There is a scrapbook in my head from twenty years of Christmases at Blue Monarch, but this year’s page will have the corner turned down. I don’t think I will ever forget it. It was as if Jesus held my face in his hands and said, “Open your eyes. I want you to see this.”
I found a safe spot in the corner of the great room and poised my phone to begin recording as soon as the families burst into the room to be directed to the pile of gifts for their individual families. As I gazed across the quiet room with Christmas music peacefully playing in the background, I was completely overwhelmed by the demonstration of generosity from so many faceless people who selected angels off angel trees in the community, and the church that added abundance on top of that. There were literally hundreds of carefully wrapped presents filling the room. It was truly spectacular.
My aunt and uncle used to have an enormous chicken house and I couldn’t help but have flashbacks of very calmly walking among the hundreds of clucking chickens until one quick movement suddenly turned the place into a tornado of squawking and flying feathers, creating a cloud of complete chaos. That’s what it feels like when we open the doors. We go from zero to a hundred in a split second as kids run wide open through the gifts while their mothers try to keep up.
This moment is powerful every year and always puts a lump in my throat. But something happened this year that opened my eyes in a completely new way.
As the kids were ripping into brightly colored packages and screaming over the surprises inside, there was one boy across the room who was crying his eyes out. We immediately assumed he was disappointed about a gift for some reason, but when Deanna went over to check on him, with big ole' tears streaming down his face and dripping off the tip of his nose, he yelled, “This is the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!” This boy was completely overwhelmed by the presents he received and was literally moved to tears, which he couldn’t control. He seemed shocked that his boxes were filled with all the things he wanted!
As I fought back my own tears, I couldn’t help but note this was the one-year anniversary of the day that boy’s baby sister tragically died while he and his siblings watched. Wasn’t it great this day was creating a good memory to hopefully make that traumatic memory less painful.
When I looked around the room, it was as if a veil was pulled back and the powerful significance of the moment made the entire room suddenly fill with brighter light. I was keenly aware of the joy in the room that was bringing healing for every woman and child.
• I watched as a grown woman (who had lived in the woods for an entire year) marched around the room showing off her new tennis shoes, with a grin that stretched from ear to ear.
• Another woman who had suffered severe trauma as a child and probably had no fond Christmas memories whatsoever, was moved to tears when she saw that a perfect stranger, "someone who believes in you," had given her the very Bible she wanted.
• One mother who is still waiting to be reunited with her children could have been sitting alone grieving for her kids, but our graduates recognized how painful this might be and circled around to celebrate with her as she opened each gift. Hopefully this is her last Christmas without them.
• Then, I couldn’t help but notice a woman and child who had struggled so much to bond, but they were sharing each other’s joy in the sweetest way, showing how much closer they had become.
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• And of course, I couldn’t miss the little girl who struggles with sensory issues and can’t even tolerate rain on her skin, but she was prancing around the room in her new princess outfit as if she had never been happier in her entire little life.
The room was filled with countless similar stories and I had a brief vision of God scooping up every woman and child, holding each one like a baby in his arms. It was a vivid reminder that he has trusted us with his precious children, which is an honor and responsibility we must never take for granted.
While our moms and kids transported their Christmas bounty to their rooms to enjoy all over again, our amazing staff gathered for lunch. The topic of the day was the boy who cried, and we fought back tears over that one because we all felt the tremendous significance of that child’s joy and gratitude beyond his years. He made us look. We were reminded of why we do what we do – despite the frustrations and challenges we face every day, which can sometimes cause us to question whether we're really making a difference.
Suddenly, with no one coming or going, the most unbelievable fragrance filled the space, and we immediately agreed it had to be the sweet aroma of Jesus. It felt like a gentle pat on the back for our hard-working team, from the very one we celebrate in this season, and there cannot be a greater gift than that.
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As I drove home reflecting on all that had happened, the song, “The Prayer” came on the radio. If you haven’t heard it, you should grab a tissue and listen to the version recorded by Natalie Grant and Danny Gokey. Here are just a few lines that summed up our day pretty well...
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