MIRACLE ON BEECHWOOD ROAD

I hope that all of you are having the best of holiday seasons. As I write this, it is the night after Christmas, and I am reflecting on the events of the past couple days. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I have a deep affinity for the feel-good vibe of shows like "Touched By An Angel" or the classic "The Waltons," and indeed---I am counting down the days until January 26 when I can complete my John-Boy collection with the release of The Waltons TV-Movie Collection, but a couple of things happened during that time span to rekindle my faith.....that whatever you want to call it....there's someone (my choice) or something out there watching over us....

First of all, it was a great day to be in Hickman County on Christmas Day. For the past two and a half years, I have called Centerville----a town that I had visited many times in the past---home. I love it, for a lot of reasons. But, sometimes I will also express my frustration that there is no Wal-Mart here, but that's another blog post. What happened here on Christmas was very cool. Several of the local Churches banded together to present a Community Christmas Dinner at Hickman Middle School.The spread was impressive, and everyone involved did a great job, but what impressed me was the diverse group of people represented while we were there. There were several young people, like us, who just might not have had a huge family in town. Older folks, who for whatever reason, didn't have a lot of people coming in for the holidays. There were even a couple of gypsies there, and several volunteers who were inmates of the Hickman County Jail. You know what? Nobody looked down on anyone, and everyone got along. Maybe it was the magic of the season, but it was well worth the drive into town. This has been going on for a few years in the town that Miss Minnie helped to promote, and everyone...town leaders, Baptist, Methodist, Church Of Christ, whoever...are to be commended! Though Centerville doesn't have a Wal-Mart, it still has that Mayberry feeling that I remember growing up....

And, as the late Paul Harvey would say....the rest of the story. If, somewhere around Burns, TN, there is a dog eating T-Bone steak tonight, one best not think anything about it. There's a big celebration going on.

Around 5pm yesterday, my phone rang. It was my father, and he had some distressing news for me. "Jack," the pug dog that belongs to him and his wife Marcia (technically my step-mother, but I hate that word), had mysteriously turned up missing that day. The dog is a rescue dog, and hadn't really bonded with anyone that much besides them, so it was a mystery how he got out. But reason aside, he was gone...and there wasn't a trace. Daddy had looked all over the metropolitan Burns area, and found nothing....I drove over and looked around myself, and didn't find him, either.

Needless to say, Marcia was quite distraught, and I can't say that I blame her. As someone who has always had a soft place in my heart for animals, I truly believe that "All Dogs (and Cats, now!) Go To Heaven." I left Burns last night with a heavy heart, knowing full well what the odds were.

But, wait just a second....This story has a happy ending. This morning, just a few miles from home, "Jack" was found...tired, a little hungry....but very much in health. I, and a few others, had put out a e-mail chain about him, and I just wanted to use this forum to tell you that he's OK. And, if he wanted a couple of T-Bone's tonight....Well, I know a woman who is not going to have a problem with that..

Happy Holidays!

Chuck

ONE LAST PRESENT

One of the top things people write about this time of year is about favorite Christmas presents you've given or received. On the giving side, there are a couple that stand out----giving two of my favorite teachers (and someone I have worked with doing sports for almost twenty years) gift certificates to Red Lobster as the fulfillment of a long-standing running joke between us three, and the first Christmas that I spent with my children. Let's just say my little Suzuki Vitara was full of presents as it made a trek from Burns to Paris one Saturday afternoon three years ago....

On the other end of the spectrum, I don't know if it's my favorite gift that I've received or not....but the story is worth telling for sure.....Warning.....This might sound a little bit Hallmark Channel-ish, but it's true.....

Let me begin by saying that my mother could not stand the music of Buck Owens. That might very well be an understatement. Now, she didn't mind the fact that I was a fan, as long as I turned the volume down. One of my favorite pranks I pulled on her was when I replaced her Conway Twitty CD that stayed in the player beside her bed with....you guessed it, Buck Owens' Greatest Hits....She was expecting
"Hello Darlin," and got "Tiger By The Tail.".....I got a kick out of that one, and she wanted to kick my...Well, you get the idea.

