An Unexpected Christmas Gift

Have you ever received an unexpected gift? A gift that you did not ask for, one that came unexpectedly, and one that touched your inner-most being?

I received such a gift this Christmas.

To provide a bit of background I should share that we have limited contact with some of our children's birth families. We also support an organization in Guatemala which offers assistance to birth families. In December we arranged for food/supplies to be delivered to our birth families which we know of their location. Since we asked for it to be delivered through the organization we don't even know if the families realize the gift came from us. This choice is by design as we do not want to compromise the birth mother's privacy.

I had a pretty good idea of when the deliveries were being made and couldn't help but think of those birth families on the particular day of their delivery. I so wanted to be a fly on the wall and observe the visit. However, I felt peace knowing they would have additional food and supplies in their home during the holidays.

On Christmas Eve, after finishing up wrapping presents and preparing for Santa's visit, I sat down to enjoy the quiet. All of the children were snuggled in their beds, fast asleep, and the little ones were probably dreaming of the coming morning. Well, the teenagers may have been dreaming too! As I was enjoying the beauty of the Christmas tree and preparing for bed I grabbed my computer. As a habit, I checked my email. An email had arrived in my inbox just minutes earlier. I recognized who it was from and blurted out "Mark, we have an email from Marisol. I think she sent pictures."

As I opened the email I read she had made all deliveries and had taken some pictures of the birth families. As I scrolled down my eyes looked at pictures of one of our children's family. Pictures of the birth mother, pictures of extended family, and pictures of where they live. I must have looked over those photos one hundred times to drink in each detail.

As I sat in my warm home, filled with food, and full of gifts to be opened in the morning, I sat and stared at what life may have been for one of my children. I wonder if the birth mother thinks of her child? Does she wonder about the life she made possible through her sacrifice?

I did not expect to receive photos from the delivery. Yes, I hoped to. I certainly didn't expect for Marisol to be working on Christmas Eve and send the photos to us. What a sweet and surprising gift. It is one I will cherish for a lifetime and now have the ability to share with our child.

Priceless.