Lily’s red curls gleamed in the early January sunlight. She was bursting with the delightful enthusiasm of the five-year-old that she was. “Come see what I found,” she said as she tugged on the hand of a clothing bank volunteer.
Lily had found a diamond and sapphire costume jewelry set in the “red dot” section of the clothing bank. “This is so pretty. Do you think I could have it for my mom?”
The volunteer assured her that she could take it. Curious, she asked why she wanted to give her mom such a lovely gift.
“Well”, said Lily, “my mom found so many good things for us kids. She said they were from Santa, but we knew they came from here because we saw her hiding them. But when we were opening our presents on Christmas, my mom didn’t have anything to open. I think she should have a present, too!”
The volunteer found some Christmas wrap in the storage area and helped Lily prepare her mom’s gift. Eyes shining, Lily announced, “I am going to tell her that this is a very special present from Santa!”