At the Dollar Tree...again.

As you probably now know, I spend some time at the Dollar Tree. I can only blame the blog Dollar Store Crafts. I'm in love.
Anyway, a few posts ago I had an "incident" in the Dollar Tree. Nothing major. I held my tongue and walked away feeling pretty good.
Last week the kids and I ventured back into the store. We needed a few things (well I wanted a few things) and were standing in line. The kids were even behaving themselves, standing there very angelically. The woman in front of us turned around and said "You know what I heard?" to the kids. They look at me then back at her and ask "What?".
"Santa Clause is coming...to town!" (singing). And the kids very nicely say-"Uh-huh" nodding. She tells me to enjoy them because they grow up all too fast. Her son is in the Marines and is doing a tour in Afghanistan now. She continued how Christmas will be hard on them without him there. I told her how one of our closest friends was Army and did a year in Iraq. She pays for her items and tells the kids that she is putting the things into a box for a Marine who is stationed with her son and doesn't have any family. She asks if we want to help her pack up her box at the car. I agree and after we pay we head over to her car. Then comes the moment..."Do you homeschool???" My stomach dropped. All I could think about was the last time someone asked me that question...."Yes."
"GOOD FOR YOU!!! I homeschooled my kids too!!"
(sigh of relief)
She gave me her phone number and told me she had a bunch of books leftover from her kids and wanted us to have them! We love books!
Well, we head over to her house on Monday to pick up the books and she has a giant box of stuff for us. Inside the box was TWO American Girl Dolls!! She said that her daughter didn't want them anymore (she's 18). She said she was going to give them to Goodwill if we didn't want them. My girls have not put those dolls down for 4 days!
We wrote to the Marine she told us about and told him how God brought us together at the Dollar Tree and how the kids helped to pack his box. We told him that we were praying for him everyday to come home safe. The kids are hoping he will write back.
If you can, pray for him, and for our new friend's son too. I think most of us can't imagine how she must feel this Christmas. Please pray for all of the families who have someone serving and for those who are fighting for freedom. Whether it's our freedom, or someone else's.
Also, please pray for everyone who is going to be celebrating this Christmas time with a heavy heart, missing someone they love.
Well, I had better go now...gotta go make gingerbread dough for our gingerbread party tomorrow. I will try to post pictures :)
Blessings~