The Gift Of Giving

Getting older is an interesting experience. I find that more and more you stop worrying so much about the little things and you start to focus more on the important things. For me that’s family, friends and just spending time together.

I’ve also noticed that you appreciate certain things more, like a moment of peace, your morning coffee or the chance to help someone else, even if it’s just to bring a smile to their face.

Throughout my 20’s and 30’s I was always so focused on having a good time and doing what I wanted, when I wanted. Motherhood VERY quickly changed that and now as I am edging closer to the big 40 (crikey!) all I want for Christmas is to be with my loved ones and make memories that I will cherish and remember always.

Some of you may remember that we recently donated some boxes of our beautiful toys to Ronald McDonald House Charities Sydney, which they were able to distribute to children in Gunnedah, Muswellbrook, Moonan Flat and Armidale.

Although we were over the moon to be able to get these to the kids, especially in time for Christmas, I must admit that we did think that it was a fairly small donation to a big charity and would possibly get lost amongst some bigger donations, if that makes sense?

We had the pleasure of being assisted through the whole process by two amazing women, who were so kind and generous with their time. They went above and beyond and blew us away when they emailed us with some beautiful images (which I am sharing with their permission) of the children getting their toys and playing with them. What seemed like such an easy and small gesture on our part, quickly turned into an experience that made my soul happy and will stay with me forever.

It also took me back to that time a few years back where we were able to donate some toys in person to children in hospital. Another overwhelming experience that I will cherish always.

Seeing those pictures and hearing how grateful they were for our donation turned me into a blubbering mess! I was honestly overcome with emotion. I so wanted to talk about it in our stories on Instagram but knew that I wouldn’t make it through without crying and that was a bit too much for this camera shy introvert! (even now when I look at the photos I'm a mess!). So I felt it made more sense to share this experience here where I could hopefully adequately express my feelings and share all the beautiful photos with you all.

I know I’ve said it so many times already but this year has been a tough one and this has just been the best way to end it. Our little gift to them was so much more of a gift for us just seeing those little smiling faces and hopefully bringing them some joy amongst all the challenges each of them must face daily. 

So if you do get the opportunity, donate whatever you can to someone in need. It doesn’t have to be money, it could even be your time but whatever you can spare, can make such a difference and will leave you with the best feeling in the world...it really is the best gift you can give yourself. It’s also such a wonderful learning experience for our children. It gives them a better understanding of the world around them and teaches them the importance of kindness and sharing.

Now that Leo is a bit older (can’t believe he’s 5 in 8 days!!) he has a better understanding of these things so I sat down with him and explained to him what we had done and showed him all the pictures of the children. It was so rewarding seeing him process it all. He said he felt sad that the children were in hospital and said it was nice that they liked our toys.

Having the support of our loyal customers allows us to be able to donate whenever we can so we could not have done this without you! We’re all in this together :)

Thank you to the staff at RMHC who assisted us and were so lovely. We really look forward to donating again next year.

From our family to yours, we hope you have a magical and memorable Christmas with your loved ones.

Amy, Vojta & Leo xx