Day 319: Paying it Forward

This morning we awoke to news of the tragedy and heartbreak in Paris. I had gone to bed with the news but I only thought one place was targeted and a few killed. We awoke to find quite the contrary. I checked my Facebook as I drank my coffee and it was incredibly touching to have so many messages asking if we were okay and knowing we were on someone's mind. We are truly blessed with so many family members and friends. So many who care about us, even if we rarely speak. 

Once the news began repeating itself I left to do a little bit of Christmas shopping and Daniel cooked breakfast for the kids. 

I got back home around lunchtime and Daniel left for work. He worked the day away as I got Maddie down for a nap and then watched a movie with Caleb. Caleb also went through a Secret Santa list that I had found, so he highlighted various gifts we should give. 

Daniel got home around 6:30 and we ate dinner and began working on our Secret Santa donations. Caleb narrowed down a few purchases and I added a few more myself. Daniel and I finally agreed that we'd give numerous donations to one family to make the online ordering and shipping easier. 

It was a lot of fun working together to pay it forward and do something kind for someone else. We've been blessed and wanted the kids to participate in giving back, even if it was small. Since we haven't found a program here, I'm thankful I came across this one. 

I'm part of a blogger's group who sends out daily deals via email. She has a lot of followers, and has successfully collected, donated, and delivered gifts herself in the past. This year she accepted 30 families to collect for and you can donate a few dollars, or an item the family member either needs or wants. 

If you want to read more for all of the details, you can find her blog post here: 

https://www.facebook.com/jessi.singley/posts/10153249724916045

Again, she's done great work in the past and if you were looking for a way to give back, here's your chance! 

We've had a pretty relaxed day, but overall we're thankful we're here, alive and healthy. We got to see another day, so don't take it for granted. 

Goodnight!