“If you can live with less of what you have. You can be more of who you are.”
– Celso Cukierkorn

As many of you know, this year I’m running an Adopt A Family program – sponsored through my side business – and dedicated to my Kind Year journey. So far so good – we got people excited, raised the $200 goal – and I got to go out and shop! I am bound and determined to stretch this budget to it’s limit – I REALLY want to do a lot with the money. I started shopping – ticking items off the kids wish list (a little boy and girl) – and watching the stash grow.

Then I hit a wall.

I know these kids don’t have a lot – but do they really NEED a bunch of “stuff” to make it Christmas?  I spent roughly $80 of our goal money and received some very kind donations – and the kiddos gift pile was growing quite large.

Lots of love and caring went into the collection of these gifts! Very proud of my peeps and all their generous donations!

I’m taking a step back.

Yes – I want these kiddos to be excited and have an awesomely amazing Christmas morning – but when is enough enough?  After reviewing all the items I’d already bought, I’ve  decided to finish up a few small thing (mostly clothes as I want both kids to have a new outfit and new jammies) but take the remaining $100 and give the family a Visa gift card.

I know it’s slightly unorthodox to give “cash” gifts in situations like this – but I believe it’s the right thing to do.  While I cannot control how the they spend this gift – I’m going to add a note, explain about the Kind Year journey and ask that they use it as a family.  I’d love it if this money would give them a shared experience – something they can really remember and treasure.   Maybe it’s a huge family dinner complete with all the fixings on Christmas day – or a trip to the movies and ice cream as a special treat over the holiday school break.  I’m not intimately involved in their situation and I don’t know what $100 will mean to them.  Maybe it’s enough to take some pressure off an already over taxed budget and allow for a few treats over the holiday.  Maybe it will be the difference between lights and no lights.  Maybe it means Dad can take a day off of work and spend it with the family.

I don’t know.

I just know that I cannot in good conscience continue to spend just to spend.  $100 is a lot of money and the goal is to help this family.  And that help – if possible – should extend past just wrapping paper and ribbons.

I hope with all my heart that this money will ease a burden for this family.

That would truly be a gift.