neljapäev, detsember 09, 2004
More from the Dollar Stretcher web site
A Memory from Childhood
Having a mother in a wheelchair from MS meant a lot of hardship on family life growing up the eldest of five children. We ended up having a lot of grown-up things tossed our way and had to muddle our way through most of them without any guidance. One Christmas I remember most is when we had nothing at all for Christmas, no food, no toys. We did have a donated silver tree with a color wheel, but even with that we knew we had no money for anything under the tree...we were even kind of used to it...having always made use of hand-me-downs, and using our imaginations while looking through an old Sears catalog...imagining the food in the advertising page were real...I even remember my brother eating a page of the magazine believing he could taste the food...Well, as you can imagine, Christmas was an especially sad time around our house...So this one Christmas my father took me, I must have been about nine years old, and dropped me off at the Salvation Army and just told me to go in and ask if we could get something for food. I was so scared...we had always kept to ourselves...my father being too proud to ask for any help...yet there I was in a long line with a lot of adults, scared that I would be sent home as soon as someone realized what I was going to ask for. To my surprise, the kindness I received there was overwhelming for me..not only were they kind, they didn't belittle the clothes I was wearing..or my young age. They asked why I was there and to this day I don't remember what I blurted out..I was so unsure about why I was even there. But I do remember they gave me some vouchers. One for $20 worth of food, and one for a $5 gift for each of us for under the tree. I had to walk home, but I had the privilege of being able to stop at Stuarts Department Store and buying the gifts for my sisters, brother and myself. I hid them carefully, wrapped them in newspaper, and we had so many smiles at the Christmas feast that was provided before us that year. This is the Christmas I remember most now, now that I am happily the mother of five, am a pastor's wife, and appreciate all the many blessings...past and present at this time of year... May we all remember and be thankful, and thank those who have been there in times of need...Thank You All Salvation Army and all others in the ministry of serving God's most precious ---People
Having a mother in a wheelchair from MS meant a lot of hardship on family life growing up the eldest of five children. We ended up having a lot of grown-up things tossed our way and had to muddle our way through most of them without any guidance. One Christmas I remember most is when we had nothing at all for Christmas, no food, no toys. We did have a donated silver tree with a color wheel, but even with that we knew we had no money for anything under the tree...we were even kind of used to it...having always made use of hand-me-downs, and using our imaginations while looking through an old Sears catalog...imagining the food in the advertising page were real...I even remember my brother eating a page of the magazine believing he could taste the food...Well, as you can imagine, Christmas was an especially sad time around our house...So this one Christmas my father took me, I must have been about nine years old, and dropped me off at the Salvation Army and just told me to go in and ask if we could get something for food. I was so scared...we had always kept to ourselves...my father being too proud to ask for any help...yet there I was in a long line with a lot of adults, scared that I would be sent home as soon as someone realized what I was going to ask for. To my surprise, the kindness I received there was overwhelming for me..not only were they kind, they didn't belittle the clothes I was wearing..or my young age. They asked why I was there and to this day I don't remember what I blurted out..I was so unsure about why I was even there. But I do remember they gave me some vouchers. One for $20 worth of food, and one for a $5 gift for each of us for under the tree. I had to walk home, but I had the privilege of being able to stop at Stuarts Department Store and buying the gifts for my sisters, brother and myself. I hid them carefully, wrapped them in newspaper, and we had so many smiles at the Christmas feast that was provided before us that year. This is the Christmas I remember most now, now that I am happily the mother of five, am a pastor's wife, and appreciate all the many blessings...past and present at this time of year... May we all remember and be thankful, and thank those who have been there in times of need...Thank You All Salvation Army and all others in the ministry of serving God's most precious ---People
