I received a gift yesterday from some friends. Neither the gift nor the givers are what you might expect, but both are extraordinarily precious to me.
You see, the friends who gave me this gift are small--not much taller than 4 feet. And they are five years old and have not yet been to kindergarten. But their hearts are HUGE. Their gift was in a simple envelope addressed to "Ms. Allyson." The envelope contained a card that had this picture on the front:
You see, the friends who gave me this gift are small--not much taller than 4 feet. And they are five years old and have not yet been to kindergarten. But their hearts are HUGE. Their gift was in a simple envelope addressed to "Ms. Allyson." The envelope contained a card that had this picture on the front:
Inside the card, there were 3 carefully written names. And money.
It took me a minute to put it together, but when I began to understand what exactly the gift was, I was stunned. My small friends had a lemonade stand. FOR ME.
The emotion I felt was overwhelming. I literally sank to the floor and wept. My little friends watched me carefully...I think they were worried that I was sad! I hugged and kissed them, assuring them that I was VERY happy with their gift to me. D said, "Ms. Allyson, you can give the lemonade money to the doctor and he can give you a lot of medicine so you can get well." Oh. My. Goodness.
According to the moms (also my friends) of these 3 delights, the kids have been wanting to do "something nice" for me since they found out that I am sick months ago. Together they came up with the idea for a lemonade stand and worked very hard to make it successful!
And successful it was! Trust me when I tell you that a lot of generous people must have been very thirsty on that hot summer morning. Apparently, an e-mail went out to many friends who showed up to help and/or buy lemonade. Lots of little ones took turns holding signs and manning the shop.
It took me a minute to put it together, but when I began to understand what exactly the gift was, I was stunned. My small friends had a lemonade stand. FOR ME.
The emotion I felt was overwhelming. I literally sank to the floor and wept. My little friends watched me carefully...I think they were worried that I was sad! I hugged and kissed them, assuring them that I was VERY happy with their gift to me. D said, "Ms. Allyson, you can give the lemonade money to the doctor and he can give you a lot of medicine so you can get well." Oh. My. Goodness.
According to the moms (also my friends) of these 3 delights, the kids have been wanting to do "something nice" for me since they found out that I am sick months ago. Together they came up with the idea for a lemonade stand and worked very hard to make it successful!
And successful it was! Trust me when I tell you that a lot of generous people must have been very thirsty on that hot summer morning. Apparently, an e-mail went out to many friends who showed up to help and/or buy lemonade. Lots of little ones took turns holding signs and manning the shop.
Every time I look at these pictures, I feel like my heart could explode with gratitude. And pride. And love. And JESUS. Because what these pictures really show is love in its sweetest, simplest form.
Thank you, friends. Life has handed me lemons, but you made lemonade for me. I am blessed beyond belief.
Thank you, friends. Life has handed me lemons, but you made lemonade for me. I am blessed beyond belief.
9 comments:
Love those little ones (and their Mama's)!
:)
WOW! How precious!
Wow. Such sweet, sweet loving hearts. Good kids and good mommies for encouraging them to think of loving actions to show how special you are to them. You made me cry today, and in a totally awesome way, friend!
what a precious gift! Brought tears to my eyes!
Oh my, what an awesome, precious gift!
This is just the cutest, sweetest thing - that's some pretty special lemonade, some very special kids and some great moms. What a blessing for you, them and those of us who get to enjoy your blog. Thanks for sharing.
Betty H
A friend of mine directed me to your blog. Wow so touching, you are a true woman of God!
I have prayed for you this morning from Iraq. I know that our Lord is still in full control and He is able ... and that you are faithful. People are watching and praying for you from all over the world. Your faith is touching many ... much more than you can imagine.
Is it any wonder why God said we had to come to Him with the heart of a child? Jesus in your midst. Amazing.
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