A Hope Center morning

Snow. Beautiful snow Monday morning, still and silent, and even with the inconveniences of no school, it was a morning reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell Christmas card.

Gifts for the Hope Center and Harrison Elementary

And cold. Bitterly cold.

I confess, it was not with a fully joyful heart that I left sleeping children in bed yesterday morning to deliver the Christ Church Angel Tree gifts to the Hope Center for men -- our homeless shelter. But two friends and I had agreed that this was the day and 9:30 a.m. was the time – the only time that fit our busy schedules for the day and week. I left several early morning messages with Heather, our Hope Center contact, trying to determine if with all the snow it was still a good morning for our delivery for them. Hearing nothing, Priscilla and I decided to head out anyway. As I pulled out of the garage, my phone rang and it was Heather. This morning was fine, she said. She had a long-standing meeting so she wouldn’t be available when we got there but she had left word at the desk that we would be arriving at 10 a.m. Then she apologized for being a bit frazzled and said, “Remind me again what your church is bringing.”

“Cold weather things – gloves, hats, sweatshirts, long underwear for 75 of the men plus we have several new coats as well.”

“Oh yes,” Heather said, “the items for our Christmas party at the end of the week. Thank you SO much!” And then there was a silence for a moment. “Do you think your church members would mind if we didn’t wait to give them out? If we used them today? I have men standing here at the desk waiting for anything warm that might come in. It’s so cold and normally it’s not this cold until January. With this weather…”

I really didn’t think anybody who brought those gifts would mind.

“Your gifts couldn’t have come at a better time. We’ve been desperate for long underwear. Your church is such a blessing to us.”

I’m home now and warm. MR and Will had been sledding while I was gone and I was a little bit sorry that I hadn’t taken them with me to help deliver the packages, but frankly, there wasn’t room in my car, or Lissa’s or Priscilla’s with all the packages our church had been so incredibly generous in providing. I am thinking about how grateful I am to have been part of our Angel Tree and what a small but meaningful difference we made. Today you helped keep someone warm. Today, when it was so desperately needed, we got to be God’s hands. I heard one man say as they scrambled to help unload my car, “oh my, she’s even got stuff on her front seat!”

Of all the gifts that will be given this Christmas will there be any better?

Sunday 25 gift cards were delivered to Moveable Feast, today at noon, we’ll deliver gifts to the children and families of Harrison Elementary. And, we will share with them much-needed gifts that you provided. If you’d like to help deliver to Harrison, please let me know. In the meantime, thank you my friends for being Angels.