The Kindness of Strangers

They keep coming, even after the holidays -- those anonymously addressed envelopes with cards expressing prayerful thoughts, and inside are usually gifts from the heart. Then there are those that are addressed, but I do not recognize the person who's addressed them. I like the mystery, but I cheat and look at the red post office stamp. At first, I thought they all came from the same person, but unless this person is an avid traveler, these gifts must be from different people, because they are coming from Augusta, California, Cincinnati, even someone who's been in my house (sneaky, sneaky).

And it's not just the cards we get in the mail. Every Thursday, even though we've protested, we receive a bag with three full meals inside (Thank you Deb and Chuck). My school collected money for us and delivered it to us just before the holidays. My mother is always willing to play with Gabriel for us, so we can relax a little bit. The list goes on, and we cannot begin to show our gratitude. People have poured their generosity over our family, and it has been very humbling. We can only pray that we can be a channel for this kindness to others.

So tonight I just wanted to stop and say a simple Thank you to those people we know and don't know who have been so generous to us. Your gifts have been very much appreciated and well-received. Just tonight, Dave and I were able to have a night out (with Lily and Gabriel, of course) when otherwise we would not have been able to. Or, we've been able to just eat without worrying about cooking or doing dishes. Or, we've bought gas or groceries, which freed up a portion of that line item in our budget. Or, we've bought something for Lily that wasn't budgeted otherwise (thank you, Catie). You have all been a God-send. We certainly do not deserve your generosity, but know that we appreciate it with all our heart.