RACK:: Day 2

I am using the acronym RACK to refer to our 25 "Random Acts of Christmas Kindness" project from here on. It's just easier to type! Now on to Day 2!

Tonight we knew we were taking the kids downtown to experience OKC's "Downtown in December" free activities. Besides the obvious free things like looking at all the amazing lights or playing at the cool kids' park, many activities are available at no charge during the month of December. Today the Art Museum was free along with the Crystal Bridge Botanical Garden and the Water Taxi Rides through the Bricktown Canal.  It was a beautiful 70 degree night here, and we didn't even need our jackets. Many people were out and about, and it felt nice to stroll along looking everything. After we played outside at the park we watched the ice skaters swish and slide around the outdoor ice rink, then headed over to the Devon Energy Building to look at all the twinkling Christmas decorations they had displayed. Once the sun was town, we took a stroll through the Botanical Garden which was completely decked out in Christmas lights. For dinner, we tried a new place called Fuzzy's Tacos, and it ended up being quite delicious. Finally, it was time to put our second RACK activity in motion. Our plan was to buy a $5 Sonic gift card, and when our water taxi ride was over, the kids were going to hand it to our boat tour guide as a way to say thank you. We grabbed the gift card then headed to the boat dock only to realize every single person in Oklahoma City had the same idea as us. The line for the free boat rides was long. I mean wrap-around-buildings long. It might have had something to do with the nice weather or the first weekend the rides were free, but whatever the case, it was already 8:00 on a school night and we had to tell the kids it wasn't going to happen.

Plan B.

We still had our gift card in hand, so we decided to pray with the kids to ask God to show us someone around us in need. The girls eagerly began searching as we started the long walk back to where we had parked our van. As we passed by the Cox Convention Center, we all spotted our "victim". An elderly man was emptying the large trash cans in front of the building. He had on a polo shirt with the Cox logo which made it clear that he worked there. Without hesitation, the kids and I walked up to him and handed him the card. We told him we wanted him to have it and hoped he had a wonderful night. We thanked him for his hard work and said, "God bless you!" It was apparent he didn't speak much English, but he smiled a big smile and said, "Thank you."

As we walked off, we explained to the kids that although they were disappointed they didn't get to ride the boat, God had other plans. We told them that the boat drivers get tips for each tour they gave, where that man probably does a thankless job with no extra money. Sometimes God interrupts our plans with his, and his plans are always best.  Leah said, "It was like we were supposed to give it to him." And Hannah told me her heart felt happy.

Oh my Loves, my heart is happy too.

* Pics to come soon. I have apparently surpassed the amount of photos allowed on blogger. I will need to purchase more space sometime soon.