Hey my friends!

So, Christmas came and went and I never got the chance to share a Theo’s Stocking Story. Things have been quite busy and I honestly forgot about it…time is time is time… This truly made me happy and I just felt like sharing it with you!

So here is my post Christmas story:


A month or so ago, someone who works for a carnival donated a bunch of stuffed animals to Full Circle Grief Center. I was asked if I wanted to take any for Noah’s Children families. "Sure!", I said. Well, those cute colorful stuffed animals stayed in my car all this time (poor little critters must have been cold!). Today I was heading into our office at St. Mary’s Hospital and I decided it was time to take the critters out of my car. I illegally parked in the Chaplain parking spaces (totally for convenience). Because I parked in this space, I had to walk through the lobby of the hospital. I thought, ok – if I see any kids who might need a bear or a monkey, I will just offer one to them, then I won’t have to add to the already plethora of stuffed animals in the office.

The first person I saw was one of the mom’s of one of the kids in Noah's Children. She was heading to the cafeteria. I was surprised to see her, b/c I didn’t know Claire was in the hospital. Mom reported that Claire is doing ok and the hope is for a very brief hospital stay (she was home for Christmas!!). I asked mom if she wanted to take one of the critters to Claire. Sure, mom said. I later received a text from mom who wrote that Claire said thanks – she has always wanted a pink monkey!!

So, my next stop was with a family by the coffee stand. Two shy little girls each got a teddy bear.

Next stop – the waiting area. A sweet 5 year old girl was standing in the middle of the room. I got down to her level and asked if she would like one of the stuffed animals. She smiled all over her body and said YES! She chose the yellow monkey and said thank you (without her mom’s prompt!). She also told me how nice I was to give her a yellow monkey! She told me that her sister (3 yrs old) was in the hospital. She was not allowed to go see her sister and this made her very sad b/c she missed her sister (oh those hospital rules get in the way, don’t they?). This little girl’s mom asked me how much the monkey was. I told her these stuffed animals were all donated, so they cost nothing. The mom was very thankful and as she started to talk about her situation (family does not live in this state, she has not slept for quite some time, she stinks b/c she hasn’t changed her clothes in several days--actually I didn’t even notice any bad smell, but I am sure she felt frumpy,-- she and her husband have to take turns being with the 3 yr old up on the pediatric floor since the 5 yr old is not allowed up there…), she asked if she could give me a hug. Of course, I said. Mom hugged me, I hugged mom, and mom broke down. We talked some more. The 5 year old chose a white teddy bear to give to her sister. Mom hugged me again, thanking me, crying.

And then I met Alexander a cute little 3 or 4 year old boy. His birthday is tomorrow. He was in the waiting area with his mom, dad, little sister and grandmother (?). I have no idea why they were there, but both kids got a teddy bear and the whole family was thrilled! When I walked back through the waiting area to return to my car, Alexander and his mom were sitting in a chair together playing with the teddy bear…
I was thrilled. It was a totally spontaneous act. I left empty handed (at least of stuffed animals!). My heart was full and my smile was big…
Love to you - Kathy