Josh's Christmas Spirit

I took this photo of Josh Friday morning.  He was so mismatched!  Although he's so dang cute, I just have to throw up my hands in surrender, and hope that when he discovers girls, hopefully several years from now, that the coordination of his clothing might become a little more important to him.  But the reason I even mention this picture is because of what Josh did today for a friend.

Notice the hat upon his head?  It's kind of hard to miss.  Big.  Red.  Angry.  Bird.  Josh has worn this hat every. single. day. since he received the hat for his birthday on October 21st, with the exception of our time in Arizona, because it was heartrendingly forgotten at home.  He loves it! 

Apparently, a friend of Josh's, Aiden, also loves Josh's hat.  Aiden had his last day at AIES today because his family is moving to North Carolina.  For the past week, Josh had been asking if we could go to the store to get Aiden an Angry Birds hat as a going-away gift.  It's not a cheap hat, and Josh has 3 dollars to his name, so I told Josh that a card would be a more appropriate gift for a friend that was moving.  Let's note here that Aiden is a good school-friend, but has never been such a close friend that the boys have even had a playdate before.  I do not know the boy.

My sweet, tenderhearted Josh arrived home today without his hat.  He decided he wanted to send Aiden off right and make him happy, so Josh gave Aiden his own Angry Birds hat.  Josh wasn't even bummed about it at all.  He said several times today how good he felt, how happy he felt that he had given his friend his hat.  His words: "I feel so good inside.  My heart is happy."

Adam and I, although we are down one beloved hat, are so proud of our kind little boy and his unprompted decision to choose friendship and another's happiness over his own.  In doing that, I know he has discovered that true happiness is found in serving and giving of ourselves to others.  On the eve of December, a month when we focus on service and sacrifice as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Josh has certainly caught the spirit of the holidays and has given us the gift of setting the perfect tone for our Christmas season.