Coffee Talk with Christie

Last night, I went shopping for "The Great Stocking Stuffer" program that the Salvation Army puts on each year for families that cannot afford to purchase Christmas gifts for their children.

http://www.salvationarmy.ca/stuffers/

Dan and I are sponsoring six children this year, we have never done this before, but it feels like the right thing to do.

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For Christmas this year, we are giving gifts in honor of those who would normally receive gifts from us.

The six stockings that we are giving will be in honor of six of my co-workers at The Arts Council.

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This is the email I received from one of my co-workers after I told her that I was not buying gifts this year, as I have in the past.

Dan and I are giving gifts in your honor, to the Salvation Army – through the GREAT STOCKING STUFFER program, for Christmas this year.

Click here for more details on the program: http://www.salvationarmy.ca/stuffers/

Best,
Christie

P.S. – We are trying to utilize our funds to meet real needs this Christmas.

i wanted to take time to write this evening as my week is quickly filling up with places to go and things to do...

i am happy to report that dan and i are going to asheville tomorrow evening for a birthday getaway, but will be back for our community volunteer service on saturday morning. we are going to the second harvest food bank in winston-salem to help sort canned food items for the hungry. tis' the season!

so... i was shopping at Target last thursday and ended up purchasing a chocolate fountain for the arts council - as i went to pay for my purchase, i pulled out my new card holder, that a precious friend gave to me. the cashier went crazy over my new gift.

i took note of her name - and made sure to write it down as i got into my car.

i rarely do this kind of thing - only because i tend to have quite a few meaningful intentions that fall through the cracks as i live my life.

this time, i actually followed through on what i thought would be a really cool act of random kindness.

i purchased a card holder for the cashier and took it to her on monday. i found that they sell these nifty little pieces of art at Steinmart.

yeah, i was a little nervous, i didn't want her to think that i was a weirdo - i just wanted to show her that sometimes people give for no reason at all - just maybe to show a little love to someone who needs it.

i waited in line, and for a split second i thought of just dropping the gift at the manager's station, but remembered that he told me to give it directly to the cashier myself...

oh well, i was up - it was my turn to purchase something - instead, i told her that she may not remember me, but i remembered that she loved my card holder - and i wanted to give one to her.

she came across the counter and hugged me so tightly that i thought i was going to bust!

she said, "how sweet!" "oh my goodness!" "i cannot believe you did this for me!"

yeah, i pretty much walked away feeling like i was floating on cloud 9 - it feels so good to make someone's day, for no real reason at all.

i gave her a Christmas card with my name and phone number in it - telling her to call me anytime, i will be there for her if she ever needs me.

so... last week, i was very sick.

i was taking an antibiotic for upper respiratory complications.

the medicine that i was taking prevented me from sleeping much through the night (from Monday through Friday) - i decided not to take the last pill - because i have had enough of all the side effects of the medicine. i am feeling better now, so, no worries. =)

on friday evening, we had a youth Christmas banquet. we stayed in raleigh afterwards, and this is where i believe God began to deal with me in a very real way about hunger. (it will make sense in a few...)

falling asleep
it was close to 1 a.m. and dan and i were both falling slowly asleep while watching the dog whisperer in our hotel room.

alas! sleep
2 a.m. rolled around, i had dozed off, but woke up with tears flowing from my eyes, feeling as if my throat was being held shut, i couldn't breathe.

freaking out
that was all it took, i freaked out, then woke dan, which i hate to do, but i was really afraid and wasn't sure if this was yet another side effect of the medicine i had been taking. (when i called the pharmacist about the side effects i was having, days prior, he asked me if i was having trouble breathing, at that point, i wasn't... but i remembered that conversation when i woke up at 2 a.m. on saturday morning)

dan prayed for me and dozed back off.

it was 2:45 a.m. and i was still awake, not as freaked out as i was before, but my stomach began to feel so hungry!

at 2:45 a.m. i rummaged through my change purse to see what kind of coins i had for something from the vending machine that i dreamed was outside of my door, along with the soda machine. peanut butter crackers is what my heart was set on.

i quietly opened the door to our hotel room, and headed to the vending machine, only to find a soda machine. that's it, only a soda machine.

i went back to the room and slowly climbed back into bed, trying not to disturb my husband. (as i sulked)

i turned the t.v. back on to try to fall asleep again, i think it helped, by 3:35 i had fallen back asleep, only to be awakened by the smell of breakfast being made on the floor below us. "yes!" i thought, "it must be 6 a.m. already" - this is the most sleep i have had (consecutive hours-wise, in a week!)

i rolled over and turned the alarm clock toward me, "what?! it was only 4 a.m.!"

i was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo hungry and i had nothing - i even thought of getting in my car and going through a mcdonald's drive-thru, anything to get some food, the hunger i felt was all i could think about.

i found one peppermint mento in my purse, and thought that might help.

through this past week, i hadn't eaten much because of the medicine, my stomach was sensitive to everything - so for me to feel hungry was different from the usual feeling i had when i thought of food.

i thought, "i will never be able to fall asleep with the wonderful smell of breakfast beneath me!" i had two more hours until breakfast would be served. this was absolutely horrible.

i prayed that God would help me ignore the smell of the food that i wanted to badly, and help me fall back asleep quickly.

i began to think of those who go hungry every night, those that have no place to sleep, to stay warm. i honestly felt like God was trying to show me something.

the next thing i remember was waking up at 8 a.m., getting myself together, just enough to take the elevator down to get breakfast. I slept from a little after 4 until 8 - this was a major success in my week!

i came back to the room, took my first bite, man, food never tasted so good! i made a waffle, brought up a blueberry muffin and a fruit and cheese danish for dan, along with two cups of coffee. it was just what i wanted.

the more i have pondered the events of that evening, my thoughts are not only about those that go without food, but it has developed into a spiritual thought over the past few days.

david said, "O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water."

i thought of the man vs. wild episode i watched that evening, this crazy guy was in the dessert in south africa, searching for something, anything to eat or drink to sustain his life.

psalm 107:9 says, "For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness."

job 23:12 says, "Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary [food]. "

if only i hungered for God like i hungered that evening, i think i would be right on track.

God is changing me in so many ways, and i am so very thankful for it.