Christmas In March For The Garrett Household

Okay, I know it is now April but we had an amazing series of events that took place starting on Thursday, March 26th. I was about to leave when the doorbell rang. It was one of our neighbors. They have been so kind and generous to us since we moved in with bringing baskets of goodies for us after moving in and then bringing gifts and dinner after Landon was born. On this particular day, she said that three of our neighbors got together and wanted to do a little something for us. One of these neighbors, I don’t really even know and they are in the situation of helping out their own son because he has lost his job and his wife who are living with them and pregnant with their first child. After she left, I just stood their in amazement that our neighbors would be so kind. After letting it all sink in, I opened the envelope and it wasn’t just a "little something," as she said... inside the card was a $150 Publix gift card!! I was blown away to say the least. I had one of those moments where I couldn’t even think or act because I was so floored with the generosity of people who really don’t even know us that well. We’ve exchanged pleasantries and we’ve taken cookies and other baked goodies over along with crafts the boys have made for them, but we don’t hang out together (only because of everyone's busy lives) and here they were giving so generously to people that are little more than acquaintances. Once again, the timing of this act of kindness came at the perfect time because we had just had to use the last of the Kroger gift card that we received a while back as I wrote about in another post.

While I had been more than frustrated that we were supposed to receive our food stamp card back in February and now we are in April and we just received it yesterday, I am once again seeing that while the government is set up to assist families in our situation, God is the one that always arrives right on time and with exactly what we need! Too many times I have tried to put my hope and trust in what we can see and tangibly hold on to and what I am seeing through being a slow learner :) is that what I can’t see and hold onto with my bare hands, that being God, our amazing provider and strength, is the safest and surest thing!!

Before leaving, I went over to her house and thanked her again and told her how this couldn't be more timely as we had just finished up the gift card we received from an anonymous source and we talked some about our situation. I was able to share some of the amazing stories of true divine intervention. I told her how their gift impacted the boys even at their ages. When I had explained to the boys what had just happened when I opened the gift card, they got so excited and said, "now we can get some yogurt!" They had just been asking that very day if we could get some at the store and I explained to them that we would have to wait until we got a card in the mail that would allow us to buy that at the store (meaning our food stamp card...I'm not prophetic in knowing we were going to be getting this gift card :). She knew that I was taking the boys to go meet up with my parents for dinner at Chick-fil-A (an important detail for what would follow days later) and the boys were so excited to go there because this was a special treat as we have not been able to take them there for quite some time.

After leaving, I called Vince who was spending a couple of days at my parents' cabin so he could have a change of scenery to job search, study, and spend some alone time with God in solitude! This was a great retreat for him and I was getting equally refreshed at home just celebrating all God was doing in the midst of this storm in our lives. It goes without saying that he too was simply amazed at God's provision and the goodness in the hearts of people around us.

Three days later on Sunday (a week ago today), the door bell rings, Vince answers the door the neighbor standing there says to Vince, "We went grocery shopping for you guys today." Three of our neighbors (two of them who had just given us the Publix gift card three days before) then open the back of an SUV full of groceries they had just purchased and begin bringing in bags by the bunches of all kinds of groceries and other basic items and goodies! These were the three neighbors that gave us the Publix gift card who wanted to all pitch in to get these groceries as well as a fourth neighbor who wanted to help us too.

At any rate, Vince comes around the corner with a couple of them behind him already bringing bags in to tell the boys and I what they have done... Now, for those of you that know me well, I don't know that there has ever been a time where I've been truly left speechless, but this was one of those times! I was still in amazement of what they had just done for us on Thursday and now here they were bringing in all kinds of groceries and everything we could need - food, diapers, wipes, toilet paper, paper towels... You name it and they thought of it. And speaking of speechless, Vince may not have been without words altogether, because he kept saying over and over again as they kept making trips back to their car to bring more in, "My goodness, I don't know what to say," to which our oldest son, Grant, told him, "You just need to say 'Thank You' Daddy" as if he were confused why we couldn't find exactly the right words to express our gratitude. Kids always have a way of keeping things simple, don't they? :)

The one neighbor that I had spoken with on Thursday even made sure she got several containers of yogurt for the boys. When I had talked to her and shared how excited the boys were too that we were going to the store to get yogurt she wanted to treat them to this amongst other things like ice cream and other goodies for them. My heart was just overwhelmed as I stood there and witnessed this outpouring of love. Just when I thought our hearts could not be blessed anymore, they hand me a Chick-fil-A gift card (she knew the boys loved this place), a Kroger gift card from the fourth neighbor, and another card where one of our neighbor's in-laws were in town for the weekend and they also wanted to do something for us. We had met these people once at a Christmas party over a year ago. When I say met them, I mean we were introduced and that was about the extent of it. Do you know they gave us a $200 Walmart gift card? I'm telling you that my mind still can not fathom or get my mind around all of this goodness, kindness, and generosity that has been bestowed on us.

We have spent this past week making thank you cards and baking cookies to deliver to our neighbors with our thank you cards. I don't expect our boys to remember all these details but I hope the goodness and kindness of so many people will be something that sticks with them which is why I've taken pictures of all these people when we took them their notes and cookies. I know all of this is making an impression on them as they just naturally thank these people without being prompted because they are really excited with what these people have done for us and they understand what this means even on their level. They are truly happy that these people have done something that allows them to have some special treats that used to be a common thing for them like always having yogurt when they wanted that for breakfast or being able to go to Chick-fil-A for a fun outing. Not only that, Grant has pulled up his blinds a couple of times since this has happened and pointed to the houses of these people and talked about what they did for us so I know this is having a bigger impact than even we grown-ups can imagine. Having a practical lesson like this where they learn to truly appreciate the things they have is priceless and they get to experience it firsthand. I don't want them to ever forget the faces of these people who God used to bless us in ways that I will never have the words to adequately describe what this did for us.

Here are some pictures from these amazing events...

Just click on the Play icon and it will take you back when we received the first gift card to us delivering cookies and thank you notes to the last neighbor who was part of showering us with big blessings...