We Were Bell Ringers...

A couple of weeks ago Anna and I were walking out of Wal-Mart and the Salvation Army bell ringers were there ringing the bell. Anna asked why they were there (as she does each year). I explained to her what Salvation Army did for people and why they were collecting money. After our little talk, she asked if we could ring the bell to help people. I told her that I would call and find out. A week or so later, she asked me (as we see bell ringers all over the place) if I had called. I had totally forgotten about her request and so I put it on my to-do list.

I called the week of Thanksgiving and explained to the volunteer coordinator that I had a 5 year old who was excited to help out. I also spoke about my worries of her needing to use the restroom, getting bored, and just plain not making it through the 2 hour time slot. He assured me it would be okay and that even in the event she had to go to the bathroom, the kettle was pad-locked to the hook and we could go into the store and go. Even then, I was worried that she couldn't last the two hours without begging to go home, so I asked for a 'very' close location- Sears- so that Daddy could come and get her in the event she was too 'bored.'

Well, I'm here to tell you, my daughter surprises me every day. She got up this morning, got her warm clothes on, didn't argue about the gloves and hat (which she later took off), got her smile on, spoke up loudly (she has the tendency to talk quietly to strangers), and rang that bell. We discussed on the way what we would say when someone put money in the kettle. I would say "thank you" and she would say "Merry Christmas." And even though sometimes I had to coax her a bit, she did it.

I'm beaming with pride tonight as I write this for the girl who wants to help people, the girl, who even though got 'bored' a couple of times, stood there for two hours without asking to go home, rang the bell and wished everyone, even those who didn't donate, "Merry Christmas!"