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Since I became pregnant with Gracie I have been especially awed, though, by the sweetness and kindness of strangers--and not just at holiday times. I have had total strangers help me with my groceries. They have offered their own stories of (and encouragement about) the loveliness and excitement of having children. They have held doors open, reached high shelves at stores, and been excited for us and enchanted by our Gracie girl.
My favorite experience with a stranger was when I was probably 8 months pregnant (so ginormously huge) and taking the train up to visit my own mama. I was standing at the tracks surrounded by people and bags, and this college-aged boy kept glancing surreptitiously at me (not in an awkward way--don't worry!). It took him probably a good fifteen minutes to a half an hour to approach me, at which point he asked if I needed help getting all my things on the train. I could tell he was really struggling to offer help to a stranger like that, and it made me appreciate his help even more.
I have been just awed by the generosity of these people who I've seen only once--this open giving which obviously lacked any expectation of recompense.
You may remember that at the beginning of this month I heard the story of baby Mia, a sweet baby girl born with a serious heart condition that required her to have a heart transplant. It was a miracle that, at four months old, after waiting since birth for a donor, she was able to finally receive a new heart just days ago. (You can read about her family's journey here--they are amazing!)
Since I heard about her I have been trying to come up with some way to help them, and happily the lovely Elizabeth Dillow (you scrapbooking mamas will probably recognize her!) came up with a brilliant idea. She said that if strangers could help us in our times of need, why couldn't they help Mia as well?
No one has much money to spare this year, but in the spirit of Thanksgiving, we invite you to give just a little bit to Mia and her new angel heart--Elizabeth suggested just $1 per person in your immediate family, but even just $1 makes a difference!--as a way of saying thank you to our Heavenly Father and sort of paying forward our blessings. You can donate via paypal at a website set up by friends of Mia's family here (http://helpbabymia.blogspot.com). The donate link is in the upper right-hand corner.
I also invite those of you who have blogs to write a post about how you were affected by the kindness of strangers, and invite your friends, family, and blog-readers to participate. With just a little donation we can combine to make a huge difference for Mia and her family.
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What a lovely world it is.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
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