My beloved Granite High to be no more.

I am so sad to know Granite High will not continue beyond it's first 100 years. Sadly, it has become centered in a neighborhood in decline and unable to draw enough students to pay to keep it open. More to come on this in the future. I just had to write a quick note to honor the alma mater that means so much to me. Go Granite only in my memories!

7 Days in Dallas and Getting to Kansas

Dallas, Texas. Wow. I'd heard about it, have had friends and family who lived there and hoped one day I'd get to see it too. I did see it for 7 days, but not like a tourist sees a city. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day when I drove into town around 2pm on Tuesday, January 13th. The next time I saw it in the sunshine was the last day I was there on Sunday, January 18th.

I didn't leave for Steve's house in Fort Worth until after helping set up the showroom, getting a tour and instructions for the logistics of the show. By then it was after 8 pm and boy did I have to stay on my toes to keep behind Steve. He moved in and out of traffic and I had to "floor it" more than once. By the time we got to his house, it was around 9 pm. He offered to help me bring in my things and I declined, thanking him and explaining that I always take too much stuff and it would be embarrassing to have anyone else have to drag in all the paraphernalia I take when I travel.

I have to list some of my gear (don't laugh):

-One large suitcase (with a smaller one inside containing my medical apparatus) for shoes, etc.
-one medium suitcase with all sorts of personal items that wouldn't fit in the big suitcase
-large garment bag (containing 3 Sports Coats, 6 long-sleeve shirts, ties and 4 pairs dress slacks)
-small cooler with blue ice to keep perishables cold
-large rolling bag (for catalogs and sales presentation material)
-Laptop computer bag (includes my Dell, misc. computer stuff and misc. other stuff)
-2 briefcases. One has work-related and office stuff (like staplers, etc.) and the other is personal
-Misc. bags containing brochures, maps and snacks for the road
-My favorite two pillows and my favorite blanket and quilt

Needless to say, it took more than one trip and I had Steve wondering just how long I was planning to stay? I told him I might never leave. Seriously, though; all the stuff I drag with me when I travel helps me settle wherever I land (sometimes I'm gone a day or two, sometimes a week or two) and I usually use every item I bring...except fortunately I've never needed the personal weaponry I take for self-defense. I was very grateful to have my own bedroom and bathroom, although I wouldn't spend much time awake in Steve's house, I was busy whenever I was awake.

Wednesday thru Saturday flew by as follows. Up at 6 am (4 am back home) to shower and gone by 7 am to get to Dallas before 8 am. Dark drive to the showroom and dark drive home. We typically left Dallas to go back to Fort Worth between 8 and 9 pm; except for leaving a little early on Saturday (wonder of wonders we got home around 7:30). The company (thankfully and another huge blessing/miracle) brought in food for breakfast, lunch and dinner! We didn't have any formal meals, just ate whenever we could. That was alright with me, I was just so grateful to have food as I had no money until Friday.

Another blessing: Steve drove his car to and from Dallas every day for five days, so I didn't have that stress. All he asked (and this was only after I brought it up) was for me to fill his tank up once, and it was only $28 to do it. By the time he asked me to do this on Friday, I had finally gotten my little paycheck (thank you direct deposit) and was able to do so. When we didn't get dinner on Saturday night, I was able to spend a few dollars for a nice burger and fries at Steve's favorite hamburger stand. Before I left, I put another $20 bill on Steve's desk towards gas for the last half of the show and some candy to thank him for all he did in accomodating me. How amazing is it that a person I had only seen once in 10 years would take me into his home and treat me like a best friend?

Another note: I was so blessed to have found an extra pair of shoes before I left ($5 at DI), which gave me two comfortable pair to make being on my feet for over 10 hours a day tolerable. I'm still so grateful to the orthopedic surgeon who operated on my feet after my mission and made it possible for me to be on my feet without pain. I wonder how I could have done the things I've done in my life since 1980 had Dr. Millet not so skillfully sewed me back together?!

This was my first show of this type, ever. I am humbled to record that I wrote orders with about 30 different customers in six days. I was blessed to open 4 new accounts, in addition to seeing 4 of my own customers and one for the other Utah Rep, Kay Kelly. I wrote over $60,000 in business for the company; including $18,000 for my Utah, Idaho and Nevada customers.

The week before I went to Dallas, Kay wrote many times that for my customers who went to the Atlanta show. After I got home, I wrote more business with customers that had not had time to meet with me or Kay to write business at either show. I am convinced that I would not have a job right now, today; if I had not been able to make the trip to Dallas, nor would I have the knowledge to have continued to write the business I wrote in the three weeks immediately following my return.

