Tis the season for giving!

The holidays are my favorite time of the year. I love baking, trimming the tree and spending time with family. The thing I like the most is giving to others. I am not someone who waits until the holidays to have a giving spirit. Being generous is something that I enjoy 365 days of the year. But during the holidays it takes on a special meaning because I take the time to truly reflect on my blessings and hope that I can share some of that with others who may not be as fortunate. It is my hope that my actions will have an impact on my son and that he too will adopt a giving spirit.

Earlier this year, I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to Ethiopia to help those less fortunate and I shared photos from my journey with my son. I used it as a teachable moment when he asked for “more” after I had been extremely generous this summer and he seemingly did not understand the concept of gratitude. I shared with him how thankful the young people I encountered in Ethiopia were when my fellow missionaries and I gave the children matchbox cars and I gifted the family with clothes. On my visit the children wore the same clothing daily and had no toys that I could see. I wanted my son to understand that he wants for nothing and yet continues to ask for more when children with nothing were grateful for just one small gift.

This year I took my son shopping for Operation Christmas child. I had him pick out gifts for a boy his age. Of course, the toys and things were items that he wanted but he appreciated the act of giving to a boy who was less fortunate. I think it was difficult for him but he happily (and proudly) dropped off the gift at church. We will be watching the box make its journey to a young boy in a developing country and my son has adopted the idea of gratitude. He has also seen me go into my cupboard to remove food for gifting to others. I told him I was dropping off my donation for people who are hungry and may not be able to purchase food for themselves.

This year I’ve also been able to contribute $50.00 worth of toys to the Walmart Salavation Army Fill the Truck program as a result of my work with the Walmart Moms program. I have additional toys that I’ve acquired over the year as a blogger that I will also contribute. Although I did not take my son to choose the toys, I showed him the ones that I donated. The majority of the toys are for boys because as the mother of a son, boys hold a special place in my heart.

I was touched when one day we walked into Walmart and saw the Salvation Army outside and my son asked for money to donate and I gave it to him. All of the Walmart Super Centers have Fill the Truck boxes where you can donate unwrapped toys. I want to alert you to this opportunity. If you are shopping at Walmart, please consider a gift for the Salvation Fill The Truck. I know times can be difficult for all of us but the thing that I always keep in mind is that there are people who are less fortunate and need a helping hand this holiday season.

It is the season for giving and I am happy to be able to share my blessing with others.