A Surprise Christmas Gift

A couple of weeks ago, a large, registered Priority envelope was delivered to our PO Box. Keith brought it home, wondering if I had ordered something. I had not.

The registered information sported a bemusing return address: From Santa Claus on Workshop Lane, the North Pole. The only real clue was the Santee zip code in the upper corner.

Inside was a Costco gift card, but no amount was listed on it. An enclosed note wished us a Merry Christmas, printed in Christmas colors by a common laser printer.

The following weekend Keith forgot about using the gift card for our weekly Costco run, which is where we buy the vast majority of our food: meat, canned tomatoes and tomato sauce, Cheerios, eggs, dairy, butter, bananas, baby carrots, etc. The stuff of life. We eat as gluten-free as possible due to the kids' and my own sensitivities to heavily-processed food, and Costco carries much of what we need each week -- about 75% of our weekly food budget.

So after last week's forgetfulness, Keith stowed the gift card in front of his Costco card so that there was no way he could miss using it when he next went grocery shopping. (He shops while I plan meals and write out the lists each week -- a very nice division of labor.) I made a list a bit more extensive this week and added a few paper goods we have been without for a while, hoping that the card was for fifty dollars or so.

The card had a balance of five hundred dollars.

So if the saint(s) who sent us the Costco card happen(s) to be a reader here, we thank you so much for blessing us! What an amazing gift for us when Keith has been out of work, doing handyman jobs to help us make ends meet. And special thanks to all of our friends who are praying for us as well. We continue to rest in the goodness of our God and in His beloved saints who live and love in the image of Christ.

A blessed Advent and Christmas season to you all, dear readers.