I didn't set any records for performance at the show. Fact is, I wrote half of what my boss had tasked me to write for my customers and much less than the company would have liked to see me put on the books. The numbers I wrote in the preceding paragraphs are only significant to me and my family, because the income from that one week (when I get paid for it) will equal my average pay for one month. My last day working was Sunday, but the show continued until Tuesday. By then, I had driven through Oklahoma and Kansas. I made it to Steamboat Springs late Tuesday night, but first of all, let me share more miracles of Monday and Tuesday's journey towards home.

I had a lot of paperwork to do on Monday, so I didn't start driving until much later than planned, although I got up when Steve left at 7 am to say goodbye and start packing. after the paperwork and some errands, I filled up my car with gas and left Fort Worth at 2:oo pm. I had already driven 1967 miles in my round-about and circuitious route through six states to get to Dallas and then Fort Worth, after leaving Salt Lake. Then I rode as a passenger for another 750 miles back and forth from Forth Worth to Dallas in Steve's car. I only had another 1369 miles to go before I would get back to my apartment in Sugar House!

When I said my paycheck was small, I was understating the facts. Actually, I had to withdraw $100 on Friday, in case I couldn't get more...as it turns out, I was only able to withdraw another $140 to last me the rest of the way home and to cover all food and gas expenses. I hoped it would be enough. Back home, Correne finally was able to go to the store and get some groceries and pay a few bills.

I planned to try to drive to Steamboat Springs in one day, which looked conceivable on paper. I didn't feel I could afford to spend a night in a motel, but didn't really know how I could drive so far in one day. When I was younger, I could drive for 10 or 12 hours straight; but that was then. Now, I'm doing great if I can drive for 6 or 8 hours. Still, I knew I would have to do what I would have to do.

As I left on Monday afternoon, I called my sister Sheri to tell her I was on my way. I had called her Sunday night to tell her my plan and how excited I was to finally get to see her home in Colorado! When she answered the phone, she almost immediately said, "John, Steve (her husband Steve West) and I have discussed it and we don't feel comfortable with your trying to drive so far in one day. If you can find a hotel room for around $50, we'll take care of it for you." What a relief! How thankful I was. Now I could just drive until I was tired and then crash. Who reading this can question that the Lord was looking out for me, through my sweet sister?

I drove 230 miles, without stopping and without any worries, for a change. I drove by and through several small towns that I knew about because the cable systems in these towns were owned by my former employer, Cable ONE. I wanted to stop and see some of my friends, but instead drove between Sherman, Texas and Duncan, OK; then passed right through Ardmore, Oklahoma, before I got gas and grabbed a snack at 4:40 pm in Guthrie, Oklahoma (near Oklahoma City). I was back on the road again pretty quickly, after rushing into the rest room for a quick pit stop.

The next 220 miles was quite pleasant. One last town that had a friend from Cable ONE in Ponca City tempted me to stop, but I kept going. I loved the rolling hills and all the neat small towns. I could have stopped at almost every one, just to get a feel for the area and enjoy the warmth that always seems present in rural America. I had to force myself not to stop. It was good weather again all afternoon, as it had been for my entire trip! By 8:15, I was in Salina, Kansas and had to decide whether or not to keep going. I had thought it might be a good place to rest, but once I got there, I wanted to get closer to home, so I turned west and headed towards Colorado. I wanted to head west, but I've never been to Missouri and was only 176 miles from Kansas City. Even that was tempting for a guy like me. I resisted and drove another 90 miles towards Hays.

The farther west I drove, the more windy it got. Along my way that day I'd been talking to Correne on my cell phone and she'd been checking on Hotel/Motels for me. In Oklahoma I'd seen a billboard ad for a hotel chain, Baymont Springs. It had caught my eye, because it advertised a rate of about $50 a night. Sure enough, when Correne got online she found a Baymont Springs in Hays, Kansas! She gave me the number and I started negotiating a rate with them as I drove. They started by telling me it would be $89. I mentioned the billboard and eventually got them down to $59, but they didn't want to go lower.

