"We leak what we love." says Bob Goff... amen. This Christmas Eve, we created some salt dough ornaments... 50 to be exact, to handout on Christmas Day to the sweet folks at an old age home nearby. From spending time with Charlotte making these little treasures, to handing them out along with hugs and smooches... we leaked what we love. We prayed on the way to the old age home that we would be lights for Jesus to the sweet folks that lived there... we loved on them until our bellies started to growl, and the babies started to meltdown in need of naps. Such sweet moments...
The home that we visited specializes in care for folks with dimentia... and I couldn't help but jot down (here on the blog) some stories so that we can remember our time there:
Charlotte immediately made herself at home... introducing herself to the ladies that sat around the fire, sharing where she lived, how old she was, and which princesses were her favorite and why. She handed out an ornament to each, telling them that she made them for them, and one of the ladies immediately bit into the ornament thinking it was a cookie. She immediately said, "Oh this cookie is awful, it is so hard... it tastes terrible." Charlotte started to giggle, as she put her hand underneath her chin, waiting for the lady to spit the ornament out into her hand (we sanitized after, no worries.) and said, " Silly grandma, that's not a cookie, I told you it was an ornament for your tree.."
Many were still in their rooms, and so we walked around. We knocked on doors to hand out ornaments and gave hugs whenever we were greeted. We left ornaments on the handles of those that didn't open up for us. As we walked by one, Charlotte immediately put an ornament on the door... I asked her why she didn't knock. She stated, "Because, can't you hear him snoring? He's definitely sleeping, and we don't want to wake him."
Marley sat on quite a few laps, and each time it was time to move along to another room... she cried, not wanting to leave.
One of the ladies had hearing aids, and of course Charlotte had to point out how her and the lady "matched."
As we circled back around to the fireplace, the same ladies were still sitting by the fire. Charlotte let them know that we were leaving. The one sweet lady, asked us who we were all over again... Charlotte had to answer their questions all over again... She was confused as to why they didn't remember her answers from the first time we met with them. It was such a bittersweet moment. Charlotte gave them hugs and told them that if they believed in Jesus that one day they will have new bodies in heaven and that they will remember her. Oh how I love her...
Crying. What a precious thing to do on Christmas. And it sounds like God has given Charlotte such a tender and thoughtful heart (no doubt her thoughtful momma has helped cultivate it!). Love in action. <3
ReplyDeleteMandy, it was such joy to my Mama heart, to witness... i adored everything about this adventure! Wish you and your littles were here to join us!
DeleteLOVE!
ReplyDeleteYou are amazing woman! I don't know how you got everything in. Our family wants to be service oriented to in the future on the holidays.
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