gifts

the not-so-little little things

i spent the evening sitting cross-legged on the floor of a tiny, rural church sorting piles of pens, notebooks, candy and flashlights. the parishioners of gramling united methodist caught the vision of kirabo and responded with the kind of generosity that would make the toughest cynic reexamine his outlook in its entirety.

40 tidily packed ziplock bags later, i sat back and soaked in the feeling of love that birthed enough tokens of kindness to stretch the sides of our worn suitcases to the breaking point. not one item was bigger than a breadbox. none of it was expensive stuff. but it was carried in by the hands of humans who heard a story of loss and need and responded with hearts overflowing with love and willingness. this is the gift. the kirabo gift.

altruism is beautiful. i have moments of floating atop an i-wanna-save-the-world cloud. truth is, i can't even manage to save myself. it takes Someone Big. a heart with enough capacity to love to say, "ok, kiddo. don't worry. i will suffer it all so you don't have to." and when the gramling united methodist churches of this world open their arms and spread them wide enough to draw in every kirabo kid, i get a little better picture of my Savior. arms spread wide. with room for us all.