I called other places and found somewhere that would accept less than $50, but it didn't sound too good. When I got to Hays and went in person, I was even less impressed with the cheap place. After some in-person negotiating, I got the price down to $54 with tax. It was so nice to get a good Motel and sleep in a non-smoking room. Much as I enjoyed being with my friend Steve in Fort Worth and Robert in Odessa; both of them smoke in their homes, so I got some second hand smoke in my system for six straight days. I slept so well, it was just amazing. What a great blessing! I don't know how I could have kept driving, but that's not all.

When I called Sheri on Tuesday morning to tell her I was on my way, she asked me if I had heard about the storm west of Hays and in eastern Colorado? I had heard something in my Motel on the news while getting ready to go, but hadn't paid too much attention to it. Sheri explained that the wind had blown a semi across the road and it had been closed for the entire night! Another miracle or blessing or tender mercy, whatever you want to call it. I know I was being protected and guided to stop when I did.

It was the morning of the inauguration, so I watched the pagaentry as I worked on my computer. Several customers had called me and I needed to call them back, update my computer and take care of several things I had been unable to resolve while in Dallas. I'm going to deviate from my dialogue a little and mention some feelings about the state of our economy and our country.

I was amazed at the lengths to which America went to celebrate and almost deify this President before and after the inaugural ceremony. And the money that we spend on such things. And the trouble our country is in right now. And the economic disaster that has hit me right between the eyes, as it has a lot of folks.

The solution is no different than it has ever been. Worship God, not man. Obey his commandments. Have integrity and deal with others honestly and fairly. Do what is right, not what you can get away with because it is legal. Too many greedy and immoral men have hurt so many people through their selfish and self-gratifying behavior and I believe this is at the heart of our countries current problems. All I feel that I can do is to say what I think when possible and mostly do what is right myself. I'm grateful Correne and my children are all trying so hard to do what is right. The consequences of righteous behavior are great blessings. The converse of righteous behavior is present in what is going on in our country.

President Obama swore to preserve, protect and uphold our constitution and faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States. I hope he does. We need him to do so. I pray for him and for our great country every day. We need God to bless America now more than ever before. I only hope we have enough righteous people here now to merit the blessings we so desperately need.

I better take a breather and write more later. I'll close this entry by saying that I am so grateful to be a citizen of the United States. I love this country and her people. I love my friends and appreciate them so much. I am even more thankful for my family; both the family I started with my wife, and the one into which I was born. Exceeding all else however is the gratitude and reverence I feel towards our Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ. Whatever would have happened had not two thirds of the hosts of heaven followed Christ instead of Satan?

My Texas Miracles-getting to Dallas

This is going to be a shorter entry than I'd planned, since my first post was longer than expected.

I had to go to Dallas. How to pay for it was impossible for me to know. I prayed, I looked at every angle and all of the sudden it was two days before I would have to leave to drive the route I'd planned. I had no money for gas, we didn't have enough food in the house and I had nowhere to stay when I got to Dallas. I had just got up on the morning of January 7th when the phone rang.

On January 6th, I had called to ask the person in charge of our showroom in the Dallas Mart some questions. We had been asked to email her our appointments and there was a problem/challenge with one appointment I wanted to clear up. She was so nice. She was also surprised I was coming (and I later discovered that the Sales Manager in charge of the event didn't know I was coming either). We discussed my concerns and then she said, "I'm so glad you are coming! Now there will be two male Reps here, you and Steve."

"Not Steve Bursey?!" was my startled response. Yes, do you know him? Yes, I did know him. We had been friends in the 90's when we both worked for Applause. He is a tall, charismatic guy with that good ole Texas drawl and we had hung out at meetings and got along real well. After not seeing him for 10 years, I had been tickled silly to see him last summer, at a meeting in Chicago right after he had been hired to work for my company.

"Does he live in Dallas?" I asked. "No, he lives in Fort Worth, but he is coming to work at the show" came the reply. I went on asking questions and found that he might be trying to stay in a hotel, because it was a long drive from Fort Worth to the Mart in Dallas. I had this good feeling, so I sent him an email immediately, listing my number and asking if he was getting a hotel room and if he would consider me rooming with him. I told him I was pretty broke and was driving to try to save money.

Steve called me and we chatted for awhile. It turned out he was as broke as could be too and was not getting a hotel, but was planning to do the 2 or 3 hour commute every day. He said his house was not the Ritz, but I was welcome to stay with him if I wanted to...umhhh....YES! We talked a little more and he mentioned that he'd need to fix a few things, but needed an excuse to do so anyway (I found out when I got there that he had to remove and fix a toilet in what would be my bathroom) and we discussed the details.

