King for a Day

On Monday I felt like I was King for a day.  It wasn’t because I sat at jury duty all morning, it was because of the shoes I got to deliver to some very appreciative inner city children.  It all started about a month ago, when a friend emailed me and told me his company wanted to do something for the kids at one of our schools.  I quickly emailed the counselor and asked her if it would be okay to bring around 30 pair of shoes to their kids.  She obviously said “yes!”

Eventually we received the list of 34 names, shoes sizes, teachers names, and grade.  Then my friends company went to work.  They had no problem providing us with all 34 pairs of shoes, which included all kinds of fun things stuck in wrapped boxes, like socks, gloves, and candy.  In addition to all the shoes, they also raised about $200 for our non-profit Retread.

The real fun started when all 34 pair were dropped of at our house on Saturday.  It definitely looked like Santa had arrived!  Monday after jury duty I loaded up the car and headed to the school.  When I arrived I went in search for Ms. Barbara’s cart that normally sits in her office.  We both arrived at her office at the same time.  When she told me we could probably deliver the gifts to the class room I was really excited.  I normally don’t get to see the kids, because they are in class and we don’t like to interrupt their studies.  But, this day was different.  It’s almost Christmas and counselors and teachers are often more likely to bend the rules when it’s Christmas.

I loaded up the cart and headed to the class room with all the gifts.  When I pushed the cart through the door the whole room erupted into cheers, clapping, and many thank yous!  Then there were about 12 children who spontaneously jumped from their seats and ran to give me big hugs around my waist, each saying thank you as they squeezed.  Smiles were overflowing from the faces of all the children, teachers, Ms. Barbara, and of course from me.

I certainly felt like a VIP and the kids just made my day.  I wish I could have stayed and watched them open their gifts, but they were not allowed to open them until after class.  Otherwise the teacher wouldn’t get any work out of them for the rest of the day.  My guess is she had a difficult time any way!

There’s so much joy in giving.  I wish all the world could experience my day on Monday.  I wish everyone could see the smiles, the excitement, and the wonder on the children’s faces.  I heard some of the boys say “these are new shoes” and they were still just as excited!  Children excited about shoes!  You need to stop and ponder that thought and image for a few minutes.

The House Comes Alive

This morning I got to hear the house come alive.  It all started when I woke up covered with sweat.  Apparently mom thought it was cold in the house, so she jacked the heat up so high it felt like a sauna in our bedroom.  So, I got up and turned the ceiling fan on.  That helped!

 

It was only 6:30 am, but I knew I wasn’t going back to sleep.  I feel asleep on the couch last night around 8:30 pm, so I already had 10 hours of sleep.  That was plenty and much more than I’m used to getting.  My body needed this and I’m feeling good this morning.

 

I decided to get up, get dressed, and take the dog outside so my wife could enjoy a few extra minutes in the warm bed she so dearly loves.  Since I was sweating so bad I looked forward to the cold, brisk, morning that awaited me.  The wind blowing in my face was sharp and cold, and the air was damp so it cut like a knife, but it was refreshing and I breathed the air in deeply.  There’s something about the cold, fresh, country air that is invigorating, even medicinal to a weary body.

 

Coming back in we played with the dog for a while and worked out some of her harnessed energy, then I wandered into the kitchen where I found a plug for my laptop and a hot cup of coffee.

 

As I sat chatting with my mom, just the two of us having a grown up conversation, you could hear movement within the house starting to begin.  My son sleeping on the couch was beginning to stretch, and I could hear my niece and nephew in the back bedroom starting to squeal.  Sometimes it’s really fun to get up before everyone else, so you can hear the day starting to begin.

 

Now the house is fully alive.  My brother is up and has the TV turned on.  My mom has left for work and everyone is up.  Spoons are clanging as the sugar and cream is stirred into the coffee and the kids are running about playing with the crazy dog.  Papa is holding Mia, my niece, and she’s happy and excited this morning.  Such a cutie!

 

I’m filled with excitement as I enjoy the sounds of my family.  Of life and love and peace.  I’m filled with anticipation of a great Thanksgiving week and I’m thankful that I’m here, fully alive, and appreciative of all that I have.