Around here we believe in Santa. We believe in giving generously, and we also believe that sometimes Santa gives others the opportunity to give for him. We were lucky enough to have one of those experiences this year.
Max has been in love with trains for some time now, and every time we would pass one in the store he'd get excited and say, "choo-choo, choo-choo!" We assumed this was 1 year old speak for, "Mommy, Daddy, I want that for Christmas!" However, getting such a little guy a full train set all in one year is a daunting task, even for Santa :)
However, a last month we got a very random call from a family who were moving out of our ward, the Doyles. Jenn Doyle said that they were looking for a good home for their son Tyler's old train set, and would Max like it. I was astounded; completely floored. I had not told her about Max's train obsession, but she was in-tune enough with the spirit to know who she could serve this Christmas. It seemed like a huge answer to one of our Christmas problems. But, there's even more.
This particular family has had a trying few months. They have a situation I know I would not handle with grace, because I've been there and didn't cope too well. That they would even be thinking about someone else at a time like that (let alone our family, whom they'd only known a few months) really affected me. It brought the Christmas spirit into our home in a way I'm not sure we've ever had before. I think that's really the true gift.
I know that Tyler's train set meant a lot to their family. You can't develop a collection of that magnitude (this set is huge!) without a lot of sentimental value. That knowledge makes this toy even more special to our family. We may not have a lot, but we've always been provided for, quite often by angels like the Doyle family. Every time I look at the train-set, I'm reminded again of our Heavenly Father's love and watchful eye for my family.
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| A small part of the collection we set up for Max |
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