The Giving Tree... A Message of Thanks!

    Today started out like any other... feed the kids, get Andy off to school, Abby off to dance class... the usual routine.  But this would not be just another typical day.  This morning we would have a visit from "The Giving Tree" and a group of Airmen from Hill Air Force Base.  Their visit was known in advance and we were not the only family to welcome them this holiday season, but as it turns out this was no ordinary visit for our family.
    We have spent a fair amount of our time over the last several months on projects involving helping others.  Just over a month ago we organized our first Philippine typhoon relief efforts and gave our efforts a name (The Ammon & Abish Foundation).  We have had a wonderful time working with friends, both old and new, to provide all that we could to help the people stricken by the Earthquake and Typhoon in the Philippines.  This effort has been going on in our home for several years as our personal project, and then when the recent typhoon hit we decided we could not do enough on our own and invited our friends and neighbors to join in.  It has been amazing to see everyone jump in with such enthusiasm and generosity!  Today though, the tables were turned on our little family and we were on the receiving end of a wonderful act of kindness.
    After nearly 2 years as foster parents we recently adopted our precious foster kids.  The Giving Tree program centers around helping foster families at Christmas time by providing gifts for the foster children.  Today was the day for them to visit our home and deliver the gifts.  The project is coordinated with the Airmen (and Women) at Hill AFB who take their own personal time and resources to come and deliver the gifts.
    What these wonderful folks did not know before they arrived was that I was layed off from my work just over 2 weeks ago.  Because my wonderful Wife is always on top of things, the basic Christmas fare was already under the tree at Thanksgiving.  But the typical 'Big' things we like to surprise the kids with were just not in the budget this year.
    We have had some wonderful talks with the children about how we would be having a simpler Christmas.  My 7 year old son is so amazing sometimes.  He immediately responded "That's okay, because Christmas is not supposed to be about getting stuff... it's about Jesus!".  Right you are, Andy!  And that is what we are feeling more than ever this year!

    When the group arrived at the house we were surprised to see about a dozen men and women in uniform along with representatives from Utah Foster Care Foundation and Molina Healthcare (they do the Giving Tree)!  The group just barely fit into the living room.  You see, The Foster Care people chose our family to be photographed for an article in the paper about The Giving Tree and Foster Parenting.
    The visit was a real joy and left a wonderful impression on our family!  Having these airmen take from their already busy schedules to come to our home was especially touching for us.  Having the opportunity to tell them what all this means to our family and how grateful we are for their kindness is a treasure in itself.  I am not one to run up to someone in uniform and ring their hand thanking them for their service (I guess I have a little shyness left...), so it was great to have the chance to do it there in a group setting and let them all know how thankful we are that they are willing to do what they do every day so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have here in America.
    I am truly humbled by the whole experience.  We all want to offer our most sincere THANK YOU!  to those wonderful Men and Women who took the time to visit our family (and all of the other families) today!  We also want to Thank the Utah Foster Care Foundation and Molina Healthcare for providing the gifts and coordinating this gigantic effort!  And of course we mustn't forget Dr Cleo (Molina's "Tiger in a Doctor Suit" Mascot)!!  It was a wonderful start to our day, a much needed help for our kids Christmas, and a great reminder of the amazing people that are all around us!!