My Christmas Story

I only read about these stories online or hear about them on the news... people doing amazing things to help other people. Someone being very kind to someone in need. This is a true story that happened to us last week... us... out of anyone in the world, someone picked us!

Wednesday night I was in the kitchen baking for my work Potluck the next day. The door bells rings and V and I look at each other and say "Are you expecting anyone?". We both shake our heads no. I flip the front porch light on and open the door. This lady was standing there and said "Merry Christmas". I said Thank you. I didn't recognize her, I thought she might live in my neighborhood somewhere but I couldn't be sure. She was a well dressed Mexican lady holding a blue Christmas tin. She said "This is for you" and started to show me the box. I opened the screen door and started to grab it from her and she said "this is from someone who would like to remain anonymous". Because it was a tin, I thought it might be some baked goods and kind of gave her a weird look. She said God Bless you and Merry Christmas, handed me the tin and headed back to the car that was waiting for her on the curb. I couldn't place the lady, in fact I don't think I've ever seen her before. She wasn't one of my neighbors. So I took the tin and put it on the counter. In my mind I was saying... I don't know who that was, I'm not eating anything in that box... that was really random.

Victor came over and asked who that was, so I told him I had no idea but they gave us this tin. I told him he had to open it... haha. If it was anthrax I didn't want to be the one to open it! So he took the red ribbon off the tin and opened it. The bottom of the tin was filled with Ghirardelli squares, in the packages, all sealed up. On top of the chocolates was a white envelope with a Christmas card in it. The Christmas card had a cute saying inside it about Christmas and I hope this can help your Christmas to be a bit brighter... inside the card was a ton of cash... Chocolates and cash... as Victor took out the cash to count it I burst into tears! Who the heck would go to all that trouble to do that for us? Who has that kind of extra cash to give to anyone? And why us? Yes, Victor has been out of a job for a few months now but we are doing ok. Sure, money is tight for us, just like for everyone I'm sure. Someone decided that this Christmas we needed to be blessed. I stood in the kitchen and cried. The kind gesture of someone, the fact that someone loves me, us, that much to do that for us. It was the most amazing thing in the world. Victor and I stood there and looked at each other for a good hour, in amazement of what just happened. Victor asked me 20 questions about the lady who left the box.... clearly I didn't know who she was and it wasn't from her. Was it a random act of kindness? We live in a nice neighborhood, if someone was going to give that to a random house, I'm sure it wouldn't have been in our neighborhood.... Victor and I ran through a list of people who would or even could do that for us. People's name came up and then in the same breath were dismissed. It could be ____, it could be ____... Clearly someone went to a LOT of trouble to do it anonymously so they couldn't be thanked or I couldn't return the money to them. Because God knows I would never take money from someone if I didn't really, really need it. And at this moment we don't really, really need it. Not saying that in a few months we won't. But HOLY MOLY! I still cry when I tell the story! I've told everyone I know! I can't believe that someone would do that for us! Or that someone would do that for anyone!

There are kind people in this world, kind selfless people. While I have had MANY sleepless nights thinking who and why.... I am just grateful! I have looked at the tin and card inside and out trying to find a clue... nothing. I am grateful to this person for their thoughtfulness, grateful to this person for their love. Grateful to this friend/familymember/co-worker/randomperson for thinking of our family this Christmas. Victor and I feel very blessed and have decided that we will do whatever we can to Pay it Forward. If you are out there reading my blog, please know that I can not put into words how grateful we are. Not only are we completely amazed that someone would do that, but you have made us feel very loved and blessed and would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts!