A Norvell Note

December 14, 2025 – Vol. 29 No. 47

Give and Receive

The church promotes the event as an “act of service – an opportunity to give to those in need.” We had participated before and enjoyed it, so we put our names on the list to be greeters. We were to meet a family, walk with them as they selected a coat, take a family photo, help them get a name tag, and then escort them to the dining area.

The total time, including travel, was about 90 minutes. Little did I know that this “act of service” would bring me so much more than I gave. 

I introduced myself to the mother and her two children as we headed to the coat room. The room was packed with mothers and fathers searching through the coats piled high on tables, sorted by size. I stood by with a bag to hold their coats once selected. That’s when she (the little girl) found her coat. The lady assisting her handed her a pink jacket just her size. The look on her face when she turned around to show her mom was priceless. My heart “grew three sizes that day.”

Her smile spread across her face, her eyes could not have opened any wider, and she said, “Mom, I want this one!” The smile on her mother’s face was just as big. The lump in my throat also “grew three sizes that day.”

I have long known that “it is better to give than receive” (Acts 20:35), and this experience has reminded me that often when you give, you also receive.

I love you, 

Tom

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