I received a phone call one day from a young woman offering to donate a room full of baby items. The woman explained that the items were all brand new and that she needed to drop them off today.

The woman arrived at Bonnie’s soon after the phone call. I opened the gates to let her in and we both proceeded to unpack the car. There were so many items, including a brand new cot, tiny booties, dummies, bottles, many clothes, wraps, blankets and toys. While we carried everything into Bonnie’s, we started to chat. I discovered that the young woman and her husband had been trying to conceive for 8 years. But with so many failed attempts, they had both decided to give up their plans for trying for a family; she stated that they now both needed to focus on their life together.

They had decided to donate everything they had acquired for the baby. The dream this couple had shared was now slowly being replaced with another.

I began to take notice of all the items that I was carrying and could feel that each one, had been lovingly chosen with tenderness and hope. I felt so much compassion for this young woman; she appeared quite unemotional but I could sense that this was a deeply moving process for her. I thought of all the emotion that had gone into buying each item. The hopes, the excitement, the dreaming.

When the woman was about to leave, I thanked her on behalf of Bonnie’s and told her that all of the items would make another woman feel very cared for and special. I tried to convey how much her donation was appreciated.

It felt heartbreaking watching the woman drive away with an empty car. The items which had been lovingly gathered over the years were now gone. However, I thought of all of the women and children at Bonnie’s who will benefit from such kindness.

I consider this one of life’s generous gifts…a gift from the heart. I often wonder about this woman and what her future holds in store…

Alison D. is a community worker at Bonnie’s and loves spending time with her daughters, grandson and granddaughter. Her life consists of frequenting coffee shops (all shops to that matter) and listening to inspiring podcasts. She loves yoga, astrology, numerology, tarot and creating anything that makes a home look good. She also loves researching real estate (slight obsession), dancing and music and most importantly, laughing at her own jokes!

Photo by QThomas Bower