Four more until we give Christmas for more than ever before!

The countdown seems to speed up as you get in the single digits. I try hard not to have the palm sweating panic when I hear ”Merry Christmas” over and over throughout my day. I love celebrating Christmas in the manner I have for the past 10 years. I look forward to celebrating the 11th Hope and Friendship Christmas Dinner Outreach four days from today- yet I never feel ready.

Do we ever feel ready? I host get togethers often and no matter how many hours I log in preparation, planning and pulling it all together I always feel like I’m forgetting something!

Facilitating Hope and Friendship Outreaches for the past 10 years I have become quite skilled at working on the fly, however I torture myself by trying to out-think what I didn’t think of. The plan b’s and plan c’s kick my butt when I lay down at day’s end.

Now 4 days away I have made my list and I’m checking it twice, three times and more. I don’t want to forget or miss anyone!!! On the second Christmas Outreach my son Jordan and I had arrived home exhausted. During the early years my two kids and I did all of the delivering. Jordan and I were sitting at home feeling happy to have completed the huge task at hand and then my phone rang. It was one of my single mom friends on the other end. “Do you know when the dinners will be delivered?”

My stomach sank and my heart skipped many beats. She had RSVP’d requesting a Christmas Dinner for her and her 3 kids and I had not received it.

I told her their dinner was on it’s way!

Jordan and I jumped in the car and headed to the only place open in town at that time (2007) Walgreens!!! I bought a Digiorno pizza, Ice Cream, Kid’s snacks, soda, and lots of stocking stuffers and we headed back home so I could quickly cook the pizza. We then headed to their home less than 30 minutes since her call and arrived with “dinner” in hand. I felt crushed that we were delivering what I felt was an inadequate Christmas meal. I was about to cry at feeling like I had failed to check and double check.

Mom opened the door with kids standing close behind her and we walked in. They saw the boxed pizza and burst out cheering and they yelled ”thank you Ms. Terri!!” I couldn’t tell if the tears welling up in my eyes were because I felt I had fallen short of my expectations or because I was instantly being reminded of how innocent and beautiful the love of a child was.

When we arrived back home, for the second time, I sat down and evaluated the night over and over. I was so grateful to have had God intercept the most basic and humble needs of that last delivery. I was so grateful to have been the lucky one to see the smiles. I was thankful that God was using me to be a conduit of His watch over His sparrows.

So on this Christmas Day as we all part from the 11th Hope and Friendship Christmas Dinner Outreach I will still lay awake with one eye open on my phone awaiting that possible call or text of one of God’s sparrows whose RSVP’s might have slipped through the cracks of communication. It hasn’t happened again since that Christmas Night but I will never ever forget that feeling of having possibly have missed bringing Christmas to a home in need right here within my arm’s reach. So many of us are easily able to fill a table with the best and most of food, yet some within our corner of the world struggle emotionally, physically and financially to muster that same ability and bounty. Know that even your surplus, your donation of just one dish will make that table the very best Christmas Dinner ever enjoyed.

One day closer on the journey toward Christmas.

Email info@hopeandfriendshipfoundation.com for more information or visit www.hopeandfriendshipfoundation.com for more details.

Want to offer food- drop off between 11am-1:30pm to the Lemont Township Office 1115 Warner Ave (behind Chipain’s)
Want to help assemble the dinner boxes? Arrive at 1:30pm.
Want to help deliver the Christmas Care Boxes & Dinners? Arrive at 3pm on Christmas Day.

Know someone struggling financially (lay offs, loss of spouse, illness of child/care giver), physically (struggling with illness or physical disabilities), or emotionally (loss of loved one, life blow/set backs exasperated by the holidays) who could use this unconditional gift of Christmas generosity, spirit and love? Be the conduit of assistance. Email me ASAP to offer them this gift of a Christmas Dinner.

​Wishing you peace,
Terri​
Terri O’Neill-Borders

Email- terri@hopeandfriendshipfoundation.com

Website- www.hopeandfriendshipfoundation.com