Toybox is a sharing experience

To the editor: 1991 was the first of 13 Christmas seasons I spent as a single parent of two girls. At my Community Counseling Center session I was paired up with a young girl who had just lost her job, was losing her home and had three young children and no family to help her. I had been feeling sorry for myself until she made me realize I was blessed with a decent job, a home and the support of a loving family. I never forgot her.

Through the years my budget was stretched thin, but my children never did without at Christmas time. In 2004 as I read the Toybox stories in the Missourian and once again thought of that young girl. That year and the following year I allotted a certain amount of money and scoured the stores for toys asked for in the Toybox articles. This year throughout the year I've watched for clearance toys, two-for-one deals and sales on toys. My Toybox corner in the basement just keeps growing. Although I don't get to see the faces of the children who receive my toys, I get the satisfaction of knowing I made a difference in a child's Christmas.

Through no fault of their own, many children in our area are put in dire circumstances. I encourage you to open your hearts and your wallets this year during the holiday season. You'll definitely find that it is more of a blessing to give that receive. I know I have.

JANE BUTLER, Cape Girardeau