It’s easy to get wrapped up in the commercialization of Christmas, but one 5-year-old boy is providing a much needed reminder that real joy comes from giving, not receiving.
I’m talking about Branson Carlisle. If you live in Alabama, you might be familiar with his story already. Branson was a normal boy with a massive heart. While most kids think about all of the toys they’ll wake up to on December 25th, Brandon was worried about the kids around the world who wouldn’t be getting any presents.
“He wanted all the kids in Africa to have toys,” Branson’s mother Jessica Carlisle told WHNT News. “I mean, he was going to give his own toys.”
Last week Branson was bit by a brown recluse spider. He was taken to the hospital, but his health quickly deteriorated, and he ultimately passed away.
“The only time they got his heartbeat back was the seventeenth time they shocked him, and they had his heart beating for four seconds, and I had enough time to tell him I loved him,” his mother said.
But Branson’s big, loving heart lives on. His parents have decided to honor his wishes and donate all of his Christmas presents to children who normally wouldn’t get any.
While you enter the holiday season, let Branson’s story inspire you to give selflessly, and to think of others before yourself.
If you want to help Branson’s dream become a reality, you can drop toys off at his family’s church, Freelife Worship Center in Sardis, Ala.
Check out the video below to learn more about Branson’s story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyjKth8afE8
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