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FLIP FLOPS!!!!!

I am literally sitting here in the middle of a pile of cardboard boxes that were filled with flip flops an hour ago.  360 pair of flip flops to be exact (and I know more are on their way).  I am BLOWN AWAY!  I am humbled.  I am thankful.  I am in awe.  Several months ago my son, Tiki, asked for flip flops for his birthday.  You can read the back story here.  That, in itself, was priceless.  My boy with the big smile and the gigantic heart asked for flip flops for the kids still living in his orphanage.

Within minutes of me posting about Tiki's birthday wish, I began to receive email confirmations from Old Navy and Zappos and Children's Place.  I got emails from Saudi Arabia and Germany and Hong Kong and Jordan and Missouri and Oklahoma and Texas and Utah and California and places unknown.  Then the packages began arriving and never stopped!

We opened the boxes today and our faces were plastered with smiles and our hearts were bursting!  Literally we were all so overwhelmed and amazed and thankful!  (We have NO IDEA how we are going to get them all to Rwanda).  And we just kept telling Tiki, look at what YOUR wish did.  Look at all of the kids YOU are helping.  He was beaming!!!!

Then we sat down to read the cards.  Cards of love and caring and generosity.  Cards from family and friends and strangers.  Literally.  Strangers.  The cards made my heart well up because I know that most of these flip flops were purchased and sent from tight budgets and because of that I am humbled.  You know who you are.  I hate to mention names because so many boxes didn't have names and some may have gotten mixed up in the piles of trash and I don't want to leave anyone out.  But you know who you are and we are truly grateful.  I am so so so grateful.  Thank you for making my boy's eyes light up, thank you for making his wish come true nearly 400 times over!!!!
These are first graders from Orange County who donated flip flops to their school because their teacher (who is a friend of ours) got permission from the school to do a flip flop drive.  (Their box hasn't arrived yet.)
This is a darling girl from Utah (the daughter of a friend) who was especially moved by Tiki's story and she took it upon herself to do a flip flop drive.  HUMBLED!  (Her box hasn't arrived yet, either.)
I don't think Tiki even realizes what has just happened.  I hope this will be something that will stick in his mind forever.  I can't wait to get to Rwanda and let him give these to the kids.  I can't wait to see his face then.  I hope someday he will be able to verbalize what it felt like.  It may go eternally filed with all of his other inexpressible memories, but I hope this happy memory brings him encouragement and pride throughout the years as he thinks about what his one little wish became!

Happy Birthday, Tiki!  I love you and I am so proud of you and your big generous heart!!!

Comments

rockstarmama0316 said…
That is the most beautiful thing I have read all day. What a happy birthday for a generous, caring boy.
February 3, 2014 at 6:42 PM
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