[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] FW: A Christmas Story

Wed Dec 15 15:17:04 UTC 2021

From: Larry Perry [mailto:larryperry at performancepress.ccsend.com] On Behalf Of Larry Perry
Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 2021 10:11 AM
To: mmoore11 at kent.edu
Subject: EXT: A Christmas Story

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Letter from Larry

Wednesday

December 15, 2021

Good Wednesday morning Everyone:

With Christmas Day just 10 more days away, here is a story that I hope mke you think of Christmas the Season. 

A Heartwarming, Inspiring Christmas Story

A Christmas Story

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-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; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-

league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church, mostly black.

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

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 it's 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 each other, and the Real reason for the season, 

and His true spirit this year and always. God bless --- pass this along to 

your friends and loved ones.

Shared by Nancy Gavin~~Thank you Nancy.

Much love to YOU ALL!!

Larry

NOTE: This letter is sent to anyone interested in receiving these inspirational notes. There is no charge and you are encouraged to forward these to anyone you think would benefit from reading them. If you would like to receive them direct, just send an email to me at larryperry at att.net and ask.

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