‘Tis the Season

I love being a Weaver!  I love that when we go places, people say “Oh! It’s the Weavers!” or “Hey Weavers!”  It feels good to belong to something so good.  This family is pretty amazing.  I am so incredibly blessed to have found a man 7 years ago that loved not only me, but our Lord, and my crazy red-headed three year old twin girls – UNCONDITIONALLY!  He never once hesitated in including them in our times together, and he has been the best Daddy to them they could ever want.  Then, adding our two boys to the mix just made us feel complete.  Completely CRAZY at times, but full.  Content.  Blessed beyond measure.  And this Christmas, the blessings have flowed from more places than we ever dreamed possible.

This has been QUITE a year.  Last year at this time we had just moved our sweet little 4.5 pound miracle to his own room in the big boy side of the NICU, and we were hoping and praying for a Christmas at home.  Every day since then has been a gift.  Sometimes, the gift wasn’t what we expected, or thought we needed at the time, but a gift nonetheless.  And that sentiment has followed us to this Christmas season where we celebrate the birth of our Savior.  We have been overwhelmed and downright surprised by the things others have done for us.  The latest Godsend came in a Christmas greeting card earlier this week:

We were again shocked and awed to tears by the overpowering love being poured out and shown to our family.  We don’t deserve it, but we truly appreciate it!  So, as Britt and I were talking about it, he said to me “You know, we didn’t have this yesterday, and we don’t need it today.  Let’s bless others with it.  And include the kids.”  So, we did.  Last night after dinner, we went to Wal-Mart to find people who could use a little Christmas right now. 

There are 2 kinds of people in this world.  Givers and Takers.  Now, this isn’t to say that there isn’t a little of each in every single one of us, but for the most part you can be categorized one way or the other.  Here’s how that plays out with the Dream Weavers: Britt – giver; Betsey – taker; Emma – GIVER; Lara – Taker; Jake – giver (most of the time – his whims change like the Oklahoma winds, but he is only 5 after all!).  So, while I was completely on board for this adventure, a tiny piece of me wanted to keep it for ourselves.  So glad the “giver” in me won out!  We were blessed in return when we got to spread a little Christmas cheer and wish complete strangers a Merry Christmas.  I interviewed everyone after we got home, and here is how our giving spree went:

BETSEY

How did you pick the person you were giving your card to?

I saw a woman with lots of baby stuff in her cart including diapers and formula.  I know how expensive that stuff can be! I wanted to be helpful to her and her family.

What was the response?

She looked bewildered and asked what it was for.  I told her it was for a Merry Christmas!  She said Thank you and moved on to get milk.

How did it make you feel?

Mission Accomplished!  I am not one to approach strangers, so I was glad it was over, and I was glad I got to be a blessing to someone else.

*A few moments later, I came around a corner, and saw her handing the card off to another patron.  That REALLY made me smile!

JAKE

How did you pick the person you were giving your card to?

‘Cause she looked like she needed some money to buy all the stuff in her cart (lots of paper plates, foil pans, cups, etc.)

What was the response?

She looked at it and said thank you

How did it make you feel?

Made me happy to give it to her and say Merry Christmas!

EMMA

How did you pick the person you were giving your card to?

This lady had 2 kids in her cart – one baby and a toddler.  She might need money for diapers and she looked like a nice person.  I had to chase her down to get to her!

What was the response?

She looked surprised and asked what it was for.  I told her it was to wish her a Merry Christmas and she hugged me.

How did it make you feel?

It made me feel better knowing I was doing something good for someone else

LARA

How did you pick the person you were giving your card to?

This lady looked like she was last minute Christmas shopping and she might need some money.

What was the response?

She looked it over a few times, and then asked what it was for.  I told her it was for whatever she wanted.  She told me she didn’t need it and to give it to someone else who needs it more.  So I started looking for another person…

LARA’S 2^ND TRY

How did you pick the person you were giving your card to?

I saw a lady pushing a cart with a baby in it and her mom was with her too and I thought she might need it.

What was the response?

The mom didn’t say anything but the grandma said “Bless her with 100 more!” to me and gave me a hug!

How did it make you feel?

I felt grateful because I was able to do that for someone else.

BRITT

How did you pick the person you were giving your card to?

I had seen this woman in the store earlier, and when I saw her a second time I started to follow her.  She had a little toddler boy and an infant in a car seat and I thought she could use a blessing.

What was the response?

She was very accepting of the gift.  She was appreciative, and VERY surprised!

How did it make you feel?

It made me cry!  Just like when others do it for me.

*I saw this woman a few seconds later, and she was just staring at the card and she was just so happy and surprised.  I also saw her again after she had checked out, and she thanked us again and wished us a Merry Christmas!

Best moment of the night?  As we were checking out with our ingredients for the piecakin Britt was making for his work Christmas lunch, Lara (the taker), said to us, “I really hope we do this again next year!”

Merry Christmas!