LIVE. LAUGH. LOVE.

I woke up a little chilly this morning. I could feel the cold air seeping through the windows and under my front door. The bitter, North wind had brought me an early taste of the Winter to come. The weather forecast called for cold, rainy days for the rest of the week too. "It is time to break out the sweaters, thick socks, and hot chocolate", I thought to myself.

Later in the day I headed to the grocery store to pick up a loaf of bread. As I walked in I noticed the cans of soup stacked high along the wall. They were all on sale and I decided to stock up for the rest of the week. I had always loved a can of hot soup on a cold day since I was a child. I could remember shivering after bringing in firewood to our house during the Winter and having my Mom smiling in front of a bowl of steaming soup, freshly made for my lunch. The warmest part of it all, though, was the gentle touch she would give the back of my head when I would sit down to take that first sip.

I walked to the checkout line with my bread and cans of soup. I was looking forward to a warm lunch when I noticed the food pantry bin near the wall. It wasn't empty, but it wasn't full either. I thought for a second of all the loving Moms in the area with no cans of soup to give their own children. I glanced upward and thought of my own Mom smiling down on me. Then I paid for my food, grabbed my bag full of soup cans, and placed it in the collection bin.

As I walked outside the cold air did its best to bite into me, but it couldn't chill the God-given warmth I felt inside. I drove home with a heart full of love happily remembering the words: "I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me; I was naked and you gave me clothing; I was sick and you took care of me." May all of your days here be warm ones full of love, giving, and God.