I knocked on the door of her trailer carrying an armload of presents at about 2pm that afternoon. On the porch, there was a plastic lawnchair which hadn't been sat in at any point this decade and a large porcelain frog with its mouth full of stagnant rainwater and leaves. The glass storm door boasted a small sign the read "Peace on Earth" which was suction cupped to the window. The grey cat standing guard never took her eyes off of me as I waited for someone to come to the door. I hadn't actually heard the bell ring and was about to press the button a second time when I heard someone from the back of the trailer say "Just a minute."
Each year, Home Instead Senior Care's Be A Santa To A Senior program brings Christmas to the less fortunate senior members of our community. Seniors who wouldn't have any gifts otherwise are nominated to have their names placed on a tree along with gift suggestions or needs. Members of the community then gather and wrap the gifts to be delivered during the week of Christmas. Giving the gifts is always one of the highlights of our holiday season.
When she finally came to the door, she immediately cupped her hands over her mouth in surprise. Tears began to fill her eyes as she saw the neatly wrapped, colorful packages in my arms. After regaining her composure, she cracked the door enough to be heard but not enough to let the cat out and said "I didn't think I was going to get a present this year. Can you come in for a moment while I open it?" After a few minutes of conversation and a cup of instant hot chocolate, I learned that this was not the only time she would have spent Christmas alone. A widowed mother of two, she had an estranged son living on the West Coast who refused to call or visit and a daughter who had passed away from cancer five years ago. There were no grandchildren to color works of art to adorn her refrigerator. She had outlived her siblings. There was no one left with whom to share the holidays. Since losing her drivers license several years ago, she had lived a life of solitude with her television as the only window to the world outside. This would have made her fourth Christmas alone in her trailer with no one to share a warm conversation and a hot cup of cocoa.
Her "Santa" had purchased for her a fuzzy pink bathrobe and some slippers for which she was tremendously grateful. In addition, there were some handwritten cards from her "Santa's" family which were immediately placed on the door of her almost empty fridge. Included in one of the cards was a $25 gift card to Harris Teeter.
"Is this mine?" She asked.
"Of course." I replied.
"I can do whatever I want with it?"
"Yes."
"I think I'll give it to my neighbor. Last week my heater stopped working and he was nice enough to come and help me fix it. I didn't have a way to pay him but I want to make sure he knows just how grateful I am."
Telling the story a year later, I still find myself moved. I knew that her cupboards were bare and that the closest thing to security she had was trusting that the good folks from Meals on Wheels would bring her warm food on Wednesday. She gave out of her poverty. I hope that her neighbor had someone with whom to share Christmas. I hope he wasn't alone. Most of all I hope he realized that out of all the gifts under his tree, hers was the most precious.
"And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all gave out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.""
Mark 12:41-44 ESV
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