Christmas - Helping others

Each year, my husband and I adopt a child from a local Angel Tree.  In the past, we have adopted a child from the Durham Council For Children With Special Needs from the tree at Nordstrom.  This year, the process at Nordstrom was different.  When we arrived at the mall on Black Friday, we were a little disappointed but decided that we were going to adopt a child from an organization.  I called the DCCSN, but didn't receive a call back from a staff member. 

The next weekend, we went to Crabtree Valley Mall and saw the Angel Tree sponsored by the Salvation Army.  We adopted a 5-year old little girl (Vianey) and her 2-year old brother (Ricardo).  We were able to purchase a lot of clothing at JC Penney.  We generally try to buy 6 or 7 pieces of clothing that can make several outfits.  We also purchased some toys and coloring books/crayons from Kohl's and Target.  My parents helped us out with our angels this year and we all felt really great about the items we purchased for the children.  We dropped off our gifts on December 11 at the Angel Tree in the mall.  We were glad that we were able to help the children, but it drifted to the back of our mind amid all the hustle and bustle of the season. 

Well, last week, the reality of those that are less fortunate hit my like a ton of bricks.  The Salvation Army was using an old car dealership on Wake Forest Road as their distribution center and toy shop for this Christmas.  I pass by this car dealership every day and never seem to notice it.  Last Monday, I looked over and saw tons of people in line.  It made me sad, but warmed my heart at the same time.  The children of the adults in the line will be receiving Christmas gifts because of people that chose to adopt from the Angel Tree. 

While we were a little disappointed early on that we would not be able to adopt from the Durham Council for Children with Special Needs, I am glad that we found the Salvation Army's Angel Tree.  I hope that Vianey and Ricardo enjoyed their clothing and toys from the Reynolds and Brown families!