The holidays are a beautiful time filled with wonder, light and joy, but unfortunately, the holidays may also bring pain and a reminder of loss. For some, the innocence of Christmas can be tainted by that loss, tragedy or just the straight difficulty of life and this world we live in.
In the midst of celebrating the love and cheer that we embrace this time of year, I don’t want to miss an opportunity to help some who may need it most at this time. Often, whenever I want to help, my thoughts are filled with the desire to find something to do and then immediately after, I’m overwhelmed with the greatness of the need and have no idea where to start. Do you ever feel that way?
With all the tragedies and natural disasters that have happened this year throughout the world, the need is even greater. This year, my husband and I wanted to do something tangible for someone in our city. My brother in law had sponsored a family a couple years ago, so we decided to ask him about the organization he went through so we could do the same this year.
We were connected with the Los Niños Early Childhood Montessori Program who was very grateful for our desire to sponsor a family. They immediately knew of a family who is in a lot of need right now. A young 5 year old boy and his single mother who had just lost her job after being affected by Hurricane Harvey. They let us know that this family was in a difficult season and it seemed like they weren’t going to have a Christmas this year. So they gave us information about the child (clothes sizes and toy interests) and asked that we give the mom a gift card so she could make some necessary purchases.
We were so honored to be given the opportunity to help this family and hopefully give them some hope through simple clothes, toys and gifts. We set out to go shopping for a 5 year old boy who loves transformers, Spider-Man and robotics and his sweet mother. 
We got him a bunch of clothes, some toys and a bike! We were so excited as we were shopping, just thinking about how much this boy we don’t know would love these gifts and praying for this family as we went along. We then set up a time to meet with the family’s representative from the Montessori Program to give her the gifts so she could give them to the family. We all need help at times in life and we loved being able to help a family in need this year. We can’t wait to continue this tradition in future years. 
Another way we are giving back this year is by donating to the Star Of Hope here in Houston. For just $2.26, you can provide a person who is homeless a great Christmas dinner.
Tis the season to fill hungry tummies and you can find a food bank near you through Feeding America. We have volunteered at the Houston Food Bank a few times as well and we love being a part of what they’re doing for families in our city.
May we be a people who not only receive but give even more this time of year because life is better when we come together to help one another and share hope.
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