Day 258: Gifts for the Giving Tree

This year when I was making my list of persons that we give to, I came to a standstill when my dear friend Ruths' name came to mind. We always exchanged gifts for many years and I decided this year to continue to give, but to give something in Ruth's memory. For some reason, (maybe the economy) there are many tags left in the baskets at our church, so I took 2 tags to do in her name. I was off and looking for a ladies hat and gloves and a little boys sweater. Found the sweater in no time, but the hat and gloves was a project. Went to several stores looking for a set, but not much luck. Lots of fancy hats and separate gloves, but keep in mind, these people are poor and homeless, so I was looking for something warm. Finally found a hat and gloves to match and that felt like they would keep somebody warm. So, today we took them to church to put under the tree. They also were collecting small sizes of personal items such as the shampoo, soap and hand lotion from motels. When we were on our trip South in October, I saved all the ones we did not use and today added our bag to the box. Again, it was a great feeling to know we helped and that if Ruth were here, she would have done the giving tree gifting.