Please think of those who thought of me...
I am once again starting to hear some of the sweet and gentle sounds that let me know the holidays are approaching. The faint sound of Christmas carols everywhere you go, the excitement in the voices of children, and the crinkling of paper from their Christmas lists that have been re-written a hundred times. Then of course, there is the ringing of the Salvation Army bells. I hear them and my thoughts are instantly greeted with the memory of my mother's soft soothing voice saying.. "Make sure you ALWAYS remember the Salvation Army, they gave you a Christmas one year". They had given my family dinner and a present for my brother and myself. It had been an extremely difficult year for my family, and somehow, very mysteriously, the Salvation Army had come to the rescue. So, every year, with every bell ringer I came upon, I would reach further into my pocket, because I knew I should, and because my mother said to. I have echoed my mother's words to anyone that would listen. My children have also graciously filled their heart with this cause... When we are shopping, it doesn't matter how many we've already contributed to, there is absolutely NO WAY that they will even hear of us passing by even just one!...
Then, one Christmas, the company I worked for decided to put up a Salvation Army Giving Tree... The tree was huge, and completely covered with tags... The impact of seeing just how many needy little ones there really are, was completely overwhelming...
As I stood before this tree, carefully looking over each and every name, pondering the many requests, the memory of my mother's words once again received a gentle nudge... I stayed with this tree for a very long time, trying to picture every precious little face to go with every tag...It was like a magnet had ahold of me, I couldn't pull away...Which ones do I pick, there are so many of them...and...they all need me...
Then, all of a sudden it dawned on me that perhaps, one time long ago, this is how it was...There was a tree like this with someone looking over all the names and requests...For whatever reason, they lovingly reached for the little tags that said Debbie/Age 5/Doll and Walter/Age 3/Truck...I can picture them choosing just the right wrapping paper and bow. I can see them wrapping the gifts with a smile of anticipation...The little doll with a diaper, wrapped in a pink blanket, in a pink crib...and the little red truck... and I can almost feel their contentment in having done something special...
To this day, I remember receiving the doll and how excited I was that someone had actually thought of me...We had food for a wonderful dinner, I had a new doll, my brother had a new truck, we had each other, and it was CHRISTMAS!...
I came out of my memory trance in front of this tree as the tears had welled up to where I could no longer see...How special the giving tree is...How special the new meaning of my mother's gentle heartfelt urgings... I realized it's more than digging deeper to feed the bell ringers...It's more than a tree with tags...It's one heart reaching out to another...One smile being passed on to one another...
My brother passed away at a young age...I thank the person who lovingly chose us that Christmas...I know you could never have known how much your good deeds really meant, not only to me then, but now as well...It is a lovely tradition that I will passionately pursue for the rest of my life...and encourage others to do the same....
It is my wish that every time you begin to hear the gentle sounds of Christmas, they will stir the memory of my heartfelt plea... "EVERY TIME YOU SEE THE LOVLINESS OF THE GIVING TREE, PLEASE THINK OF THOSE WHO THOUGHT OF ME..."
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