This morning when I was sitting at my desk at work the kind lady who cleans mine and Alex’s offices came in as she does every week. Today I decided in my very broken Spanish to ask her a little bit about herself. Her name is Juanita and she is from Mexico. She has four children but has not seen them in SIX years because she has been working here to make money and send back to them. She does not look much older than I am. I asked her if she would be celebrating Christmas and with sad eyes she said no because it makes her miss her family to much. Trying to hold tears back I gave her some money to send back to her children and encouraged everyone else in the office to do the same. My heart has been unbelievably heavy for her all day. I told her she was a wonderful mother and that I am sure her children were grateful to have a mother like her to provide for them. As a mom I truly can not imagine not seeing my kids for a year…much less six years. I take for granted everyday that I have such a wonderful life and that my family is by my side everyday. As both kids were screaming at the top of their lungs getting ready for naps…instead of being annoyed and overwhelmed as I usually feel before naps I was thankful instead. Thankful that I could hear their cries, thankful that I could see their little faces and thankful that I could pick them up and squeeze them whenever I wanted. Juanita can not do that. There are so many men and women just like her everywhere that are sacrificing their lives for their children in ways I can not even comprehend. I have heard stories like hers before but this morning it was personal and it really hit me hard. It also made me think of Jesus and His sacrifice for me. He gave everything so that we might live. Juanita is giving everything and sacrificing her life and happiness so that her family can live. It challenged me to think about what am I sacrificing? This Christmas season I WILL be grateful. Not for the presents and all the hoop-la of commercialized Christmas…but for Jesus being born and for the GREAT gift he gave of sacrificially dying on the cross for me. I will be grateful for my family and for the blessing of being able to walk into the room beside me and see my now sweetly sleeping little girls faces.
