Day 28 Question 28: What do you remember most about your first Christmas as a mom or dad?

Answer: Looking back now that we have 4 kids and our oldest is 17, I had to really pause and think on this question.  At that time I chose to be a full time stay at home mom and our finances were cut in half. When Christmas came around all I cared about was that I had a family of my own. We put up a tree and decorated our home as usual. My husband kept apologizing because he felt bad since he couldn’t buy us  any presents. I really didn’t care, I had a 4 month old baby girl in my arms and that’s all that mattered.

God sends people to bless us and when He does, we can’t act foolish or proud and not receive their blessing. Did you know that when someone is trying to bless you and you refuse them;  you are robbing that person of their blessing? I learned about that in those days. Sometimes you have to humble yourself and receive.

That same year we had some friends who were struggling financially too. They had a baby girl who was a few months older than mine and 2 older boys. When Martin called my husband a couple of days before Christmas and told him they had no food we  moved to help. I looked in my pantry and fridge and thanked God that they were full.

My husband had a collection of vinyl records back then. It was his dream to open a store and he had amassed enough to do so. Whenever we were short on cash, he would sell his records to tie us over until his next pay check. He took some records and sold them. When he returned he was so happy because he was able to give some of his earning to our friends in need. When we showed up at their home with a check in hand, our friends were so happy. That made OUR Christmas.

On Christmas Day we went to church. Our friends Jan & Alan were asking us about our Christmas.  We both joked that we were so broke, we had passed on giving ourselves any presents this year. Then My husband shared about how we had helped our other friends the day before. After church we were driving away and Jan & Alan were right behind us. They motioned us to pull over and we did. Jan told me to open my hand and when I did, she pressed a fresh new $100 bill into my gloved hand and wished us both a Merry Christmas. Before I could even say thanks, they had sped away. I cried that morning and I think I saw a couple of tears on my husband’s face too. Ok, I just had to stop and wipe my eyes just now too :,)

When you are good to others, God never overlooks it. When you give out of the little  that you have, it makes God smile. God’s goodness never gets old. I would love to hear some of your stories, so please feel free to comment and share. I hope you are enjoying this season!