Giving > Receiving

So this year's Christmas officially rocks!  My man and I are going on a cruise in April, so we wanted to keep Christmas low key.  BUT then we decided that we're part of this amazing community in Colorado, and that we wanted to give back.

After all, we're very, very lucky.  Actually, we're blessed.  We wake up each morning in a warm bed, in a warm house, with food in the fridge and (even though I don't always want to admit it aka it's fun to shop) plenty of clothes to wear... that can even potentially be fashionable (sometimes).

And we have each other.

Not everyone is this lucky.  Really.

My man remembers kids making fun of other kids in his elementary school because they did not have enough clothes to wear for the week.  Seriously, how heart breaking is that?  Kids are cruel and times can be hard.  His story put things in perspective for me.

So with that in mind, we decided that we wanted to help out a family who isn't as lucky as we are this year.  To do this, we reached out to our local United Way Holiday Wishes program.

Shopping for our family was SO MUCH FUN!  What made it even better was that the store was FULL of other people shopping for families in the United Way Holiday Wishes program, too.  Yay for being part of an awesome community!

We totally hooked up our kiddos - my man is an amazing shopper, so we managed to stay in budget and get them EVERYTHING on their list!  What's fun about this is that we did get to pick out some fun little girly stuff for our family (the girls are 5 & 6) - Dora coloring books, Candyland, etc.  What made my heart break a little... and made me feel forever grateful... was that we also got them warm bedding, pants, underwear, and a couple of other basic necessities that I know I take for granted.

So this holiday season, let's remember what it's really about.  And let's take a minute and meditate on an important word: gratitude.

Instead of worrying about what we don't have, or what we want, let's just reflect on what we do have.  And how blessed we are.  And maybe be inspired to pay it forward, if you can.
Peace, love, and joy to everyone this holiday season,
J