I was speaking at a church and mentioned that one of the best parts of my job is being able to laugh with God. I told the story of how we needed coats and pajamas for the Santa Room, and I was stressing over how to pay for them. I went to my office to pray and before I finished my prayer, I got a call from the Knights of Columbus about whether or not I could distribute about 50 coats for children. I mused that I couldn’t wait to see how God showed up with the pajamas.
I’ve had several people ask me if the pajamas have shown up yet. I got this very sweet email today and got permission to share it.
Your mention of needing children’s pajamas for a Christmas donation item brought back a “tender memory” of when our son (now an adult) was hospitalized with pneumonia during the week of Thanksgiving when he was two years old and had outgrown his pajamas. Early on Black Friday morning I went to Walmart to buy him some pajamas on my way to the hospital to relieve my husband who had stayed with him overnight.
The check-out lines at the store were extremely long and I was not in a “holiday shopping mood”. The employees at the customer service desk were not busy, so I quickly explained that I was trying to purchase the pajamas before returning to the hospital and asked if I could pay for them at the desk. Those employees were suddenly overflowing with empathy and compassion, and I have had a special sensitivity to children in need of pajamas ever since.
This week’s current Aldi ad has had children’s pajamas featured as one of the “center aisle” items. Remembering my experience with our son needing pajamas many years ago, and your mentioning them as a need for Christmas donations for the Co-op, we decided children’s pajamas would be our donation to the Lilburn Co-op for Christmas. I will plan to drop them off tomorrow.
This couple is brought in several bags of pajamas. I see these moments as God reminding me not to stress. All I need to do is express the need.
I am overwhelmed with the generosity and kindness we have seen with cash donations, items for the Santa Room and the number of food drives people have dropped off. What an amazing community we have. This is the power of good people coming together to do the right thing for those in need.
If God has a few laughs with me in the process, then all the better. He has a wonderful sense of humor.