The True Meaning of Christmas

In my family we have started a tradition at Christmas of looking beyond ourselves and seeking out those in need. For our little family project, we were able to get things for the Road Home in SLC. As we were heading out the door to go buy things for our project, Jane said that she wanted to get things for "the poor kids". I explained that we were going to as a family but she had something else in mind. She wanted to spend her own money. We went up to her room and counted out $2 from her piggy bank (which is a lot to a kid that only get's paid a penny a chore). When we were at the store she carefully picked out two things that she wanted to get and then insisted on paying for them separate and on her own. Seeing this brought so much love to my heart. And I was so proud of my daughter. I know we're not supposed to be proud or boast of the service we do, but I don't want to ever forget what Jane did and the beautiful example she set of the true meaning of Christmas. (so I'm recording it here, seeing as how I don't keep a journal).
We went as a family to drop off the stuff. We were so happy with what we had purchased--we were able to get great deals and therefore get more than we thought we could. Our trunk was full to capacity as we drove to the overflow shelter. When we got there we were humbled beyond words. The shelter was a long brick building out by the railroad yards. The road there wasn't really maintained and the outside of the building was sad to look at with nothing but a flimsy chain-link fence to mark off a "playground" (patch of dirt). As we started loading things inside, we noticed that all it was was a big room with 2nd hand mattresses and a small kitchenette off to the side. This is where numerous families, most with young children, stayed to keep out of the cold. As we drove away I was overwhelmed and just kept thinking, "It's not enough! It's not enough!" Here I thought we'd really brought in a haul and we left feeling like we'd barely made a dent. It made all the hub-bub of Christmas seem so superfical and unneccessary. Here we were sad that we weren't going to be able to get an i-Pad or big expensive gifts for our kids or the latest electronics and there were people--right in our midst--that had literally nothing. People with kids our age. It broke my heart and made me feel so grateful for the blessings in my life and realize that I need to be more giving with what I have been given.