It started like any other morning before a Spreading Joy event. A million things running through my mind and this time, it’s a little different because I’m planning and handling much of the Christmas JOY event for the ladies at the Battered Women’s Shelter & children from my hotel room in Virginia.
Then it hits me. SNOW!!
It was supposed to snow over night. I hurry to the huge window in my room and sure enough, IT’S SNOWING!!!! The little girl in me is so very excited! I can immediately see that there are several inches on the ground already. I’m supposed to work a half day and then head home to Charlotte NC and start picking up toys for Friday nights Christmas JOY event! I quickly get ready and head to work.
Much like a child that can’t wait to get out in the snow, I find a window and look out. It is pouring snow! Buckets! My heart is filled with worry at this point. How am I going to make it home? I call my sister. Tell her what I’m seeing. She tries to comfort me saying, things will be a little stressful but it will be ok. I quickly tell her that “you are NOT seeing what I’m seeing!” We chat about the possibilities of me not making it back. Two of the greatest things I love are both now tugging at my heart, snow and Spreading Joy.
I head back to work thinking ok, it will work out no matter if I get home or not.
I’m just going to enjoy my gift of snow! I finish out my half day of work, head back to my hotel and preparations start. The phone calls to my mom, sister and friends asking for help. The planning of who will do what, just in case I can’t make it back into town. These ladies deserve a wonderful meal, a time of fun and laughter and these toys for their kids. I’m determined to make it happen and with friends and family that have huge hearts, it goes off without a hitch!
The phone calls come in, “you won’t believe what Clark Nexsen collected for this event!” My friends Dave and Dale from Iron Mountain assure me it will be fine for them to bring the toys to me! Wow! Not only did they collect toys, but made things easier for me by bringing them to me, knowing that I was short on time! Amazing!
We get to the church, start setting up, sorting toys, picking up food, decorating and having fun. Later that evening I hop aboard a bus with my brother in law and we had to pick up the ladies and children. We are enjoying a trip back and I tease the ladies that we are having MY favorite meal – HOT DOGS! I giggle and tell them that Olive Garden has graciously given pasta, salad and bread sticks. We are all excited.
Everyone gets settled, and is eating, laughing, relaxing and having fun. There are enough workers so that the ladies that need help with their small children can eat their meals without worry for their tiny ones. I love the view, the children laughing and slurping up spaghetti, the moms smiling and chatting with one another. Peace, happiness and pure JOY surround me! My heart is soaring beyond belief!
The children stay in the fellowship hall and I take the ladies with me next door so that they can “shop” for their children. I thank them for coming and being such a wonderful part of my Christmas! I have been thinking about them all week and take a few minutes to tell them the wonderful attributes I see in them. I give them instructions as to where to find the toys, the gift wrapping stations and such. I wander through the halls as the ladies “shop”, listening to the giggling, listening to the oooohhhhh and ahhhh’s, listening to the thrill in their hearts as they pick out toys for their children. There are Easy Bake Ovens, dolls, Barbie dolls, stuff animals, play dough sets, Tonka Trucks, footballs, basket balls, games and so much more! There are literally 4 rooms full of toys for these wonderful ladies to choose from!
The ladies finish wrapping and start heading to get their children and load back on the bus and van. Several people volunteer to follow behind to “haul” presents as there’s no way all the people and the gifts are going to fit. I love each and every single HUG that I am receiving! The sparkly eyes, bright smiles and huge warm HUGS are priceless. Everyone leaves and I look around and the Spreading JOY heroes have already started cleaning up! Wow!! Amazing!
The night is perfect. Chaos, silliness, fun, Christmas music, laughter, toys, food, drinks, hugs and the mile wide smiles make it memorable!
But, the giving is not over with yet! Sunday, more toys are given out. To a local church and some for a teacher who has some homeless children in her class. Thursday NIGHT – MORE toys will be given away!! A week of Christmas JOY, my heart can hardly stand it! It is flooded with happiness and JOY!
