I am once again on a “tear” getting everything ready for Christmas. The tree is all up and the “pink pig” cheers me every day as I drink my coffee on the porch. Back before Thanksgiving, I got out a box of BIG colored balls and hung them in the little tree outside my window. I even had a neighbor tell me, “isn’t it a little early”. Woman, it is 70 degrees out here? Well, every year, I wait until the last minute and I freeze my “you know what” off, putting those balls in that tree and this year I decided I wasn’t going to do that! So, just think, I will enjoy them even more as I get myself mentally ready for Christmas. You see you really have to get your mind on the right track so you can ENJOY THE MOMENT! You know that is my motto.

Well, my daughter came for a visit and decided I needed red bows on all everything, everywhere. The Hubby came home from the store and said “it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas”. I thought that was so romantic but he had to ruin it by saying, “but it is 70 degrees outside”! You know I did not let that bother me at all. I think if someone volunteers to do ANYTHING for you, just say, “have at it” and let them do it. Then if you don’t like the way they did it, wait until they leave and change it just a little yourself. They will never notice. And isn’t it wonderful to have help these days?

Well, she didn’t stop there. One day she dropped by and said I have the beautiful Angel Flag that I don’t have a place to hang outside; would you like to have it? Well, you know that answer, first she put it one place and you couldn’t see the angel from my “drinking coffee chair” in my small little room that I sit in every morning. So we just flew that angel right outside my door and she is beautiful just swaying in the breeze. Isn’t it funny how just little things can brighten your day when you get up? Do we really take time to enjoy the small stuff anymore? This world is traveling so fast with all the electronic everything that we forget that just a small angel flag hanging by your door will bring you so much pleasure every time you look out your window.

Well, people don’t send Christmas cards anymore. They think if they send you an e-mail with an elf jumping up and down shouting MERRY CHRISTMAS that will get you in the spirit. Well, it does for a moment and then you delete it and it is GONE! I mean really gone. You have forgotten all about it in just one second. But you know a Christmas card stays with you forever.

It’s the one with Baby Jesus on the front, and all the wonderful scenes of Christ coming into our lives and we read the verse, then the personal note on the bottom and remember the good times.

After Christmas, I gather them up and put my favorite “rubber band” around them and store them in the box with the decorations. Then as we pull all the decorations out and there are the wonderful cards that you got last year and you sit and remember all the good times you had with that particular person.

You see I have lived lots of places and I have gathered friends all over everywhere. Friends are more valuable than gold. Of course the young people don’t believe that is true but when you get to a certain time in your life you will realize you need a few, “friends that is”.

Anyway, I sat one whole day, looking over all my cards, laughing about certain things that happened and of course cried a lot because some of those friends are not with me anymore. Yes, death get us all one day but I just had to remember the good times and it made me take my advice and “enjoy the moment” because that is all we have.

Well, now that I have gotten the sentimental moment over; I will tell you a little story. Everybody loves a story except the Hubby. As I have told you before, he would say, “Here we go again”. Anyway, I have already received a card this year. But it really wasn’t a Christmas religious card. It was a beautiful little baby just smiling at me and I thought who is this baby? For days it really got to me, I could not for the life of me think of who that baby was. I did not recognize the name and it had little pictures on the back of the mother and father holding this little baby. So yesterday as I was writing my friend who lives in Texas a card and a note, it came to me. This was her little grandbaby.

I was an assistant to a woman back when women did not hold a management position; I am so glad they do now. But her husband was in Korea in the Army! That tells you how long ago that was and she was expecting a baby. Well, long story short. She had no family with her at the time and old Tulip Green wound up in the delivery room holding her hand. After that I replaced that child’s grandmother who lived miles away.

Isn’t it a small world? I wrote the young girl and relived many happy moments we had when she was young and of course gave her my telephone number and told her to call me. She lives close to me now and of course I want to see this baby.

See what a Christmas card can do! That has brought me so much joy. If you didn’t plan to send a card this year, pick one up, write a note and send it to your best friend that lives far away or right in Logan County and I will guarantee you will bring back more memories than you can amagine.

I went to the post office yesterday and sent my cards, after shedding many tears while writing them. Mailed the little Teddy Bear to my grand baby far away and went home a happier person.

Reach out and touch someone; be it by phone or the written word and you will make two people happy. Your friend and yourself.