A (real) Christmas Story

In 1987 we had been in Olympia WA for about 10 months. We were renting one side of a duplex. In the other side there was a lovely old woman (I will call her Sadie). She was a kind neighbor. My husband was working a $5 an hour job while we tried to make ends meet. We were way too broke to even think of Christmas presents and we were hoping the kids would not notice. The boys were only 4 years old and 18 months old; but my daughters were 10 and 8 years old, they were not quite so forgiving; but there was nothing for it but to pay bills; keep warm; and be glad we were alive.
I have to admit, I was not doing a very good job of being grateful on the day Sadie came over to see how we were doing. She asked if we were keeping warm and what our plans were for Christmas. I told her we had no plans. I had just gone over to the Safeway and bought the kids their "stockings"; the prefilled kind that have some candy and cheap toys in them. That was their Christmas and I was feeling very low.
Sadie smiled and asked if she could put our names on the prayer list at church. I said yes; I am all for prayer.
Christmas Eve rolled around and Sadie pulls up into our driveway with two other friends from her church. They brought two big boxes full of gifts for our kids! Toys, new coats, clothes....then came the food!
Four boxes full of food! Goodies included, and the kind of things that a mom wants to make for a Christmas meal NOT macaroni! We were blown away, to this day I can't think of that Christmas without choking up and feeling the blessing all over again.
That was over twenty years ago...We still take every chance to bless someone else the same way. We think that is what such blessings are for; to pass on, and share, and remember.
I pray that you meet with such a chance to be grateful, and I wish you joy.

The renaissance has arrived

We are in the best of times. I have heard that the Chinese say that times of struggle are times of opportunity. I believe it! I invite you to join the renaissance. To become more than can be seen by your clothes, or job, or car. Do you know that all clothes are costume? Or that college degrees are signs of insecurity? This is not to say that you should not wear the appropriate costume to get the desired outome, or that you should not go to college to acquire the degree that will get you in the door you want to open. Just that in themselves they are as substantial as smoke and mirrors and not to be trusted. If you are reading this you will be surprised perhaps that in future I will be talking about books and ideas, events, and idiocies. I am not out to change the world (another surprise?) I am out to find some good minds, to learn what there is to learn. I have twenty hobbies ( yes really) and have no time for TV or the opinion page or canned news. I read and/or listen to five to six books at a time. What is your day like? What do you think?