In a few days, I will wake to the sound of three little voices whispering outside my bedroom door, discussing whether it’s too early to wake the parents.
Then I’ll hear three pairs of little feet scurrying down the hall and tiptoeing down the steps. They will stop suddenly and retreat, as they realize Santa may still be in the vicinity.
Then those three sweet children of mine will run back upstairs and burst through the bedroom door anxious to get us in on the Christmas morning experience.
Christmas is all about children. Specifically, one child who was born in a stable when there was no room at the inn. In this story sent by Mary Handy of Fargo, we learn that there are still people in the world who make room for a new baby.
“I have a Christmas story of kindness to share with you. Our daughter and son-in-law, who live in northern Minnesota, had been working with an adoption agency in Florida. They learned they had been chosen by a mom to adopt her baby, which was to be born around Christmastime. On Dec. 12, 2011, they received a call from their social worker telling them to come to Florida because the mom was in labor. This was a couple weeks earlier than the due date.
“They were able to get flights to Florida the next morning. I joined them to help them take care of their 4-year-old. When we arrived, we found the birth mother’s labor had stopped, and she had been sent home. We stayed in a hotel the first night and wondered how we would continue to afford a room since they would also have to stay after the baby was born to complete the adoption paperwork.
“Back in Fargo, my husband told his administrative assistant, Jane, about the situation. She asked where we were in Florida. When my husband told her, she said she had a sister and brother-in-law, Jim and Kathy, who lived 30 miles from the hospital where the baby was to be born. Jane called her sister and explained the situation. They immediately said, ‘Tell them to come and stay as long as they need. There is room at the inn.’
“Our granddaughter was born Dec. 22, and we stayed with Jim and Kathy until Dec. 28. During this two-week period, we were treated as part of their family. They gave us beds to sleep in, food to eat, joined in our joy of the beautiful baby, and even shared their Christmas with us. We will never forget the kindness they showed to us by opening their home and telling us there was ‘room at the inn.’ ”
Mary says the story is especially sweet considering a year before this finalized adoption, her daughter and son-in-law had experienced a failed adoption. The couple was chosen to adopt a little boy. They had him a month before the birth mother changed her mind.
“We have called the many things that happened to bless them, ‘God’s handprints.’ ”
Please continue to share your stories of kindness with me at info@nicolejphillips.com. Or send a letter to Kindness is Contagious c/o Nicole J. Phillips, The Forum, 101 5th St. N., Box 2020, Fargo, ND, 58107.
Nicole J. Phillips is a former television anchor for Fox News in Fargo. She is an author, speaker and mother of three kids. Nicole is married to Bison Men’s Head Basketball Coach Saul Phillips. Her columns run every Saturday. You can also get a Daily Dose of Inspiration from Nicole at www.nicolejphillips.com.
