Yes, Virginia.....
My co-workers surprised me today.
Right before my lunch break all of my team-mates started congregating around my supervisor's cube (which is right next to mine)... I double checked my email to make sure I hadn't missed anything... nope, nothing there.
So I tidy up my desk and get ready to log out for my lunch when my supe asks me to come over for a minute.
And there at her desk is not only my entire team, but filtering in, the other department supes, the department head, the department admin, the operations people, and a few 'former' PA people who have moved to other departments.
My Super Supe then presented me with a folded piece of paper and asked me to read it out loud...
"And we want tears!" came somewhere from the crowd...
Oh, there were tears alright!
They gave me a HUGE package of items. A basket filled with towels and personal care items like shampoo & conditioner, soap and deodorant, a hand crotchet scarf and hat (by one of the guys no less!). A TOTE filled with misc food items like PB and J, applesauce, Zatarans, ketchup, miracle whip, tomato sauce. Toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, spices, laundry soap, dish soap, garbage bags... and some stuff I'm missing... and THEN I was given a gift bag full of gift cards, Cub, Rainbow, Caribou, Starbucks, BlockBuster, Target, Walmart... and a little cash on top of THAT!
What an amazing gift.
Several of the people who donated I hardly know!! Everyone was so amazingly generous.
I couldn't say thank you enough. I got a hug from just about everyone there.
WIth holiday money being so terribly tight this year, I was really struggling to try and enjoy some of the holiday spirit and I was feeling a bit down in the dumps since today is Dad's birthday... Christmas doesn't seem to feel right without him...
And then my team swooped in and reminded me that Santa really does exist.
I'm pretty sure my Dad is up there somewhere watching from the choir loft, enormous angel wings spread out around him while he's smiling and crying just like I am right now.