Ben and I were filled with joy the other night as we were able to spend some time with our nephew Gabe, who had come to visit for Thanksgiving. He is my sister, Jenny's son. Their family has been struggling on many levels for a long time. They have medical concerns, financial concerns, marital concerns, the list goes on and on. I have often thought about Gabe and felt that he is nothing short of a miracle. Through all of his family trials he has remained a sweet, happy, smart, good kid with a 4.0 grade point average. After he arrived the other night we talked for a while and then went to bed. As I was laying there trying to sleep I couldn't stop thinking about him. Every year we try to think of a family or individual who could use a bit of holiday cheer and joy at Christmas time. I felt strongly that this year, we should focus on Gabe. I tried to subtly ask him what he would like for Christmas if he could have anything and his response was that he was happy with the things he had, that he really didn't need anything. I was so impressed by his response, how many 15 year old boys have that kind of attitude? He has discovered one of the secrets to having joy, being content with the things you have.
Later that afternoon Ben mentioned to me that Jenny was looking through the Black Friday ads and had said that Gabe was in need of some shoes. He only had one pair of shoes for school and they were falling apart. That is when we came up with a little plan. We asked Gabe if he would be interested in going to see a movie with us and he said yes, so we bought the tickets. We left for the movie an hour early, but he didn't know that. The theater was located at an outdoor mall, so when we got there we asked if he would like to go shopping for some clothes. I wasn't sure if he would even let us buy him anything, but he said it would be okay. We first stopped at Vans where he picked out some sweet shoes. Then we walked over to Old Navy and got him a few pairs of pants, a jacket, and a belt. We offered to get more, but that was his limit. As we were walking through the dazzling Christmas lights to the theater he told us that he absolutely loves the Christmas season and that this year Christmas had come early. He was so grateful and happy. Then we took him to see Thor. It turned out to be the perfect night, pure joy!