We were able to distribute 545 toys and books this year. This is no small feat as we normally have 8 or 10 companies collecting toys and this year, we didn’t have that many.
Thank you seems so small in the light of what YOU did to make Christmas JOY 2010 possible.
Thank you to the director of Amy’s House, Vicky, for the wonderful work you do to help these ladies! It is my honor to make a difference for them, to encourage them and to remind them just how very special they are!
Thank you to Olive Garden for providing the meal for us! There was plenty of delicious food for everyone to enjoy! Thank you to Jim Taylor and Marvin McAllister for picking up food for us. Thank you Dave Finley for meeting me with toys and saving me so much time. Thank you Momma, Angie and Meg for picking up toys on Thursday for me while I enjoyed my gift of snow and stayed safely at the hotel. Thank you Dale and Jeanne Strickland for being available at a phone calls notice to pick up toys for me and for helping out the night of the event.
Thank you to Pastor Jerry Taylor and Mrs. Taylor of New Grace Baptist Church for the use of your wonderful facilities and being available “just in case” I was snowed in! Thank you to the wonderful members of New Grace for volunteering to help serve, sort, clean, wrap, entertain and for the great JOY you brought my way! I could not have made it without your help!
Thank you to Patterson Pope for giving us employees paid Community Service time to make a difference in our world!
Thank you to my family for supporting Spreading JOY the way you do, helping and allowing me to make a difference right where I am. Thank you Tripp and Bob for driving the vehicles to bring the ladies to the church.
Thank you Quiznos, Iron Mountain, Clark Nexsen, Arthur Squad, Stone Pump and Trench and Linden ARP church for collecting toys.
Thank you my precious twitterverse for your online donations, the interviews to spread the word and for using your voice to reach people that I couldn’t reach without your help! You were instrumental in making Christmas JOY 2010 a huge success!
YOU are all HEROES and I hope as you watch the video, read and recount this week of Spreading JOY that your heart is flooded with warmth, love and pure delight for the part that YOU played for Christmas
Thank you!!
{{HUGS}} yall
© 2010 – 2014, Spreading Joy. All rights reserved.
In The Beautiful Name Of Jesus!!! Let there be a calmness!!! Be still it’s Christmas!!! Merry Christmas to All!!! Love one Another!!! All Is well!!!:)<3 To GoD Be The Glory Let the snow have majestic healing to the land so a diffrence can be seen to ALL!!! YesHae!!! El Shaddiah!!!
Marie,
Thank you for allowing Dale and I to assist in such a meaningful and fulfilling effort.
I am thankful that I was able to visit the Church prior to your Guests arrival. I was overwhelmed with the generosity and the fruits of your efforts. Rooms upon rooms filled with toys that certainly allowed those who attended to know they are loved. To have a special meal available for your Guests as well…
what you are doing is providing hope, love and dignity to the Ladies who attended your party.
Ahh marie … sounds like God had ya back covered ALL the time..he gave you the delights of the snow and then the delights of SpreadingJoy helpers .. sounds like all worked out so well.CONGRATS>
In Lk 18:8 our Lord speculates that when He returns will He find faith on earth .. He will find it at SpreadingJoy Corp. Charlotte NC … HAPPY CHRISTMAS – Marie
Ms.Marie!!
Im so thankful that i got too help out it was such a blessing too see all the ladies and there children enjoying themselves! Each lady was so thankful for what you did! Love you!!! =)
Marie, Thanks for posting this video. It gave me a real peak inside of what you do and how you have a heart and talent for ministry. It also shows me how others are so willing to get involved if given the opportunity. This is encouraging in the times in which we live. Take care and God bless you as you continue to spread JOY and the LOVE of Christ to others!
@Kim thank you. I always expect some madness with events like this, but was soooo worth it!!
@Dave you and Dale are so loved here. I know you know this, but have to tell you guys once more. Thank you for helping to make it easier by meeting me with the toys. Time was running out and you stepped up for me – a true HERO!! love ya – mean it!
