Winter Coats

     Santa Claus is a big part of Christmas.  Sadly, my daughter has outgrown  Santa the person, but I know she believes in Santa as the spirit of Christmas.  We did a little bit of Santa shopping today for some children who needed winter coats.  We had one of hers that was still in really good shape and the right size, but that was only enough for one of three children in this family.  So we went and found two more coats.  We thought we were done early, only to discover the coats we initially bought were the wrong size.  So we went to a couple other places.  We found what we needed finally, and we will donate the two other coats.  "They will fit someone," my daughter told me.  She's right they will.  My daughter learned a little something about buying coats.  Every mother wants her children to be warm.  I showed my daughter how some coats were pretty, but probably not very warm.  Once she was on board with the warm factor we quickly found exactly the right things.
     We talked about what we were doing and I told my daughter that when she was very little there were lots of people that helped us out.  I was ill and trying to work, but there were lots of bills and we didn't have much money left over.  Many of my friends helped me out with winter coats, diapers, and clothes for her.  I was so grateful for the blessings of my friends.  My daughter asked me about the family we were helping and I told her about how hard their mom worked to take care of her family.  I also told her that the gift of these jackets would help them out so much, because sometimes even the cost of one coat could put the family budget way out of whack, and she had three little children to buy coats for.  The kids won't know where the coats came from, they will just know that they have something warm to wear when they go outside.
      My daughter, in all of her eleven years, is a very wise soul.  She said that the coats were like a hug; soft and warm and full of love.  I told her that was the thing about coats given in love, they would always be like a hug, for everybody.  "I like being Santa, mom.  It feels good to bless someone who needs help."  She makes me so proud because of the path she is choosing to walk.  She thinks of others and their needs first.  She is kind and generous of heart.  I love that.  We could all learn from the generous heart of an eleven year old girl.  I think that's a good way to head into the holiday season.  Don't you? Cheers.