[Humor] Saving Christmas

Mon Jan 28 19:52:15 UTC 2008

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Subject: HeroicStories #738: With Her Help
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Reaching more than 40,000 subscribers in 118 countries, this is...

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HeroicStories #738: 22 December 2007               www.HeroicStories.com
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With Her Help                                              Story Editor:
by Mark J. Mitchell                                     Joyce Schowalter
California, USA

Dad was diagnosed with small-cell cancer, terminal. "Enjoy what life I
have left," he said. He had three good years before his downhill slide.

Then a family call said it was time to head north to see Dad as his time
drew near. I booked a flight as soon as possible to meet brother Paul
and sister Claudia in Sacramento.

One can imagine my mood as the plane cut through the air. No smiles for
anyone on this "bummer trip".

I sourly walked through the Sacramento terminal, in no hurry to get
anywhere -- especially the hospital. Ahead was a woman with a little
girl on her shoulder looking backwards at me. Out of nowhere this girl's
eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. Out of her mouth came one word:
"Santa!"

Now, I've got long silver white hair, a full beard and mustache, and
while I'm not the fat man always depicted, I fit this little girl's
vision of Santa Claus.

Stopping dead in her tracks, her mother spun around. As she started to
apologize for her daughter's outburst, I put my finger to my lips and
said, "Sssh! I'm on vacation!"

The little girl broke out into a great big smile and shook her head yes.
Her mother only smiled and walked away. Her daughter gazed back with her
big smile shining.

Her smile changed my mood -- and my life. I put it in mind that I
wouldn't show Dad anything but a smiling face.

At the hospital, I found myself needing the facilities. While washing
up, I thought of a way to lighten up the situation. Taking ten feet of
toilet paper, I stuffed one end into my pants.

I had a tail.

Out the door I went -- much to Paul and Claudia's astonishment. Claudia
piped up with, "Mark, do you know what you have following you?"

"Yep," I said. "That I do."

"Oh, jeez," said Paul.

Arrows painted on walls led to the ICU. All along the way people pointed
and laughed. I continued on my way like there was nothing wrong with
this world. A glance over my shoulder showed Paul and Claudia following
quite distantly.

The ICU nurses nearly busted a gut laughing. They pointed at Dad's room,
and off I went. Howls of laughter followed me. Dad was sitting up,
trying to see what all the commotion was. Taking one look at me standing
in the doorway, he said, "I should have known it was you!"

I walked to his bedside, gave him a big hug and kiss and told him how
much I loved him. Later, Dad called Mom over for a kiss. Saying, "See
you in Paradise, honey," away he went.

I wish I could thank that little girl. Without her help, I would have
been in tears and not much good to Dad. Because of her, Christmas took
on a new meaning, which I try to keep alive throughout the year. "Peace
on Earth, good will to all."

    ----------==========----------o----------==========----------
                      Thank You All So Very Much
                For Your Support During the 2007 Year.
                  Your kindness touched our hearts.

              Please let your friends know we're here --
            we grow through your "word of mouse" efforts.

     Send folks here to subscribe: http://www.HeroicStories.com
    ----------==========----------o----------==========----------

Ann in Texas responded to "It Was His Idea", a story about a good deed
performed by the author's husband, who'd changed careers from an
aircraft mechanic to a nurse. Ann writes: "I used to work in a blue
collar field with mostly men, and I can attest that there were lots of
sweethearts among them. They wouldn't have appreciated you saying that
about them, and did their best to hide it. But when given the chance,
they did what they could to help other people out."

Gail in Maryland: "I work as a nurse, and have heard the idea that men
might not make good nurses. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Though they're still quite in the minority in the profession, they're an
asset to have on the floor."

Charles in Wisconsin replied to "My Friend Nancy" (#736), in which a
woman stops at an accident, and ends up saving a life. (On our archives
at: http://heroicstories.com/archives.html .) Charles notes: "As a
trained EMT I always stop at accidents, a fact my adopted daughter
quickly realized. Nancy's actions show that her lifesaving act *did not
require training*! Any reasonable person could have done what she did.
All too often, car accidents and emergencies draw a crowd of people who
stand on the sidelines watching when they could be saving people. One
reason I always stop is that just because there is 'a crowd', doesn't
mean ANYONE is helping."

Chris from Melbourne, Australia sent a reply to Wendy from Missouri.
Responding to "Tattooed Agent of Mercy" (#735), Wendy wrote: "We have a
saying in our community, 'When we do good, no one remembers, when we do
bad, no one forgets.'" Chris wrote, "I can see why that would be
commonly true, yet motorcycles and bikers are not always forgotten after
good things are done. In part of South America, the Christian Motorcycle
Association is donating a number of bikes to the local pastors, to aid
their mobility. The pastors themselves will remember the support, and
thanks to newsletters and emails, people around the world know about it.

Thanks to Sandy and Joe who both sent an article about a Secret Santa in
Kansas City, Missouri, which you may find here:
http://tinyurl.com/2v9n7l . The article concludes: "He says, "Anyone can
be a Secret Santa. You don't have to give away $100. You can give away
kindness. Help someone.'" Sandy also shared this URL:
http://www.secretsantaworld.net . And we've added one other:
http://tinyurl.com/34p29z .

I recently read a comment in an online forum that inspired me. "When our
boys were about 7 and 10, we chose two tags from the local 'Angel Tree'
-- for boys near their own ages. We put $50.00 each in 5's and 10's into
two zip lock bags. $20 had to be spent on clothing, but our kids were in
charge of getting the most out of the remaining money. They made lists,
compared prices (!) at various stores and always included things to use
outdoors. One year they very seriously begged me to give up one gift
each -- to create enough money to buy a remote control car for other
young brothers. It was one of the best things we ever did."

What is your best tip of what to do to teach positive values to
children, or slow things down during the holiday season? Let us know at
our Comments address below.

Joyce Schowalter, Publisher
Co-Conspirator to Make the World a Better Place

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