What's Your Need?

What's your need? I posed this question to myself this morning as I waited to deliver the Christmas gifts my bunko group donated to a needy family in our community.
My list went something like this:
I need.......New living room furniture, my carpet cleaned, more gifts for my children to even up their Christmas, and a vacation from the chaos I create for myself and my family.

As I sat in my car thinking about "my needs", I was so ashamed. Not one of the things on my list are needs. My family doesn't "NEED" anything. For several years, I have been involved in buying toys and clothes for families and even worked for an organization who was the recepient of these types of donations. I was always eager to talk about what I had purchased for this family or that child but you know, I never once wanted to be the one who delivered the gifts. That would have made it too real. Some how this year, I ended up with the items and was the one to deliver. It is a lot different buying the gifts and wrapping them up than delivering them and talking to the people. I was overwhelmed with the generosity our group showed for this family but that feeling was overshadowed by the mother's response. As we filled up (literally) her car with all the clothes, toys, and household items for her family, she could not even speak. What was such a small gesture from each of the 12 of us, was an enormous blessing for her family and her children. I left that parking lot this morning with mixed emotions. I was very proud of the fact that we were able to provide for this family but I was also very saddened by the fact that I take for granted how blessed my family is. What if my list of needs looked like theirs? How would I feel if I needed help to provide Christmas for my family? I have no answers to these questions? We are so blessed!!!!!! How do we ever forget that? I will remember this morning for the rest of my life and hopefully the next time I start having that "NEEDY" feeling, I will think about what real needs are.