Sacrificial Hospitality Challenge: Week 2

Since last week's challenge was a definite success and my spirits are high, I am excited to face week 2 of my Lenten journey!

So here's something I've noticed...

Every time I go to the doctor's office for one of my kids- whether it be the regular pediatrician or my daughter's follow-up appointment at the hospital- I seem to be one of very few parents prepared for the wait. I always have snacks, books, crafts, coloring books and crayons, small toys, you name it...

And you know what ends up happening? Kids gather around me. I end up reading to a small crowd (which is perfectly fine, by the way!) and tearing out coloring book pages and doling out crayons. I really don't mind doing it, but I have to admit I sometimes feel sorry for the kids. And sometimes the parents seem somewhat embarrassed.

This week I plan to put together small "waiting room packages" to hand out. Children's books can be had for pennies at thrift stores or a dollar at Target. Or, quite honestly, I could retire a couple of our own for this purpose. We have a whole lot of crayons and coloring pages are easily printed up. I figure four crayons, a couple coloring pages, a small book, and a little snack (like a granola bar, for instance) would make a nice, neat package to help keep little ones happy and entertained. I look forward to being able to share these little treats with other parents and maybe making their day a little easier... it's not always easy to remember to pack those things when you're worried about a sick little one!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How about you? Have you ever found yourself sharing with another family's children? Or perhaps you've benefitted from the generosity of others? What ways do you think you could reach out in a hospitable way? Feel free to join me on this challenge and be sure to come back for my results next Thursday!