Secret Santa...at Thanksgiving

Last week my brother posted something on facebook about how he was out of money and  couldn't eat because of it. My brother often has money problems, and I have never felt obligated to get involved. I feel like a lot of my family's problems with money stem from my parents lack of ability to not bail out their children when things get tight.

So anyway, when I first read about his troubles, I determined not to mind and trust that he'd be okay for a few days. Then there was some conversation on his facebook; some girl told him to get top ramen, he mentioned that he liked top ramen but couldn't afford it. This was too much.

Failing to get into all the reasons why this is absurd, and all the misuses of money that led to this scenario, my sister sense could not let such a situation continue. It wasn't until he texted me that night though, just mentioning how excited he was for Thanksgiving and having cookies and such that I knew I had to act. I determined then and there I would make him some cookies and drive them up to him.

While not entirely convenient, this plan seemed illuminated from above as the only thing to do, and the more I thought about it, the more excited I got. I would make him cookies and biscuits!! And why not get him some ramen too? I can afford it, right now at least. And why stop at ramen? How many cheap, easy meals could I acquire for my baby brother?

I went to Macey's and loaded up on all the macaroni, ravioli, spaghetti, ramen, tortillas, frozen pizzas, and whatever else i could think of that he would eat, all the while with this warm little glow inside of me, this giddiness as I imagnied his response. I felt like Harry Potter when he takes that lucky potion stuff. Just happy, and like it was right.

I drove up to Salt Lake with a car full of food and cookies, and a heart full of gratitude that I could help out my brother when he needed it. He thought I was just coming to bring him cookies, though he assured me it wasn't necessary.  I just told him I wanted to and that I was on my way.

When I got to his house I told him I needed help and had him come to my car.  He was like "how many cookies did you bring?," but as soon as he opened the door and saw all the groceries, it was totally worth the money and the drive. It was so neat; he was really appreciative and I could tell it meant a lot to him.

I don't write this to make myself look good. I just wanted to share this happy happy story of holiday cheer and goodwill. Later that night my brother texted me this

"I wanted to thank you for the food. It gave me an overwhelming sense of hope and made me feel like I was on the right path with tryin to tighten the belt and fix my finances. It really was quite touching."

I like listening to those nice impulses and doing something to help others out. I like when it really does help them and make a difference. Yeah!