For certain, the Baby we celebrate at Christmas had a humble beginning. And yet, that Jewish baby grew into a remarkable teacher who encouraged, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” In that spirit, we “adopted” an Afghanistan refugee family who recently arrived in Austin.
Our four Austin grandchildren loaded gifts into the car and headed north to meet the family we had been assigned. Each of the grandchildren carried gifts into a very small apartment where we found a twelve-year-old brother, three little sisters, and a sick baby lying on the floor. The family seemed genuinely appreciative. Their needs felt painfully obvious. Getting back into our car, Catherine said, “We got a chance to do a good thing today.”
After eating lunch, the four children found an unexpected sandbox. Off came socks and shoes. Out came shovels. Away dropped the years as they played like much younger children. Don’t we all want to play like young children sometimes? I hope you find yourselves blessed by feelings of playfulness and hearts full of love.