‘I burnt our Christmas’

My husband was White going to be home and I realized that the fire in the living room was almost out. I didn’t want him to have to fuss over the fire so I grabbed a bag of papers from our bedroom I had picked up after wrapping what Christmas we had to give to the kids this year, and shoved it into the stove and lit it.

The second that it was engulfed a wave of panic hit me. My husbands super generous Grandmother had sent gift cards to us and our children totalling over 300 dollars. she usually sends things in pretty Hallmark cards, but this time just in a plain padded manila envelope. I had bought most of the things for the baby from ebay this year, buying them used and trying to save some money. Everything came in yellow envelopes that week, and they all went into the fire.

I burnt our Christmas. Everything under our tree is second hand, garage sale finds. This was our fun thing from his wonderful Grandma. Those cards represented our only Christmas for my husband and I, but the kids’ cheap jerseys cards…

We are college students with 4 kids. We had three when my husband got home from Iraq and we knew that it was our only chance to make a change, so we moved half way across the country and left a lot behind,and started as what felt like the oldest college freshmen ever, but we knew that it would be worth it.

Half way through the Hello second semester we found out our youngest was going to be joining us. Unplanned, but so welcome was her arrival. We had always wanted another child, our youngest is 6 and figured if it hadn’t happened already it wouldn’t. Her arrival to our family has been so joyous, but the money hasn’t been dropping out of the sky.

Then I burnt Christmas last cheap nfl jerseys night. I cried, I cursed Christmas, so many emotions went through me.

Honestly I wanted to die. My husband came home from work and took me out to try and find a few last minute Santa gifts for the kids. We took the baby and left our 12 year old home with the other two.

While we were gone someone left a jar on the steps of our wholesale jerseys house. It was wrapped in celophane and a gold ribbon. wholesale jerseys Inside was your book and just short of 200 dollars in change. My 12 year old found it and they placed it carefully there for Christmas morning. He sees our troubles financially and knew about the gift cards missing.

He knew that those cards were the Cheap only way he would be getting anything new this winter, as his wish list has grown to more grown up toys that we could never afford. He was so sad last night when we left, but just squared his shoulders and tried to help. He was so happy when we got home. What a gift! He and the two other children didn’t touch their miracle jar, just put it under the tree. Looked wholesale jerseys at it. Guessed how Parallel much change could be in it. Wrote their guesses down. Dreamed about who did it for them. It was such magic in their lives.

Maybe the gift cards can be replaced, I don’t know. I do know that the gift left to us by someone restored something in me and my family. I was tired and beaten. My troubles aren’t gone, but MY HOPE is restored. Thank you for your book. We will pay it forward. JBM