I quickly made the connection that her third-grade class was learning to write persuasive letters. Still, I was amused - and mildly disturbed - by the letter's content.
Dear Mom,
Please, please, please can I have an iTouch. I am almost NINE YEARS OLD! ... It's only fair that you let me have the iTouch. You say yourself that I am very mature!!" I promise I wouldn't let Indy get it ...
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| Julianna & Indy |
Julianna's letter -- which is pictured in its entirety at the bottom of this post -- was creative if not persuasive, and it now hangs on our refrigerator.
It will stay there through the holidays, and maybe even longer.
Her letter hangs there as a reminder. It's a reminder of all the blessings I have in my life. Health, family, home, job, food ... the list goes on and on.
(Notice I did not include the Newf on this list. He still rates as more of a curse than a blessing. Did you know that both Christmas tree ornaments and dreidels make fabulous doggy snacks?)
But I digress ...
The arrival of Julianna's letter particularly struck a chord with me because, earlier in the day, she delivered a holiday gift to her teacher. We attached a note to the gift that said, in the teacher's honor, we had made a donation to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.
These two notes -- Julianna's letter and the holiday gift for her teacher -- were very much at opposite ends of the spectrum.
My daughter, despite her eloquent and flawed argument, does not need much of anything. And she needs that iTouch just about as much as she needs any of the other gifts that Santa will be bringing to her this Christmas ... which is to say, not at all.
But there are little girls her age across our nation, some who also have fabulous curly hair and big blue eyes, who do have real needs this holiday season, and year round.
According to the Food Bank's website, "in central and eastern North Carolina counties alone, more than 500,000 people struggle each day to provide enough food for their families". The small donation I made in honor of my coworkers and my children's teachers will provide 200 meals for those in need. But this is only a fraction of the 1.4 million meals the Food Bank hopes to raise for its Holiday Meals Drive before Dec. 31.
The way I figure it, for the same cost as an Angry Birds download or a few iTunes songs, I can make an impact that will spread beyond the virtual world and into the real one.
Happy Holidays to all of you, and if you can give even a little bit to the Food Bank or your favorite charity, I encourage you to do so.
We have much for which to be thankful, and after all, 'Tis the Season!
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| Julianna's letter |
Amen and amen. Our family and our circle of friends stopped exchanging gifts a few years ago. We all give to the charity of our choice in honor of our loved ones. We spend time with our family and friends at Christmas--not so much money. And time is precious. We are aware that very few folks in our circle really are in Need of anything, and like you, we've tried to keep our charity dollars close to home this year, giving to the animal rescue we volunteer with. But still, way to write a letter, Julianna! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jenni -- full disclosure ... I was thrilled when Julianna came home from school Tuesday and said: "You know, Mom, I've realized Christmas isn't about the presents. It's about spending time with family." Headed in the right direction, I think!
ReplyDeleteOf course, that doesn't mean that Santa won't be visiting this year... I think we're still on his "nice" list :)