The Potting Shed

Jojo · 2 Star Club Joined: 13 Jul 2007 Posts: 632 Location: Lincs

I don't normally pass these on but this one brought a tear to my eyes

It's just a small white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked 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 -- the
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 in
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. Shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church.

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 each 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 -- and 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 their 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 way 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 dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled
around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely 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 watching 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!

Somerset Lad · Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 8:34 pm Post subject:

Jojo, you have it right a lovely sentiment. Bless you and yours. Wink

nanny · Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 8:36 pm Post subject:

that is a really nice story jojo

brought a tear to my eye and i am well 'ard

alison · Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:44 pm Post subject:

Thanks for that Jojo.

I usually pass on these, but I love the sentiment, and I now have tears streaming down my cheeks. It is good to think about others at this time, as well as you own.

Libby · Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:54 pm Post subject:

A lovely idea, thanks for sharing it with us!

Barbara3d · Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 10:46 pm Post subject:

Just a lovely thing to do. Really brought tears to my eyes. Brings home the real meaning of Christmas.

Pilsbury · Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 11:22 pm Post subject:

Just of to get a tissue before the wife sees, That is fantastic, what a great thing to do and shows the true meaning of christmas.
My thought with you all at this family time of year.
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Bovey Belle · Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 7:58 am Post subject:

Brought tears to my eyes too. What a lovely story - the true spirit of giving.
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