Oh, the Joys of a Care Package.

I was having a rough day. It seemed like no matter what I did nothing felt right.

I didn't want to hear another word in Japanese.
I didn't want to eat Japanese food.
I didn't want to spend another paycheck just on the necessary groceries we needed.
I didn't want to live so far from family any more.

I just wanted to get in a car that I called my own, order a chicken nugget meal at Chick-fil-a in English and go grocery shopping at Target (oh, how I miss Target) so I could bring home a weeks worth of groceries for fifty bucks.

I wanted to go home.

As I was having my moment of frustration, the doorbell rang. I opened it and there stood a small Japanese man with two large packages. He held out his hand that held a clipboard and motioned for me to sign.

I was so excited. I knew EXACTLY what this was. It was some love from back home from my mother-in-law. This was EXACTLY what I needed today.

The three of us huddled around excitedly to see what part of the United States was waiting for us in this box. What kind of things my mother-in-law spent time picking out for us, what kind of things we would cherish for some time.

She blessed us with a bunch of clothing for Noah. I was so happy to have American style clothing in his size. Some underthings for me (ok, I didn't bring near enough when I moved here), some things for my hubby and some of our favorite American candy.

Noah Sporting One of His New Outfits.

This instantly changed my mood.

I was happy to be loved on like this from a family member.
Happy to have something to remind me of home.
Happy to have this reminder that we have amazing people back home who love us this much.

If you have a family member overseas for whatever reason and you want to show them love and bless them with something that would really mean a lot to them, you might want to consider a care package.

Tips for Sending a Care Package Overseas

*Make sure you check with the person you are sending the care package to about anything you should NOT send them in the package. There are things that customs might not let into the country or would be suspicious of if they opened the box. Cash is NEVER a good thing to send overseas in a care package.

*Make sure you have a gift for each person that you send the care package to. This let's them know that not only were you thinking of the family as a whole but each one of them has a special place in your heart.

*Pictures from home are great to keep them updated on what is going on back home. A picture of their niece's ballet recital, your last birthday event, etc. It means a lot when you keep families away from home in the loop.

*Email or ask the family if there is anything they really miss that they can't get where they are living. You'd be amazed how much a jar of peanut butter is worth to the person who can't find it anywhere where they live.

*By far the cheapest way to send care packages to most countries is through the US Postal Service's International Priority Flat-rate Boxes. Check out www.usps.com for more information.

For even more great ideas on care packaging tips check out this website here.