@Soulsupply – GEOFF!! Isn’t it amazing how we KNOW time after time that God has our backs and yet – I wasted a half an hour of glorious snow worrying before I decided to enjoy my wonderful gift. I should know better by now -but I’m old, so harder for me to learn!! Thank you for how you always encourage me and for the wonderful verses you always remind me of.
@Kaila – thank YOU for being one of the many that made this possible. There is no way in the world anything like this would be remotely successful without big HEARTS such as yours to help!! I love ya kid!!
@Jerry I love that when we pull together that we can make such a difference. STRENGTH in numbers..not just safety. Thank you for taking the time to comment and peeking inside of my heart for spreading joy!!
big warm {{{HUGS}}}
@spreadingJOY
Marie recently posted..30 Day Challenge Jan 2011
Hey, Marie
You are totally AWESOME!!!!! Love the video!!!!!! Thank you so very much for the support and kindness that you have extended towards our program but most of all, towards the residents that we assist. This meant the world to them knowing that they were NOT being judged because they didn’t have what they call “normal” at this time. You and yours made a holiday dream come true for not only the mothers but for their children.
This is definitely a Christmas that they won’t forget for good reasons instead of bad.
Thank you again so very much!!!!!
Vicky
Executive Director
Amy’s House
Battered Women’s Shelter
Vicky,
It was my pleasure to spread some joy to these awesome ladies. Normally we just bring the toys to you so that you can distribute them, but I wanted to do something different, something special – something memorable. Thank you for allowing me to have such a wonderful part in what you do and thank you for how you help so many ladies and children start over…new, fresh and without fear!
{{{HUGS}}}
@spreadingJOY
marie recently posted..WHY
One lady told me this was the first time she had to have help like this. She always had a good job and lost her job and moved into the shelter. She was feeling low and she said that night we made it so nice for her. Everyone was so friendly and treated her so good that it made her good. She really wanted to thank everyone for the food and toys.
I’m not one to comment on things, but I do remember telling you – through tears – that this was the greatest thing I’ve been apart of in a very long time.
One of the ladies didn’t want to take much, she was even not choosing 2 bigger items like you instructed them to do – but between the two of us, we got her taken care of. Watching her get into her car and drive off after I dropped her off tugged at my heart.
Thanks sis, I love you.
I can recall my first christmas like it happen yesterday.I woke up to a blanket of snow covering everything right up to the kitchen window,it was so fresh and beautiful.I was so amazed to see this beautiful christmas tree in the corner where the kitchen table used to be and the table was where we used to have the chesterfield,filled with fruit and candies and all kinds of goodies,their was a blanket spread out on the floor by the old wooden stove which was in the centre of the room and it felt so cozy.I was so excited ,their was such a peaceful feeling over everything .My gifts were not many but I was overjoyed with what I received.I remember a spin top and a barrell,you take the small one out and theirs another and another etc.A beautiful doll.It was the best chrismas I ever had in my 53 years.we were not wealthy by no means,we lived with my uncle,my mother was a single parent,her sister had died in child birth so he took us in.He was such a loving man,a real father to me.He worked hard all his life but always manage to take care of me.I was very ill as a baby but it was my uncle who paid for me at the hospital,he used to make 35 cents at the quarry and have to walk miles everyday.The house we shared with him was a two story house,we had no running water so we would have to get water at the well and heat it on the stove which only used wood.so everyday we had to cut wood in order to keep warm.We never had a toilet but a outhouse and a pail inside just incase we needed to use it at night.I never knew what one looked like ontil we moved away.I was very grateful fore everything I received but what made x_mas special for me wasn`t the toys or the food or christmas tree,it was my daddy (uncle) who loved me so much that he would make everything so special just for me and my mom.They are both in heaven now but how I wished they were here to celebrate christman again,I certainly miss them and christmas has never been the same as it was when I was a child,ofcourse it can`t be,I`m an adult now but the little girl which lives inside of me wishes it could be.mary