I had planned to be taking a hiatus from blogging after doing 24 days of Sloth on the Shelf with Sergio, but sometimes something unexpected happens to change those plans … as did in this case. Since I am pretty much confined to home because of illness, during the month of December, I had several things delivered. Gifts from friends, gifts for family, groceries, essentials, etc. The gifts from others were sometimes opened (when they asked me to), but others were waiting for Christmas day. Imagine my surprise when I opened a gift to find a card that said they were a secret friend who wanted me to feel loved and all would be revealed soon. Then another gift arrived with another message saying much the same thing.

I love surprises. And I love anticipation of surprises, so this had me smiling big time, wondering who had such a wonderful idea. After tantalizing me with a few gifts, I received a card with the sweetest letter and the picture of Flash (drawn by a friend because the secret friend knew I loved sloths because of Sergio the sloth) from a ten-year-old girl. What she had to say in her letter brought tears to my eyes because it was so incredibly thoughtful.

My secret friend, I’ll call her RAD for her initials, had attended a bible study where the leader asked for them to think of someone to give gifts to for Christmas to make them feel special, and since RAD had heard I was ill and had been praying for me, she put my name in. When a little girl was chosen to be the group giftee, RAD decided she was going to do this for me on her own. My heart was, and still is, incredibly touched that a girl who I have not yet met, who I have never even spoken with, would want to show an adult she didn’t know so much love. RAD went to family and friends and raised money to buy the gifts and each gift was for a particular reason. So much thought and care went into everything she did.

What a fantastic reminder of what the spirit of Christmas is truly about. What a lovely and tender heart RAD has, and the will to follow a project through. I am truly blessed by her. It made me start thinking about how the world would change if we each took RAD’s spirit to heart and helped someone in need. She didn’t just give things. She gave a part of herself. I may have been alone this Christmas because I had to be, but I certainly wasn’t lonely, and Christmas was magical.