On Christmas Eve at my mom’s house, I met an incredible young lady who my nephew had invited for the holiday. She came from Indiana and had gotten her nursing degree there. Anxious to leave Indiana she ventured out and signed up to be a traveling nurse, something I had never heard of. It’s where you go from clinic to clinic anywhere in the United States as needed from 8 to 16 weeks at a time, wherever needed.

Well her first adventure was at a clinic in New Mexico at a Navajo Indian reservation. She had been there only one week when I met her. She shared with us the poverty she saw all around her. No electricity, no running water, shacks for homes, and many homeless but what really sadden her heart were families coming into the clinic who had no food to feed their families much less a Christmas dinner and definitely no toy’s for their children. Also seeing them in the same clothes day after day really broke her heart.

I thought you’ve come to the right place. My sister Cyndie and I are always stashing old clothes and stuff throughout the year in our family barn, to have huge yard sales in the summer. We were both off work the week after Christmas, pondering what we were going to do that week. We looked at each other and said, “Let’s go to New Mexico!”

So we gathered up all the clothes and toys. Cyndie went to Rite Aid and Vallarta’s grocery store in Newhall and they donated their 75%-off toys, cupcakes, cookies, 12 jars of spaghetti sauce and 12 packages of spaghetti. We loaded up my sister’s SUV which has a trailer shelf on the back. With our luggage on the top and boxes and bags filled beyond capacity, off we went; Cyndie, her husband Max, my great niece (age 12) , my great nephew (age 10), my 78 year old mother and myself.

On the trip over we had stuff under our feet in the car, on our laps, stuff stuck in any corner we could to make it all fit. It took us 12 hours to get there, driving all night depending on our GPS to lead the way. Arriving at 3 a.m. we stayed with our new friend Sasha (the nurse).

The next morning we met with a pastor of a nearby church on the reservation. We really hadn’t thought of how we were going to distribute the goods, so we figured it out as we went. We set up tables for serving spaghetti, bread and bottled water. In another room we set up tables for them to shop. My niece and nephew starting cooking the spaghetti and we accomplished setting up a store. With only one day notice we had 100 people show up. We fed them and then let all the children go through and pick a toy for themselves. Then we let the parents go through and shop for their needs.

It was like when Jesus fed the multitudes, we had no idea how far the goods would go. But it all turned out to be exactly enough. The people were so grateful and were amazed that there were people who would come from far, just to give to them! With all the smiles, hugs and heartfelt gratitude it was amazing what we got out of doing such a deed. Our cups runneth over! It was an amazing trip!

The next day we had a guide take us through the Canyon of Chilly, a National Monument. Our guide shared with us the history of their Navajo tribe and many folklore stories and traditions. When we returned our hostess had her Indian neighbors come over to teach us how to make Indian fry bread and have a feast. They also came bearing handmade gifts for us and showed us their jewelry they make of turquoise and beads. We played games around the livingroom floor and laughed until our sides hurt.

The next morning we packed up our not-so-over packed SUV and headed for home.

As I reflect on our trip I find myself smiling and savoring the memories that were made with our new friends. With only one day notice to pull this off, can you imagine what we could do if we had more time to plan? Well maybe we’ll find out next year. If anyone asked me, “What did you do on your Christmas vacation?” I’d have to say, “Wow! What an adventure we had!” I wonder what my next adventure is?!