do you guys have an angel tree around? i'd bet you do. i never noticed the one at our neighborhood grocery until this year. being a mom, i think, has me noticing everything around me more. like a mama bear. or an ninja eavesdropper. you know what i mean.

anyhow, i stood in front of the one at our grocery and got all teary. and when i say teary, i mean that i started crying there and came home and continued to cry on the couch for a bit. why, oh why i let myself get so wound up in myself that it takes something like this to bring me back to reality, i don't know. but i think it probably happens to everyone?

tags listed children of all ages. and yes, there were some tags with "wishes" like "video game." but most of the tags wishes were things like "coat with hood," "books," and "shoes, size 3"

i felt like such an ass, what with a warmly bundled baby and $4 organic milk in my cart, as i ran around the grocery and surely did mental financial math at the same time-- how on earth will we balance our bathroom renovation with the trip to costa rica this spring? GAG. ME.

so very ashamed, i wanted to tear off all the names and take them home and get them all coats with hoods and books. i wanted to give them one of adam's three coats.

instead, i picked one and ran out of the store before i ran into someone i knew while crying in our grocery store. i picked a boy the same age as adam and had fun doing a little shopping for him the next morning.

and then i looked into the angel tree and i read lots of news stories online that said the angel trees are suffering and receiving extended deadlines because of the economy. (knew i should have taken all those names...) folks. a coat for this kid and a couple books was a grand total of $15.

as a side note- i don't agree with EVERYTHING the salvation army stands for (like how they're against a woman's right to choose abortion and encourage celibacy for homosexuals, whaaaaaaaaaaaat?! yeah.) - but it is true they do much good. and, yay for their marketing team. their little bell app is so fun and their recent commercials also make me sniffle.