Friday, April 13, 2012

CP Anonymous


Hi, my name is Juli and I have a Care Package Addiction.

Hiiiii, Juuuuuliiii

It began last February when I got word that my friend Clint was in the hospital. He had shockingly been diagnosed with Stage IV Testicular Cancer and was battling for his life in the ICU.

I wanted to DO something. I had to DO something. First, I decided to ask my daughter’s first grade teacher if the class would write letters to my hospital stricken friend.

While I was at it, I had a package headed out to a local soldier currently stationed in Afghanistan. He had contacted me through work about the possibility of getting some playing cards sent to them for their down time. I asked the teacher about letters to the Soldiers, too. What a great way to get letter writing practice for the kiddos and smiles to the Soldiers overseas.

The kiddos did an outstanding job. They even drew pictures for each of my friends and sent encouragement and heartfelt blessings to both of these men in very different situations.

Following the letters sent to Clint, after he was released from the Hospital, I gathered up a care package of all sorts of goodies for him and his family. I sent water guns, silly putty, cards, candy, and other little knick knack stuff I thought they might like. It was either in that Care Package or the next one that I even threw in Rehoboth, DE Tee Shirts for his two boys.

I got a picture later of Clint squirting the boys with the squirt gun and a picture of the boys sporting their matching tee shirts fresh out of the bath tub. Adorable!

After that, I guess I just continued gathering things here and there for different people. Things from my state if they were out of staters, things I hoped would bring a smile, things that the receiver probably wouldn’t have sought out to get for themselves.

In the early winter Newborn Care Packages even made their way to the post office from us. I loved buying the little onesies and remembering how tiny my kiddos were, just yesterday.

In January, during our Hunt for Pluto, we began to receive a Care Package or two here and there. How awesome that was, especially when the Pluto we were hunting for surprisingly showed up at our house. So, what did we do? Well, of course we sent a Care Package right back to Miss Gail and her girls in Florida as a Thank You for finding our Pluto. Once again, I even threw in matching DE shirts for the girls. (Maybe I should hook Clint’s boys up with Gail’s girls?? Hmmmm)

Then my Care Package Addiction took off running this February/March. After a beautifully written thank you from my childhood buddy Jenny, some inspiring thank yous on my Facebook from a couple of my Care Package Recipients and some encouragement and reinforcement from my Mom.

I have to be honest and tell you that giving a Care Package is somewhat selfish of me. I would venture to say it actually gives me a little high. I love the suspense of it, I love the smiles it brings, I love that it completely catches friends of guard. I try my darnedest to keep my mouth shut about who the next one is going to. I also like it best when I’m not caught red handed dropping it off. The mailed packages are much easier in that sense but the dropped off ones give me a chance to tease with a picture on Facebook.

My underlying intention of these Care Packages? It’s something Clint Miller taught me. One thing he said over and over before he left for Heaven was to be kind to others. Buy a stranger a Coffee; pay for the toll of the car behind you; hold the door; acknowledge a kind deed or a kind word; DON’T take life for granted; Simply love your people.

So, My People, be it known, I’m getting to your package.

1 comment:

  1. As a lucky recipient of these awesome care packages, I'm glad you get a high from sending them because my kids were beyond thrilled to receive their box. It came at just the right time when we all needed to know our friends were around. It also inspired me to pass it on. While I haven't gotten to full out care packages (I'm trying to reach your level of awesomeness) I have been trying to surprise people with some random acts of kindness here and there. Thank you for being such a wonderful friend and teaching me how to be a wonderful friend too! Love you.

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