Hi,
I'm crying now. I'm checking the calendar to see if I'm premenstrual!!!
Tearfully
Caroline from Canada
----------
> From: Christine White <christine.white@sympatico.ca>
> To: mol-cancer@lists.meds.com
> Subject: Re: [MOL] Fwd: A Truly Beautiful Christmas Story
> Date: December 5, 1998 6:38 AM
>
> I truly enjoyed this story, even though it brought tears to my eyes. I,
> too, am frustrated with the commercial aspects of the holiday season. I
> think this would be a wonderful tradition to start.
> Thanks
> Christine
> >
> >* * * *
> >A Christmas Story
> >
> >It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our
> >Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has
peeke=
> >d
> >through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.
> >
> >It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas---oh, not the
> >true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of
> >it-overspending... the frantic running around at the last minute to get
a
> >tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma---the gifts given
i=
> >n
> >desperation
> >because you couldn't think of anything else. Knowing he felt this way,
I
> >decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so
forth.
> >I
> >reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an
> >unusual way.
> >
> >Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior
> >level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was
a
> >non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church,
mostly
> >black.
> >
> >These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed
to
> >be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to
our
> >boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling
> >shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was
> >wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a
> >wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not
> >afford.
> >Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as
eac=
> >h
> >of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters
with
> >false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.
> >
> >Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them
> >could have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing
like
> >this could take the heart right out of them." Mike loved kids-all
kids-an=
> >d
> >he
> >knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse.
> >That's when the idea for his present came.
> >
> >That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an
> >assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously
> >to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on
the
> >tree,
> >the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift
> >from me.
> >His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in
> >succeeding years.
> >For each Christmas, I followed the tradition---one year sending a group
of
> >mentally
> >handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair
of
> >elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before
> >Christmas, and on and on.
> >
> >The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always
> >the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring
thei=
> >r
> >new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted
the
> >envelope from the tree to reveal its contents. As the children grew,
the
> >toys gave ay to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its
> >allure.
> >
> >The story doesn't end there. You see, we lost Mike last year due to
dreade=
> >d
> >cancer.
> >When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I
barel=
> >y
> >got
> >the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the
tree,
> >and
> >in the morning, it was joined by three more. Each of our children,
> >unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their
> >dad.
> >The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our
> >grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation
watchin=
> >g
> >as
> >their fathers take down the envelope. Mike's spirit, like the Christmas
> >spirit, will always be with us.
> >
> >May we all remember Christ, who is the reason for the season, and the
> >true Christmas spirit this year and always.
> >
> >God bless!>>
> >
> >
> >
>
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