Last week, my two oldest daughters head to this overwhelming girlie store with Grammie to do some Christmas shopping. (Grammies like to take granddaughters to do such things, especially when these granddaughters are older yet still enjoy the AG excitement.) While the girls were helping with Grammie's shopping trip, youngest daughter and I were at home relaxing. I receive a frantic text from oldest daughter "They don't have Kanani anymore!" My heart sank. I just knew youngest daughter would be so very sad... and I was right. She was. It was the quiet kind of sad... with eyes full of tears and an expression of unbelief. Not the sad of a child who demands & expects. It's the kind of sad as a result of disappointment & ruined plans. My heart hurt for her. We had planned to spend the birthday shopping with Kanani, for Kanani. Sounds silly? To adults maybe, but to little girls.... it's a dream.
I spent the next several days on ebay, checking out the prices on this sold out doll. Honestly, I am a pretty practical, type A kind of personality. Spending a fortune on a doll? No way. Daddy is the oldest of three boys, he probably wouldn't understand either. But I was going to at least try to make this happen in some sort of reasonable fashion. Honestly, I also felt a bit responsible. I should have known that when the catalog said "while supplies last" it really meant that selling out was a possibility. In August, I had no idea and certainly wasn't thinking about a December birthday right before Christmas.
Prices on ebay for this doll skyrocketed to twice the normal store price. I would watch the auction prices rise clear to the end, then shut the laptop, and go to bed. Each night. Craigslist? Someone mentioned checking out Craigslist. Maybe. I have heard about strange, sometimes scary stories from sales from that site. I was running out of options though. Had to at least give it a try. After a couple of days, I found an ad for a Kanani doll. A grandmother had purchased one for her granddaughter, but this granddaughter had ended up winning a doll (really??), so she needed to sell hers, new in box. The price: TOO much! She was a grandma. Surely she would understand. The ad said to text for info. But instead of texting for information, I texted her my information. I told her about the disappointment of a sold out gift. Never hurts to try, right?
Late the next day I get a response, telling me she will take less than she is asking for, which is more than the store's price, but less than TOO much (Who am I kidding? It's a doll. The store price is too much!) On Sunday evening, after daughter is snuggled in bed, I text the grandma. I'll take it. Daddy had given his blessing to spend a little extra. I'm hesitantly excited. Is the seller really an ax murderer? Is she really a grandma? Is she really a SHE??? She gives me a number to call in the morning to make arrangements to hook up. I call the next morning, while standing in my driveway in the rain. Couldn't risk spoiling the surprise now! The seller (definitely a woman) and I make arrangements to meet at a Target parking lot (security cameras, probably not a serial killer so feeling good about it at this point). I tell youngest that this exchange is for the oldest daughter's Christmas gift (we do this kind of story telling around the holidays), and that she needs to keep oldest daughter distracted. Youngest is excited to be a part of this sneaky surprise plan. Exchange is made. Grandma must have been feeling a bit guilty about the asking price, as she tries to justify. I don't care. I look her in the eyes and tell her it's ok. Really it is. Kanani is in the back of the van, new in box, just as hoped for. Youngest still doesn't know.
We drive to the mall, as youngest assumes we are just going to go ahead and see what else might be of interest to her in the AG store. Cold, rainy day. We get out of the van, and I call for youngest to join me at the back to see the "surprise" for oldest daughter. Oldest and middle daughters are positioned in the back seat of the van, camera in hand, ready to capture the moment. Tailgate was providing protection from the rain. Nothing was providing protection for the heart... the heart of a little girl who was surprised to find her gift, the Kanani doll she had been planning for, hoping for. What an amazing moment of joy!
You see... the amazing thing is this... as silly as it sounds, I asked God if it was ok to pray for a doll. When things looked impossible, I prayed to the God of All Things Possible. If it was able to happen, He was the one who could make it happen. I don't think I have ever prayed for a doll before. But in all honesty, I wasn't really praying for a doll at all... I was praying for my daughter, for her disappointment to be soothed, for her birthday to be special. Birthdays are a big deal in our family. It is a day when you get to choose the activity of the day, the lunch location, the cake, etc. And having a birthday around Christmas time can really be tough. It's difficult to have a birthday party a week before Christmas--everyone is so busy. People are distracted. She doesn't complain, but I'm her momma. I can see the bigger picture. What I realize is that God feels the same way about me, about you. He is our Father. He sees the even bigger picture. He cares about the little things (each sparrow, the number of hairs on our head). I smile as I think about this... about how much God cares for us. About how much he cares about the little things.
My youngest daughter had the birthday of her dreams. Middle daughter was so excited, and yet gently reminded her that not every birthday will be like this one. (Maybe middle daughter is a bit like me--a little more on the realistic side.) Each one of us, including Grammie, was so happy and excited at how the day played out. It was perfect, cold rain and all. :) Blessings continued throughout the day. My prayers is that my daughters will always trust the Lord, in the the little and the big. Everything matters to God.
I love the story! I especially love that it happened to you all:) What joy and a special celebration. Thank you for sharing it here.
ReplyDelete