A Christmas wish landed right in Pamela Johnson’s lap.

That would be her great-niece, Serenity Ramsey. At 18 months old, Serenity needed a more stable home than her young mother, Johnson’s niece, could provide. So Serenity ended up living with her great-aunt Pamela, who has no children of her own.

Johnson says her niece, who’s 23, was trying to be a good mother. But she also wanted to be with Serenity’s father, and they didn’t have a stable place to live.

“She was in places she shouldn’t have been with the baby,” says Johnson.

Johnson’s sister was taking care of one grandchild from another daughter. But she was worried about what was happening with Serenity.

“She didn’t like the way some of the houses looked. She was so upset, thinking she was going to have to take on two responsibilities.

“My sister and I have always been close. Growing up, people thought we were twins.”

So Johnson and her husband decided to give Serenity a home.

“God put it in my heart to step in and help out,” she says. The little girl came home with them in June.

That was fine with Johnson. She’s always loved children. Johnson used to be a daycare worker, and her own mother took care of children when Johnson was growing up.

“My sisters and I have a love of family and children,” she says. “My mom’s the baby of 16, and I’m the baby of five.”

For 16 years, Johnson drove a school bus, a job she loved because it put her in contact with children every day.

But she had an accident and now can’t work because of nerve damage to her hand. Her husband works as a truck driver. But with only one income, money is tight.

“The load is heavy here,” she says.

Johnson visited the Salvation Army’s Christmas Bureau recently to sign up for help. The Christmas Bureau provides toys with support from the Observer’s Empty Stocking Fund.

Johnson wouldn’t have gone for herself, but going for Serenity is different.

“I just went down there for her. She’s pretty much out of her parents’ life.”

The little girl doesn’t need much. Despite the changes in her life, she’s a typical, active baby. She loves music, and playing with baby dolls. She loves tearing up paper.

For Christmas, Johnson hopes to be able to give her some clothes and shoes, and maybe a toy or two. Just a few small things, she says.

“Just to let her know that she’s loved,” Johnson says. “What I’m really going to try to instill in her is more family and trying to be a good citizen.”