A Humbling Reminder of Angels Among Us

I debated about posting this and finally decided yes, I should.



On Wednesday, the 16th, Jeff came home from picking Shelby up at school and placed a large black trash bad on the table. I came in and asked what it was. He replied, "Shelby's Christmas presents." I gave him a look and asked, "What?"

Shelby had been, unbeknownst to us, put on the school's angel tree. We believe this is because she shows on the medicaid and disability rolls but we had never even imagined that this alone would qualify her. We typically take an angel off a tree each year and Jeff had every intention of taking one off the tree at Shelby's school and had forgotton. We feel immense gratitude with what we are given and as such believe we should share with those less fortunate. And we feel so rich in love and health (recent events aside) and general good fortune in life, that we never had thought of ourselves as being candidates for an angel tree. We certainly had a reasonable budget for gifts this Christmas and felt our kids would have plenty.

But we were truly humbled by the angel or angels who gave Shelby her gifts. It reminded us that God looks out for those who need it the most. That there are rewards for living a good and righteous life. The generosity of the angels has allowed us to give our kids a Christmas beyond what we could have before.

I was mildly embarrassed at first, but as a good Christian friend pointed out, that embarrassment is pride. So I decided instead of being embarrassed, we would accept the gifts in the spirit they were intended, to bring our daughter a merrier Christmas and to practice gratitude.

Merry Christmas to everyone and their families. May angels touch your heart this year as they have done ours.