I admit to tearing up when I looked up at the Amazon Bishop Maginn Christmas Wish List and saw that only two items remain on the list. One of the Betinnia color-changing Unicorn and Princess dolls (the color changes), and the second is “My First Crayola Touch Lights, Musical Doodle Board, a toddler toy.

The Unicorn and princess doll cost $27.99 and the Crayola touch lights with Musical Doodle Board costs $24.99.

When I put the list up last night, there were 49-51 items totaling $1,200. Many were for multiple purchases of the same gift. Now, there are two.

I told Sue Silverstein that it would probably take a couple of weeks to run through the list, but I was hopeful we could do it.

You have always come through for these children, and you help keep my faith in this amazing country strong and alive.

“Unbelievable! Simply amazing,! ” messaged Sue Silverstein as I sat down to write this. “Awake in the night worried about my families with rising virus numbers and more heartbreak on the way and you all come through for us in less than a day!”

(She will be happy to get her mail tomorrow and find $1,000 in gift cards for those families.)

Maria makes fun of me – I always worry about the lists – and like Sue Silverstein, I was awake for much of the night worrying about these kids. They already had tough lives, and Covid-19 has disrupted and threatened their tenuous grip on their family’s ability to manage their very hard lives.

They may be heading for another tough time, not that any time this year has been easy for them

I was especially concerned – okay, very worried – because the virus is hitting Albany with a vengeance and school officials think it is very likely to school will be shut down soon, along with many businesses.

Schools are starting to shut down all over the state.

On top of the obvious – money, income, health – their Christmas, which all of them celebrate, would be threatened.

If we didn’t sell out the list and get the presents to the school soon, these kids  – and their brothers and sisters – might have no Christmas gifts at all.

There were some software glitches with Amazon this morning, but they were quickly resolved.  That long and somewhat daunting list just began to shrink.

When I suggested this special list to the school weeks ago, we all thought it might be a tough list.

It was longer than usual, although Sue always makes sure to keep the cost of the items low, and the children absolutely never ask for anything expensive. In fact, they never ask for anything at all.

Sue and her students had a blast collecting items from the wish list for and from their shy classmates.  But all the kids loved making suggestions on behalf of each other, and their siblings.

I just didn’t know if we would make it this looming deadline. I should know better by now, but I don’t dare get cocky.

We have made it, those two remaining gifts will go.

I almost bought them myself this afternoon (I bought some stuff this morning) but I thought that honor should go to somebody in the Army of Good, they often complain to me that by the time they get to the Wish Lists, everything is gone.

Congratulations and thanks to whoever polishes it off. You can see the list, if anything is still on it, here.

Sometime in the next week or so, these kids will probably see their school closed again, possibly to January, February, even later. This will be an enormous hardship for them and their families, school is the center of their lives.

But they will all have something to open on Christmas.  Their parents are deeply grateful.

By the end of the week, all these presents will be at Bishop Maginn. We’ll make sure any late arrivals get there.

That’s what tears me up. I’m going to the school this coming Wednesday, I’ll be locked in the gym and talking to kids 20 feet away, coming and going through a side door once the gym is sprayed with the sprayer we bought for the school.

There is no limit to the goodness of these people. My guess is when I next look at the list later tonight, it will all be gone. I can’t thank you all enough on behalf of these amazing children and their courage and good faith.

The country often suggests they don’t deserve to be here, but my truth is that I wonder if we deserve them.