Blessed Beyond Belief

I know we are blessed beyond belief. But, it's this time of year, that it really brings it home for me. Every year, at Christmas, I let the boys choose a few toys for kids in need. Some years we have supported the local Sheriff's toy drive. Some years we have filled the shoeboxes for kids in other countries. Every year since P was in kindergarten we have supported at least one kid from his school. This year we supported two kids from our school and one from church through a prison ministry. Usually, it gives me great joy to buy for kids less than fortunate than ours. But this year I let the stress of the holidays take away from that joy. I was being selfish and it didn't hit me until today, when P and I were at our local Christmas parade. I was watching as candy was being thrown out from the floats. Kids and adults were standing on the edge of the road, turning their nose up at the Tootsie Rolls or Dum Dums. When we left the parade route, I looked at all the candy littering the road. I even asked P a couple times if he wanted to pick up some of the abandoned candy. And he responded the same as everyone else, "No, I don't like that kind." People around us probably didn't think twice about his response or the candy on the ground. But I haven't been able to get it out of my head all afternoon. For close to 2 years, we have sponsored a kid through Feed the Hungry. He and P exchange letters back and forth several times a year. I remember one letter in particular where he shared his excitement about his dad finally building an outhouse for the family to use. P couldn't believe that he hadn't had a "bathroom" until then. I thought about Dara today, about how he may have reacted to the parade, to all the candy being thrown to people. He most likely would've been beside himself with excitement. I also thought about some of the students at our school that come to school in dirty clothes or with hungry bellies on a regular basis. They eat the cafeteria lunch even on Korean Beef day (yuck!!) because they know they might not eat again until the next morning. I wondered if they'd turn their nose up at the discarded Tootsie Rolls.
I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer. I really don't. It just bothers me and I wish there was more I could do to help. We donate when we can (I even give a few dollars to the Salvation Army buckets and I don't even like how they use their donations.), but it never seems to be enough. I guess I'm writing this to whoever is reading the blog to ask that you do your part in helping those in need this year. It may be kids or elderly people or animal shelters or whatever tugs at your heart strings. I just ask that you give your time or your money to help brighten someone's day. Sharing some Christmas cheer can go a long way in someone's life!