The story I'll never forget

I'll never ever forget what God did for my kids yesterday.

But for you to appreciate this story, I'm going to have to take you back to the weeks (months even) before Christmas.

Like lots of little girls, Ashley and Emily love when the "American Girls" doll catalogs come in the mail. They study them. They each pick out "their" doll and memorize the accessories, long to read the book, and have that doll for their very own. And a few of their friends have these dolls... You've probably heard of them, they've been around forever. Since I was a kid. Each girl is from a period in history and comes with a book that tells about her life in that time period. I read the books but never had a doll. And they're such high quality, amazing dolls that a lot of people pass them down to their little girls.

For Christmas and birthdays, they've asked for them, but there's one little hitch for us.... the cost. These dolls are VERY expensive. And they NEVER go on sale. Like, in 20 years. And the doll clothes? The doll clothes cost more than I would pay for an outfit for myself or my kids, much less a doll. But the girls love their other baby dolls and don't seem to mind that lots of their friends have one. They understand that that's life. Sometimes your friends have things you don't have and sometimes you have things your friends don't have. And there were okay with that. Until this Christmas.

They each showed me "their" doll in the catalog and BEGGED to get it for Christmas. Emily wanted Kit and Ashley was deciding between Josephina and Julie. I told them that these were VERY expensive dolls and I wasn't sure we could really get them. But they said "PLEASE mommy" with pitiful faces. *big sigh* So I told them, "Let me talk to Daddy, but I think if you each get a doll, thats ALL you're going to get for Christmas. Like, literally, thats all you get." And to my surprise, they were okay with that! So I researched online, tried to find them cheaper, etc, thinking if I could find the dolls for cheaper maybe I could still afford a little something to open with it. But to no avail. And even getting just this one doll each would be stretching the budget, much less stocking stuffers etc on top of that. And I was so afraid they'd be disappointed if they really did just get this one thing.

So after talking with Daddy more, I think they realized they might be disappointed later, and it would be more wise to not just get this one thing, when they could open lots of just as fun, but much less expensive gifts for Christmas. And there's always their birthdays. :)

So in my shopping I found that Target has a doll that is a knock-off of the American Girls at less than a third of the cost. PERFECT. They didn't have ones that looked like the ones they wanted, but I got Emily one with blond hair and green eyes (like her) and Ashley's had blond hair and blue eyes (like her). I even had enough left over to get the big closet with extra outfits and accessories. And the closet COMES with an extra doll, which we gave to Abby. Soooo.... not exactly what they were asking for but it seemed like a great fit all the way around.

And come Christmas morning, they opened the dolls last and fell in love with them. YAY!! Success!! What a great feeling as a parent to see that joy on your kids faces on Christmas morning. Thank you Jesus for knock-offs at Target! :)

And thats what brings us to yesterday, when God stepped in.

A sweet woman from our church- a friend of our family- came by yesterday. She had two doll beds for us... she was cleaning out her attic, came across them, and thought of our family. "What a blessing!" I said and briefly told her that the girls' had just gotten these Target dolls for Christmas. The beds were JUST the right size! She smiled and said she was happy it worked out that way and headed home. The girls were THRILLED with the beds when they got home from school and played with them all afternoon.

And later last night, she showed up again.

This time with a serious look on her face and a shoe box.

And what was inside that shoe box still has me in tears. There were two American Girl dolls inside. Kit and Josephina. And a bunch of their clothes. (You can pause here to go get tissues.) She said they were her daughters (now in high school) and that she was saving them for her grandkids. But that earlier when she came by the Lord spoke loud and clear that she was supposed to give them to us. I asked her was she SURE and that she could still save them, she didn't have to do this. But no, she said, she knew the Lord was saying to let them go.

So Ashley and Emily came in, opened the box, and their faces LIT up as each grabbed their new doll. There was not a single word spoken to decide who's was who's. They automatically reached for the one they'd wanted for months. They cradled their new dolls and each thanked her, not fully understanding how she knew. So she left, and I explained to the girls the best I could, how special these dolls are and how the LORD alone had given them.

I think I learned a million lessons last night. About how good God is and how much He loves us. How He cares about 5 year olds and 7 year olds and what their hearts desire. How nothing is impossible with Him. I learned that when the Lord says "let go", you never know who you're blessing and just how very much. I learned that nothing is ours but only the Lords. And that my heart REALLY wants to do with my own possessions as the Lord see's fit. Oh how I could keep going on.... and every time I see my girls with their baby dolls, every one of these lessons will come flooding back to me. Thank You God. You ARE good to Your kids.