might be in need of. Our next stop was the toy department. I decided that we should get a toy for a boy and a girl. This was going well so far, well that was until we put the truck in the cart. Logan thought it was for him and he wanted it. We explained to him that it was going to be for a little boy that wasn't going to get much this Christmas and that us giving it to him would make him very happy. Well my three old was not going to have any part of this at all. No matter how we told him he just didn't want to listen.

We went outside to where they were set up and asked Logan if he wanted to give the toys to the ladies that were there. He said no and just stood there. They were all thanking him and telling him how much they appreciated it and that he was a really nice boy for what he was doing. All this went in one ear and out the other. So we left with a very unhappy boy. Our drive home we continued to tell Logan why we gave the toys away and why he didn't get to keep them. Later that day I was talking with him and asked him if he was happy that we gave the toys away for the other kids and he turns and says to me "they see Santa now?" Have you ever seen the joy in a child's face, seen the shine in their eyes when you say that Santa is going to come. How excited they get when you just mention his name. Hearing Logan say that told me that he knows the children will be just as excited as he is when Christmas morning comes. In his own way he told me that he was happy that we did what we did. And I was finally able to know that he learned about the joy of giving to others

When next year comes and the same opportunity arises we will be doing the same thing. My only hope is that the next time he will be only too willing to donate with a smile on his face and joy in his heart knowing that he is making other children happy.