When I was younger my parents stressed helping those in need and making sure to always offer to help those who may have less than you. I've carried that with me into my adult life, and now I realize how important it is to stress those same points to my kids.
We are by no means wealthy -- we'll never be the rich family with several nice cars and a huge house. But I do think we are doing really well for ourselves. Jake and I have worked hard these past five years to get what we have. This year it was important for us to not only be able to give our three children a great Christmas, but to be able to help others.
We recently adopted an angel from the Cherokee Nation's Angel Tree program. Our 'Angel' was 4 years old and he and his three siblings are in the custody of the tribe's Indian Child Welfare program. I don't know the history of his family or how the four little ones came to be placed in ICW custody, but based on the stories I've written about the CN's ICW program, the children were either neglected, abused or both. It's heartbreaking to hear the stories about these Indian children. If we were able, we'd adopt all of them!
They are all just babies and don't understand why their parents don't want them. Or why their moms wanted to get high on meth instead of take care of them. Or even why their parents got so mad that they would rather beat them then just walk away. It pains me to know that the ICW numbers are going up each year rather than decreasing.
Back to our 'Angel,' he is just a simple little boy who likes Spongebob Squarepants, Kidz Bop music, Legos and fruity candy canes. We talked to our 5 year old twins about the Angel Tree and why we adopted one. They looked at buying things for the little boy as their project, and even helped choose things for him.
Although they are young they understood what we were doing and why it's important to help those who may have less than us.
Next year our plan is to adopt a whole family from the tribe's Angel Tree. Since we have two kindergarteners who outgrow their clothes faster than we can keep up, we're going to donate their clothes throughout the year. It doesn't sound like much right now, but I know I want to keep my children in the spirit of giving, even when the holidays are over.
The tribe is always looking for foster and adoptive parents for their hundreds of children in ICW care. Maybe that's one way we can help.
On Christmas morning my three little ones will be opening their gifts in a loving home with their parents, and somewhere our little Angel and his brothers and sister will be opening theirs in their foster home. As you all are spending time with loved ones this holiday please remember the families who may be separated or may not even be in their homes. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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