When I hung up, I told my wife that a prayer had been answered and I now had a place to stay. Okay, but how to get there? She had called her parents and arranged for me to stay at their home in Hurricane on Friday night, which would put me almost 300 miles closer to Dallas. I had called my nephew, Jim and asked him if I could visit while I was there? We talked a little bit and I told him about my financial struggles. He said if I could get there, he had $20 he'd contribute to my gas money. As I do now, I got the chills then and knew this trip was going to happen.

I spent the rest of that day and the next day too, scratching my head about how to get enough money for gas. I was also busy calling customers and setting up appointments. Another blessing occurred when an important customer said he usually wrote his orders in Atlanta, but this year was also going to Dallas and would write his order with me there! Wow. A customer who had never written an order with me (I once called her 7 or 8 times in a two-week period to try to get an appointment) called me back and made an appointment!

Another time, I'd like to tell more details about the rest of this story, but I'm tired and am just going to give the highlights for now. Here is a list of the events of the next 2 weeks.

January 8th in the evening, I started gathering my stuff for the trip. No gas money.

January 9th in the morning, I started loading my car and was almost done when my downstairs neighbor and friend, Jeff popped out of his apartment. "Hey, could you guys use some food?" he asked. Yes, I said and then turned around and told my wife about the kind offer. Jeff and his wife were heading to Hawaii for a long trip and had decided to get rid of their excess food, so it wouldn't spoil. He blessed us with Milk, crackers, soda, cereal (yes, you're right he gave us a lot of things that wouldn't spoil too) and what would be my breakfast for the next 6 days; a six-pack of protein drinks and other stuff. "Where are you going?" he asked, after delivering all the food and walking me to my car. "Headed for Texas" I said, then added that I didn't know how I was going to buy gas. "I can loan you some money" he said, then proceeded to make arrangements to get me a check for $70 (I asked him for just $60).

By early afternoon of Friday, January 9th I was on my way south. I was welcomed by my Mother and Father-in-Law when I got to Hurricane in the early evening (driving in perfect weather by the way, with only one traffic jam slowing me down in Utah County). They fed me dinner and we had a nice visit before I slept like a log. Saturday, they fed me a hearty breakfast, then added to my stash of food with some fresh vegetables, fruit and granola bars. It was hard to leave, they were so kind and it was so pleasant being with them.

By 10 am Saturday, I was at Jim's house. He was also as kind and generous as he could be, asking if I'd had breakfast and then spending a few hours talking with me. His son played a cello piece for us and I got to talk to his wife and beautiful youngest daughter. In the course of our visit he paused to tell me he actually had a little more than $20 and gave me $25. With the money from he and Jeff, I drove all the way through Las Vegas and made my way to Mesa, Arizona by that night.

I was just in time to be part of the family and friends announcement by my brother in law, Mike; detailing the fact that he had been called to be a mission president and would be leaving again in June, after they had just returned home from 18 months in the Hong Kong area as the Far East Family History consultants. My sis had saved me some food from their dinner (I got there at about 8 pm, after kinda getting lost on the way) and I visited with her family and friends. What a joyous occasion! How blessed was I to be there? At the end of the day, I was put up on a bed in Mike's office and slept like a baby again.

The next day was just dreamy. I walked in the beautiful Arizona sunshine to their chapel and enjoyed hearing Janis and Mike report on their mission. What wonderful talks. I have admired Mike since I was a little guy, and he has been one of my mentors ever since my dad died in 1971. After being joined in church by my oldest sister, who drove up from Tucson for the day; we went back to Janis' home and had a wonderful dinner and visited some more. I emailed my friend in Odessa about when I'd be there to spend the night at his house and then drove to Tucson.

Sunday evening was pleasant too. There are palm trees and wonderfully-landscaped grounds in the apartment complex where Grace lives. She and I have had a wonderful time gettting to know each other the past year. 25 years older than me, she has lived and traveled all over the world, so it is so great to talk to her and hear her fantastic stories. She prepared a wonderful salmon dinner and again, I slept like a baby. Monday morning, she loaned me $20, which was just enough more than I had to get me through the bottom of Arizona and across New Mexico into Texas.

Monday night, I arrived in Odessa and my friend Robert and his wife took me out to dinner. We had steak at the Texas Road House and then went back to his house where we had a terrific visit. I met him when the Internet Manager for my company in Boise, and have liked him and enjoyed talking to him for years. He has been the Internet Manager for Odessa for many years. Even now, I love to hear what is going on at my former company and he always knows the behind the scenes stuff that is so interesting. Again, as soon as I laid down my head, I slept like a baby. He had made up a bed in his exercise room for me and even made sure I had a DVR and my own TV to watch while I was there. It was fun to see a Pay-Per-View movie for free again, a perk my wife and I have missed since I left the cable company and my great benefits there.

