INCONSIDERATION or RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS

I have come across several inconsiderate folks lately, none of whom I know personally, but nonetheless I have witnessed some blatant inconsideration. I think it must be the holiday season....go figure....we're suppose to be celebrating the birth of our risen Lord and Savior, but I think the busyness and stress can get the best of folks sometimes. I think the holidays either bring out the best in people or the worst. I've experienced both. On the other side of that coin, our family has experienced the blessing of Random Acts of Kindness as well. We usually experience these this time of year, and here is the story of how we receive this blessing each year.
We have a big Boisd'arc tree in our yard, and it's a really cool and really old tree, that people often comment about. This tree produces these things....that we call horse apples (see pic below), but it only produces them for a few months of the year. They are not apples, that are edible, and we find them to be somewhat annoying; since they have to be picked up when you want to cut the grass and tons of them fall from the tree. We really knew no purpose they served UNTIL we started having strangers knock at our door to ask if they could take some home. These trees and their offspring must not be found in northern climates, because we have people from other states (who are visiting for the holidays) who have never seen them. They are completely mesmerized by these things. NPayne and I use to be fascinated and are still amused by this, because we think these horse apples are a burden. We have asked a few people what they will do with them, and we have learned that these are good for keeping bugs and rodents out of your house; so they just lay them around the perimeter of their homes. We have also been told that some folks paint them white and use them as decorative snowballs in their Christmas decorations. Then we have one lady, in particular, who comes to get them every year to add some green to her dying flowerbeds. She is the lady who also provides the Random Acts of Kindness.

She is an elderly German lady, I'll call her Mrs. G, and she is a widow. She started coming several years ago to ask if she could take the horse apples. Of course we gladly obliged, becauses we are glad to get rid of them. After the first time she came to ask about taking some....she returned a few days later. I assumed it was to get some more horse apples, but instead she brought my children these wonderful advent calendars (see pic above). When she first started coming, we had only 4 children; so she would bring 4 calendars. Then she came one Thanksgiving to get the horse apples and met our new baby Elliot. When she returned with the advent calendars, again she had 4, and she brought baby Elliot some nice warm feety pajamas. This year, she must have decided that Elliot was old enough to enjoy the chocolate from the advent calendar, because she brought her one too. She has met all of our children, and they love it when she comes (and so do I). Every year she comes around Thanksgiving to get the horse apples, and then she comes back before Dec. 1st to deliver the advent calendars. We have come to treasure this sweet German friend, not because she brings us candy; but because she is a kind and generous soul. I so treasure the fact that my children get to receive a Random Act of Kindness each year, and that they witness how it feels to be given something for the pure fact that someone is just being kind. I know, from talking to Mrs. G, that she doesn't have a lot of money; and I also know that she also receives a gift when she comes to our home....it's not the gift of the horse apples but the gift of joy. She receives joy at seeing the excitement of our children, not only because she is bringing them something, but also because they look forward to seeing her each year. Mrs. G has already visited us this year, so we won't see her again until next Thanksgiving. Although she has never told me in words, I have no doubt that she is celebrating the birth of our risen Lord and Savior this holiday season.