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I didn’t write this but I am passing it along because I think it represents the true spirit of Christmas.
SIMPLE WHITE ENVELOPE
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 giving 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 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! — Pass this along to those friends and loved ones who you know are the givers who understand the true meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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Thank you for joining us today for a great interview with Dr Roger Teel who is an powerful figure on the World Stage in Building Bridges for World Peace. We at Conscious Living Radio Show are committed to assisting our listeners in expanding their awareness so that We All Can Make A Difference and Be Part of the Change We Wish To See. Blessings of Peace, Love and Joy For the Season.
Dr Roger brings to this interview his great insight as a leader in the Consciousness Movement today. He shares a very moving story from the Dalai Lama. And, he speaks about how to rise above the stress of the season and of our economic times.
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Today we speak with Christie Ward and bring you a heartwarming story that just might change how you and your children view Christmas.
When you speak to people they need to believe you understand them, their obstacles and trials, and you have the tools to help them make their lives better. Christie knows how to create that connection and has been teaching other speakers and trainers these skills for years. She is a dynamic professional speaker and speaker coach, with a long list of success stories.
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Cynthia James is an accomplished counselor and teacher. She has assisted thousands of people to move through their fears, doubts and painful experiences to reclaim the wonderful masterpiece that is their life!
Join Cynthia and Barbie as they discuss how to design your holidays in a way that supports your well being and reduces stress during this very stressfull time of year.
Mile High Church Denver, CO
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Norman Shealy is one of the world’s leading experts in pain management. He was among the first physicians ever to specialize in the resolution of chronic pain. A pioneer in developing safe and effective treatments such as Biogenics, he founded, in 1971, the first comprehensive pain and stress management facility in the country, The Shealy Institute, respected world-wide for its innovative and successful rehabilitation approaches. Over the years, Dr. Shealy’s intensive pain and stress management research has resulted in numerous pioneering treatments. His published works total over 275. His seminars and workshops are given worldwide, and attended by physicians and lay persons alike. He has acted as consultant to leaders in every specialty, including the personal physicians of President’s Kennedy and Eisenhower.
Email Norm at norm@drnormshealy.com.
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Guilt is an invitation for punishment. Pain is the idea of guilt taking form. Learn how we can stop making ourselves sick. The body acts out what the mind conceives. These ideas are powerful and even more if we use them to change our experience. More wonderful stories of how our unconditional love can change the world around us. Anna finishes with practical applications and comments about a correct perception of the economic situation we are in.
This is a remarkable series that have incredible personal stories by the group that illustrates amazing miracles to us as a result of using these principles. Read the rest of this entry »
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Join us for an inspiring and very informative interview about the amazing healing sounds of Therapy Harps. Kent Rautenstraus, head of the Music Department at Mile Hi Church, interviews Barbie. She is the creator of Angel Harps now called Therapy Harps. Join us for an in-depth understanding of what these harps are doing today for humanity. Everyone can easily play one and Barbie explains why this is important. Let the beautiful sounds just wash over you as you enjoy these Angelic Messengers of Light. Want to RELAX? DON”T MISS THIS ONE! Catch Kent on Music as Medicine in January 2009 on Conscious Living Radio Show.
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