Tuesday morning, Robert drove with me to a gas station and paid to top off my car with gas. Another miracle, another blessing. If you're counting, this was the ninth miracle in less than a week.

I have to say here, that I felt almost like the early missionaries of the church, who left without purse or script and had to rely on others to help them get where they were going and to feed them. I know the Lord blessed me and know that my prayers were answered in a very simple, but wonderful ways. I write these things down to let my children and my friends know that I know God hears and answers prayers and cares about us completely. Without his mercy, my life would be a real mess right now. If I had not been able to take this trip, not only would I have been unable to see my Nephew, friends and sisters; I would have probably lost my job. It was that important and the Lord knew it and made it happen.

I got up early on Tuesday the 13th of January and made it to Dallas by 1:30. When I got to the show room, I was immediately put to work helping set it up. My company had recently moved from a smaller show room into one of the biggest show rooms in the Mart and was still getting things set up. My next posting will be about the miracles that happened while in Dallas and Fort Worth for the next 7 days and 6 nights.

If you are reading this, please know that I care about you and hope that you will see past any errors in my words or miss-telling of details. I am sure there are mistakes, but not about what is important. I could not have made this trip without a lot of help and I am so grateful for all those who helped me. It would be wrong to leave out my wonderful wife. She has so often been home alone, while I have been out pursuing sales and trying to provide for our family. She is my better half and I love her with all my heart. Nobody but the Lord knows the many sacrifices, big and small, that she has made to make sure our children and I have had what we needed. I know she was blessed while I was gone too, but also know she sacrificed a lot, including living on very meager fare (like Ramen) while I was gone.

A new job, Christmas 2008 and a January Miracle?

I work for a gift company that I've admired for 18 years, but I just started in the spring of 2008. I left a job I loved and that was secure and rewarding. I left to pursue my "dream" job and to move back to my home town. It has been a very hard time and I often wonder what I was thinking! I had a salary, my own nice office and lived in a very comfortable home. Now I only get paid commissions once a month and live in an apartment. I went from being a manager to being a sales representative and being managed.

Every January there are 3 important Gift Shows from which my customers in Idaho, Nevada and Utah choose to attend. The first and biggest show is in Atlanta, next is Dallas and finally there is a show in Los Angeles. My biggest customers entire year's purchases are largely decided by what they see and buy in January, while attending one of these three shows. When I was hired in April, I was told this was something I really needed to plan to attend. At the time, I was sure I would have the money I needed by then. All the analysis I did told me that this was going to be a very smart move. My wife and I both prayed about it and felt we should do this.

I worked hard all summer and fall, but it was difficult to make the move and everything seemed to be going wrong. I had missed the important start of the year and most of my customers had already purchased what they were going to buy for Christmas. This left me to find new customers, try to get to know my existing customers and that was before the stock market crashed and the economy tanked. We put our house in Boise up for sale and I found an apartment in May, after cashing in the 401K from my former job (where I had worked for over 8 years). I lived in the apartment and my wife stayed in Idaho while our youngest finished High School and got ready for college in the fall.

By Labor Day, we felt like we needed to be together, even though the house was not sold. We started moving and boy was that fun. It was harder and more expensive than I dreamed. Gas was out of sight and I ended up needing to make multiple trips after we rented the biggest rental truck available to get moved. My best friend in Idaho helped me numerous times as I came and went to try to settle things and get the house more attractive to be sold. Meanwhile, my sales at the new job were down and I couldn't meet my quotas, let alone the volume I had expected and planned to reach.

No matter how bad things were with my job, I still knew I had to go to a gift show in January. It was a relief to have my wife and oldest daughter with me in the apartment, but it was hot and no air conditioning in the new place made it challenging to get settled into a new routine. By November it had cooled down outside, but I had no clue how I was going to pay the bills; let alone go on an expensive trip in January. I hoped for some miraculous windfall to save us. I found out I could withdraw my company retirement, so I pinned my hopes on that money, which took a long time to get and cost us a lot in taxes and penalties for the early withdrawal, much as it did when I took out my 401K.

