What about you?

It's the first snowfall of the season and the kids are having fun with it.


Yep, they always enjoy bundling up nice and warm and going out when the first snow comes.

But what about those kids that have to go out in it, or want to go play in it, and don't have that nice warm jacket or the snow pants or the gloves or the hat or the boots or the....well, you get the idea. What do they do to stay warm? How do they keep their feet dry? Their ears covered so they don't get ear infections? Their body warm when the weather is so cold that when it touches an unexposed part of you it physically hurts?

The answer is whatever they can. And it is never enough. They put on an extra pair of clothes hoping to keep a little warmer, they huddle close to each other, they cover their ears with their hands because they would rather not feel their fingers than let the air get into their ears. This is the reality for so many kids right now. How do I know? Because I've seen them. I've seen the ones walking to and from school when I take Hannah to hers in a nice warm car. There are many kids who have no choice but to walk no matter what the weather is. I know - I've SEEN them. I've seen the ones standing at the bus stop with watery eyes and runny noses turning their backs to the wind to try and stay out of the worst of it. Yes, I've seen them and I have done what I could to help. We donate jackets, hats, gloves, and scarves when there are coat drives. We send in a couple of cans of food when there is a food drive. We put our spare change into the Salvation Army kettle when we go by it. And then I feel pretty good about myself because I've helped someone else.

This year I realized that although we were helping out we weren't doing it with the right spirit. Yes, we donated items but only stuff we didn't want anymore whether it was clothing or food. We put change in but only what we didn't really need. We never made a donation that would cause a sacrifice. Did it still help people who needed it? Yes, it did. But did it really come from our desire to make someone's life better? Or our desire to honor God for what He's given us by giving back? No, it did not. This season it is different. We have looked around and seen the suffering and the poverty happening in our own town. Everyone knows that Detroit has been hit especially hard and the children are the ones suffering for it. At church this weekend the pastor told us about a school in Detroit that has 650 students and, out of those 650 kids, 95% of them do not have coats. Do the math - that is 618 out of 650 children who have no way to stay warm this winter. That is an unbelievable, staggering amount.

So, this year we are making sacrifices. Not big ones, we still have our coats and shoes and food and Christmas presents. But we have all agreed that there are too many people out there who need basic necessities for us to keep buying things we don't really need. Want, yes. Need, no. Instead of getting lots of presents like they are used to the girls have agreed to one present each so that we can make sure there's another family out there who can provide a Christmas for their own children. We are spending less on groceries so that we can donate to the coat drive for those 618 kids that have no protection against the bitterly cold winters we have here. Are we doing this to feel good about ourselves again this year? Am I writing this to toot my own horn? No, this year it is about helping others feel good and letting them know that there is someone out there who cares about them. This is a difficult time of year for a lot of people and they deserve a little extra help and compassion. We may not be doing much but we are doing what we can. What about you?