40 Days for the Poor - Day 32 - Local Family Favorite Charity

I have kind of lost my focus the last fews days.  Things are busy.  Hannah came home from the University of Dallas, Rick went away on business but comes home this evening.  Our regular schedule is winding down for the holiday break.  Becky has her last gymnastics class today until the new year.  Will is coming home tomorrow.  Josh is trying to write a big paper over this winter break.  We've signed him up with Write Guide.  Plus, you know CHRISTMAS is coming.  I've done a little shopping but not a whole lot.  Saturday we are having a Chanukah brunch with Rick's side of the family (also really need to go to confession that morning!).  Then Sunday we go to my side of the family's Christmas get together (must remember to bring two trays of finger foods).  Monday is Christmas Eve, which means frantic last minute shopping, Christmas Eve Mass at 6:00 p.m. etc.  Christmas Day we do the presents things.  Then I have to pick up Aunt Jackie and bring her back for Christmas dinner.  I am hoping Hannah willing to help with cooking that meal.

So in that list was my family's Christmas get together.  We used to exchange gifts but we've stopped that a while ago.  Now we just take what we would have spent (or more) and donate it to Service Source. At least I think that's who we'll donate to this year. It used to be called Central Fairfax Services, but I think they just changed their name. Anyway, this is an organization that my father was instrumental in founding and helping to run for many years. It provides services and job opportunities to adults with disabilities. There was a need to have some sort of organization to help out mentally disabled adults who had left the care of the school system and really didn't have any place to go, except to sit at home. My youngest sister was born with Down Syndrome. She's been attending CFS for decades now. So we all give annually to CFS or Service Source.

We also bring a toy to give to a child in the hospital over Christmas. This is in lieu of the 18 and under crowd all exchanging gifts. I'm a little sad about the no gifts thing, even though I am happy to donate a toy. But we really don't get together that often with the cousins, in spite of the fact that everyone lives fairly close by. Everyone is busy and taken up with their daily lives. So it actually was nice to get assigned a cousin or two to buy gifts for because you had to find out what they wanted and thereby get to know them a little better! But the donation thing is a good thing and much less of a headache when it comes to coordinating things, so it is okay. I just will make a big effort to catch with extended family members at the party!