Give and it will be given unto you~ Winners

 

First ~ You are all winners! For it is better to give then to receive!

I have enjoyed hearing all of the ways that everyone has chosen  to give. What a wonderful bunch of  friends I have here in blogging land.

 

Through the years our family has had several opportunities to show love through giving. What better time of year to give back what you have been blessed with all year?! I will share a few with you, not to let the left hand know what the right has done, just to show some ways that  you can share love.

 

For so many years there was and elderly single women in the church we were attending. She was in her early 90’s and had no family. The church had mentioned that they had given her a basket of food at the holidays. Well, we asked her to share Christmas dinner with us. She looked at us and said “really?”. We said, we would like you to share dinner with us, although it will be a little hectic. You see there will be all of our 4 children, my dad, my sister and her 3 children. So that became the tradition of each holiday. After opening gifts and getting things in order, my husband and my brother in law would go pick her up. She was 90 years old a tiny little fragile thing(prob about 80 pounds), and two big men would go pick her up with her walker on the ice and help her get to our home. We would always have a few little gifts for her, some gloves, a calendar, things like that. She would always say ”You people are too much!!” After that first Christmas together, Marsha shared all holidays with us, Christmas, Thanksgiving,Easter, etc.    So our children grew up learning to give of themselves for others. They didn’t go without, in fact they were blessed because of it.

 

 

A while ago I was asking my children, tell me a memory of Christmas that you liked when you were young and growing up. Here is the response. Christmas to me is giving, like the time we got those gifts for Darrell. Darrell was a young guy that worked with my husband. He had a child with a girl but they weren't together and he wouldn’t be able to see his child on Christmas Eve. Darrell didn't have a very good home life growing up. He was tossed around foster homes and ended up going to a Christian school for a while, after being kicked out of public school. Well our daughter had remembered him from school, he was a year older than her in that Christian school. Well Christmas was getting close and so hubby invited him to our home for Christmas Eve Dinner. He said, but you have to go to church with us first. So we mentioned this to the kids, all teens or early twenties by then, working and going to school, and asked them if they would give up one of  their gifts so we could buy Darrell a few gifts for Christmas Eve. He had mentioned he bought his child some things, but he didn’t have anyone to get him anything. Well our children jumped up and said we want to go buy him something. So they all took their own money and went out an bought him gifts. Christmas Eve came and we weren’t sure he would even show up. We were busy getting dressed in our Sunday best for  Christmas Eve service and Darrell came to the door. My daughter opened the door and there was Darrell all dressed up ready for church. When we returned home, we had dinner and proceeded to the family room to open a gift. The room was filled with a beautifully decorated 12 foot tree, fire going in the large woodstove, all festively decorated to celebrate Christmas. The children all got their gifts for Darrell and piled them in front of him. He was so overwhelmed, and just couldn’t believe it. Why would you do this for me, I am just a trouble maker, he asked. The kids told him that we give gifts, because God gave the ultimate gift for us. The best gift that my children received that year was the joy of giving to others.

 

 

There are so many simple things you can do to show love. You can buy a bag of gifts and leave them by the door secretly for someone that has children  and needs help, or leave a Christmas tree by their door. Send an anonymous Christmas card with money in it. If there is someone in your church that is in need, you can drop money secretly  in their car, in the church parking lot.  All things we have done through the years.

 

Our Children have learned and picked up on the giving spirit. Our daughters are involved with MOPS(mother’s of preschoolers~ would recommend highly for all young mothers), and are involved in providing meals for each other, Samaritans Purse, Angel Tree(providing Christmas gifts for incarcerated men’s  children). When our daughter was making a wedding guest list, she was adding family, friends, the boss, the shop owner, etc . Well there were elderly people in our church and she asked ~did she need to invite them all. I gently quoted her a verse  ~But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 13:13-14

 

This year we don’t have much financially to give, but we are truly blessed! Hubby is feeling better, he is unemployed but we have been busy with the business and have not missed a meal. A big Thank you to everyone this past year for you care, concern, prayers and support!

 

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And now what you have all been waiting for~ The winners!!

 

All of the numbers were put in a nice Santa mug~ how simple!

there will be 3 gifts…..

Not telling what you will be sent~ it’s a surprise

And the winners…..

in no particular order~

Lucy- The Farmer's Attic

Deanna~Laurel Leaf Cottage

Amy~BumbleBeeLane

Please send me your addresses and I will get these right out to you!

Thank you to all who entered, I wish I could send you all something. Blessings~Sara