Why It Is Better To Give

That day was just so filled with emotions. After Josh's moving up day, we ate out and then we dropped off the husband at the bank (where he works) and I drove the kids home. And since I didn't need to go to work that day, I was thinking of how I could take advantage of the free afternoon. I thought of running some errands and then gong shopping at the 2nd hand clothes store. Buthen I was having some hesitations about going shopping. And then I remembered my plan of sorting through the baby clothes.


As soon as we got home, I went through bags and bags and bags and more bags of baby clothes- marked 0-3months, 3-6months 6-9months and 12-18months. There so many clothes, I never realized how much I had accumulated over the past 6 years. There were more and more bags marked with 2T, 3T and 4T. I didn't touch those bags.

I was overwhelmed and wanted to just give up in the middle of it all. The tiny socks, the mittens, the itsy bitsy frog suits. seriously, how did my boys EVER fit into them. I found myself making 3 piles: clothes to be lent to a friend who has a baby, clothes to be given away and clothes that no matter what, they would be staying with me forever.

The little green rumper with duck prints made it to the "staying with me forever" pile. Both boys wore the first time they went to church. All the overalls made it to the same pile. It wasn't such a huge pile, after I finished sorting, I just had 2 bags full to put back and treasure.

The Pile of "clothes to be lent" consisted of neutral colored mittens, socks, layettes and rumpers because my friend's baby is a girl.

The "to be given away pile" turned out to be a mound actually. I packed 5 big bags.

2 years ago, the company where I used to work visited an orphanage (as we always did every Christmas where we have what they call the reverse caroling. We sing for the kids and instead of waiting for them to give us something in return, we feed them spend time with them and give diapers, milk, clothes and toys) and my plan was to bring the clothes there.

So I loaded them into the car and dove off. I parked right in frontof the gate of the orphanage. It is an old house which was just converted into an orphanage, a private institution trying to provide for the children's needs by donations and funding from non-government agencies. They facilitate international adoption as well. The name of the orphanage is Hope House.

I rang the doorbell and immediately a man came to open the gate. He was smiling although he looked a bit puzzled. told him I had brought clothes for the children.
"oh what a blessing" he said. And then he kept saying that over and over. After all the bags were unloaded, he invited me in. He said so that the kids could acknowledge me for what I just did. I politely said, no thank you. And then all the other staff members came to the gate and just kept saying thank you and how blessed they were to have gotten all those clothes. I said goodbye and told them I would be back with toys the next time I would go.

I got in the car and cried my heart out.