Kenya – One Of The Best Christmas Presents Ever!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I just wanted to share a story from my Christmas experience today.  I was blown away by one of the best Christmas presents that I have ever received.  As a family, we had decided to keep it pretty low-key this year as far as presents go, since we were saving up for our big trip to Kenya this summer.  Honestly, this wasn’t the easiest choice to make.  It’s hard not to want to give your kids and family as much as possible.  Despite the “tough” decision, our family – especially our kids – handled this Christmas remarkably well.

Today as we were opening presents with my wife’s family, it was fun to watch as my two nieces tore into their gifts.  It was also special to see the genuine appreciation from our kids as they opened their own gifts.  But my daughter took the cake for my Christmas experience today when she handed my wife a small box that she had purposefully prepared to give to the two of us.  When we opened the box, we discovered over $42 mostly in one-dollar bills that she had saved up from money she earned selling her homemade jewelry.  This act of pure generosity brought tears to my eyes.

Our upcoming trip to Kenya is going to be exciting and life changing, but what I’m experiencing already in preparation for this trip is already changing my life.  To know that my daughter is so willing to think of others first is a true gift.  Today, I learned so much from her – about putting others first – about correctly prioritizing things – and about what Christmas is really all about.  No other words can fully express the emotion that I experienced today.  I am one proud dad!

Merry Christmas!