As the year started coming to an end, I discovered my top few customers all seemed to be going to Atlanta, so I looked at airfares for weeks prior to Christmas and tried to find another Account Executive to share expenses for a hotel, once I got there. My company does not pay for the expenses of these trips, so it is entirely up to me to get there and pay for everything. No matter how good of a fare I found on the airfare, I could not find any way to make the trip for any less than $900. It may as well have been $90,000. I didn't have $9.

It seems as if all of my sisters and their families had been struggling with the down economy for months and/or some other issues that were equally overwhelming for them. I was especially upset about the news that one of my nephews (who is actually slightly older than me) had lung cancer. We had been very close when we were younger and he had even introduced me to his wife's cousin, whom I met at their wedding and married 7 months later! I wanted to visit him so badly, but there was no money for the 300 mile drive to where his family lives. I was so sad about this and so sad to be in the same city as most of my sisters lived, but unable to spend time with them, because of all the turmoil.

The family tradition of all of my sisters, me and our families getting together on Christmas eve had ended when my Mom died in 2004. My sisters were just trying to make a Christmas for their own families. My wife's brothers were equally overwhelmed and staying to themselves. None of my sisters that lived out of state could afford to come for a visit. After being gone for 20 years myself, how could I now be within a few minutes drive of my sisters that live here and still not see them or their children on Christmas?

By mid-December, our house in Boise had still not sold and my paychecks had not been enough to pay our bills. I got a termination warning at Thanksgiving, then another one in early December, so my job was in serious jeopardy and I had to work hard right up to Christmas eve. Even when we got the money from cashing in my retirement from my prior job, I couldn't catch up our bills. The church had helped pay our rent once already and had provided some food from their storehouse too, so we we didn't feel we could ask for more help when so many were so much worse off than we were. All of our children were coming home from college to spend the holidays with us and we didn't know how we could even feed them. It seems to me that this is when the blessings started coming, although not as I expected, nor as it happens in fairy tales. Through all of our hard times and trials in the last 9 months; my wife and I have prayed and tried to exercise faith that all would be okay, eventually.

We had drawn family names at Thanksgiving and made a promise to only get something for the person whose name we drew. Our children all work and support themselves through the expenses of college, so it was a sacrifice for them to even come see us to participate in our Christmas worship and simple festivities. They helped us and they helped each other, but we still didn't know what to do. Both my wife and I were almost distraught at how bleak everything seemed. We had been praying and pleading with the Lord to know what to do for such a long time.

On the morning of the 23rd, I felt inspired to ask a new friend for help and he was able to give me enough money for my wife and I to buy a little something for the two children whose names we had drawn, put some gas in our van and enough food to eat until the day after Christmas.

The next blessing came on Christmas eve, while I was out visiting the last of my customers at a local mall. I got a surprise call from one of my nieces, inviting all of us to Christmas dinner with her mom (one of my sisters, of course) and her sister! This warmed my heart like a campfire on a cold night in the mountains thaws out your frozen feet. Knowing that we would see some of my family here (which was one of the big reasons we left Idaho) after all was just what I needed. Instead of needing to use all the food we had, my wife just needed to make a little something to take with us the next day.

Christmas eve was so fun. We talked and played games. We read about the Savior from the scriptures, talked some more and then fell asleep, exhausted. All seven of us were crammed together in our little 3 bedroom apartment with one bath room, but it didn't matter. We were together and we loved each other. For the first time in my life, all I could put in the stockings was a piece of fruit and a small gift I had purchased for my wife months earlier and I didn't even bother to wait until the kids were asleep as I have always done in the past. Oh well, I thought.

To my surprise and everyone's delight when we got up Christmas morning, our youngest son and his sweet wife had purchased some candy and silly little toys which they put in the stockings after everyone else had gone to bed! We took our time opening the presents the children's aunt and Grandma and Grandpa had sent us. Then we opened the small gifts we had purchased for each other. We had a gift or two from friends that we opened as well and it was a lovely morning. We laughed and enjoyed the candy, then took turns getting ready for Christmas dinner.

We couldn't fit in one car, so we took two and headed to my niece's home. On the way, we stopped to pick up my sister and just had so much fun driving in the snow. The rest of the evening was just perfect. We had lots of food and got to enjoy both of my niece's wonderful children and each other. There is nothing like seeing the love, joy and vitality of little children at Christmas. It was hard to leave, but we left happy. It was a beautiful and snowy drive home and another Christmas miracle.

I'll write again tomorrow to detail the Gift Show miracles. They are many and will take awhile to tell.



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