Silver Bells

One morning last week, as we were getting ready to start our day, Kiera came striding into our bedroom. “Mom.” She stated with purpose.

“Yes? What’s up, baby girl?” I asked.

Stepping in front of me, she said, “You know last year, we were going to ring the bell like we always do, but we didn’t get to ring it this last time? And you said that we would ring it this next year.”

Knowing exactly where she was headed, I grinned and asked teasingly. “So, you want me to sign us up to ring the bell again this year for the Salvation Army?”

“Yes!” She responded adamantly.

“Well, what if I told you that I already have us signed up to ring the bell on Saturday?” I said, still smiling at her.

She grinned and bounced. “Yeah! Good job.” She exclaimed before heading back to her room.

Since Kiera has been little, ringing the bell for the Salvation Army has been one of our Christmas traditions. She has always enjoyed it and it’s for a good cause.

As Saturday got closer, she reminded me several times about our upcoming bell-ringing gig.

Finally, Saturday afternoon rolled around. We dressed in our matching Christmas shirts, donned our Christmas jewelry and headed off to our station at United Supermarket.

“We have just a couple of minutes to go in and grab drinks.” I said as we got out of the car.

“I’ll go tell the people that we are going to take over for that we will be right there!” She exclaimed as she ran down the sidewalk to the two volunteers ringing the bells.

A few minutes later, we had our drinks and were outfitted with the red Salvation Army aprons and bells.

“Ok. I will tell people ‘Merry Christmas’ and I will ask them if they want suckers.” Kiera stated as she proceeded to line out our dialogue.

“Don’t forget to say thank you.’” I reminded her.

“I have three things to say! You only have one!” She responded, grinning from ear to ear as she swung her bell.

I quickly reassured her that I would say ‘thank you’ too.

We had a great time. I turned to a Christmas station on my phone and we sang along to the Christmas songs that played. Soon, Kiera began dancing as we sang and eventually threw in several splits.

At one point, Kiera “directed” my dance moves. I can’t even imagine the sight that was. But, honestly, I didn’t care how silly I might have looked. The joy radiating from Kiera’s face as we sang, laughed and danced was worth every moment.

To top it off, we brought a smile to many of the people that came by. A lot stopped to toss a few coins and often several dollars in the kettle. As Kiera wished them a Merry Christmas, they often bestowed her with a smile and responded in kind.

“I told my friend that we were going to ring the bell today. She didn’t know what it was.” Kiera mentioned to me at one point.

“What did you tell her?” I asked.

“I told her it was to help people.” She stated.

I melted a little at her response and went on to explain what the money was for that we helped raise.

It’s times like these, whether we are being silly or volunteering in our community, that make me proud to be a mom.

If you haven’t ever had the opportunity to ring the bell for the Salvation Army, take a chance and sign up. Have fun with it. Bring a little Christmas joy to someone, whether you are singing Christmas songs or just greeting people as you ring the bell.

Rowonna McNeely works as the Communications Manager for the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce. She and her husband, Aaron are regular volunteers in the community, and have their hands full with their daughter, Kiera, along with three dogs and one cat.

Thank you for sharing in our weekly journeys. If you have missed any of our past stories, check out our blog page at www.lifea2k.net or drop us a line at lifea2k@yahoo.com.