Miraculous

About 10 years or so ago there was a flash-flood where we lived. We had two old-as-dirt cars that barely ran and were uninsured. Both cars were totaled in the flood.

It was late November and we had no holiday gifts for our small children. We were all safe though, and although we felt like rotten parents for a moment, the kids were totally okay with celebrating the holidays without gifts. I love kids.

A few days before Christmas I had just settled down with my 2 youngers for an afternoon nap when the doorbell rang. Frustrated at the interruption, I disentangled myself from the comfort of our daily human dogpile and opened the door.

There on my stoop were 2 huge black lawn bags. I looked down the walk in time to see a young lady making the mad dash to an old wood-paneled station wagon, jump in the passenger door and speed away.

I cautiously opened the top of one bag with a single finger, while ducking away from it as much as I could. The bag fell open to reveal beautiful, wrapped gifts with my childrens names on them, and loaves of poundcakes. The other bag was more of the same.

The frustration of the moment before fled and was replaced by deep humility and copious tears.

My kids were having Christmas, and I didn't even know who to thank.

I asked all my neighbors. They didn't know anything about it. I asked my daughter's charter/homeschool teacher, and she claimed ignorance. No one would take any credit.

It was the best Christmas ever.

I almost wonder if God was making sure I knew I was being taken care of even when it seemed like I wasn't....

When I was 5, my mom lost her job. She sat me down to tell me there was no Santa, and that I would not be getting any presents that year.

So what did I do? When my kindergarten teacher started talking about Santa to the class, I was so shocked that she was so old and didn't know that Santa was pretend, I raised my hand and told her.

There was no malice at all, and in fact I was quite shocked when she called me a liar and allowed all the other children to shout at me. She even made me stay after school for my transgression.

My mom came and explained the situation, and that year my principal's synogogue adopted my family and gave us the best Christmas ever, providing us with more presents than I had ever even dreamed of seeing.