So....I have set up the story. As many of you know, my mother passed away in October 2005 after suffering from a variety of ailments. Christmas was always one of her favorite times, and that's where I got my love for the season. 2005 was the first Christmas that I spent without her, but there was one last present from her to me.

"Now, how is that possible?" you ask....Read on....

The day after Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite days of the year. My brother and I have always gone out on Black Friday, and shopped till we or our money stopped. On Thanksgiving, my Dad surprised me with a pair of hundred dollar bills. "Your mama had these in her pocketbook when she died," he said. "I know she would want you and Randall to have them for tomorrow."

So, I kept one of the bills, and gave the other one to him the next morning. I love spending money---maybe a little too much---but try as I might, I just couldn't see spending my little windfall on four tins of popcorn, a Kenny Rogers CD, and other stuff I didn't have to have. A special occasion, I reckoned...that's what I would use it for.

A couple of weeks later, I was surfing the net one night when I discovered eBay. I began typing various things in, and then I thought of something I had wanted for years. If you remember Buck Owens, you know that he had a red,white,and blue guitar that was marketed through Sears back in the 1960s. One time, I saw one....just a few blocks from where I live now, but I couldn't convince my parents to buy a $75 guitar for a child who didn't play......but there it was on e-bay...and the bid was $50. I filled out all the forms I needed to....and made my bid.

Then, I found out just how competitive the bidding world is. Someone topped me at 60....So, I went to 70.....Then, the bid went to 75....so I made one last bid....80 dollars....My competitor didn't top me.....so, I ended up winning a Red, White, and Blue acoustic guitar----identical to the one Owens played for $80....Well, not quite....with shipping...it came to $100....even.

Well, I told you before that I have no problem spending money, if I have it....but, at the same time...once I have to pay for something....I cringe a little bit....Do I really need it? How am I going to pay for it?, I asked myself. There was enough money in the checking account, but I had to get through Christmas myself.

Then....it occured to me. The guitar....shipping and all, came out to the grand total of $100.00. There was a hundred dollar bill in my billfold that I had been saving for a .....special occasion. So, I deposited the bill that I had been holding on to, and about a week later---the guitar came, which sits on top of a bookshelf in our office today.

Am I saying that it was planned that way.....from the start? I don't know. I'll admit to being a sucker for shows like Touched By An Angel, but sometimes I think that life hardens us to the point that we don't believe in little bolts of lightning that you can't explain.....In this case, all I will say...is evidence points to something outside of my control. You can call it coincidence, if you like......Not me....and, as the legendary Forrest Gump would say...'That's all I have to say about that.'

IT'S A CRAZY CHRISTMAS WORLD

Well....I bet you thought the opening of Dollar General has kept me that busy....huh? Well, I actually did go there once, but it has just been a crazy time over the past week. Interviews with several people, and High School basketball has kept me pretty busy. Then, throw in Christmas time, and it makes for one of the busiest three-week stretches of the year. Then again, it is for everybody. It's funny, I actually do try to keep to a schedule, but it can be intimidating to do so. I was looking at what December holds in store for the rest of the month, and it's crazy.

In any case, schedule volume and checking account lack of volume aside, this still qualifies as my favorite time of the year. From the start of High School Basketball season through the end of December, I love just about everything concerning the Christmas season. This morning, for example, I had to walk down to the town square early for something. It was cold (34*), gloomy and overcast, and I loved it. I've always joked that one can put more clothes on, but in good taste....there is only so much you can take off! I know that I am in the minority about cold weather, but I do like it~!

Then, of course, there's Christmas Cards. Growing up, we would always tape the Christmas Cards up over doorways, on walls...wherever we had to. That's something that I still do to this day. Each day when the mail runs, I am always interested to see if any cards are in the mailbox. OK....Maybe I'm a little more interested to see if there's a check in the mail, but I do love getting as many cards as I can....(Then again, cards with checks in them.....The best of both worlds!) I will say that something we started doing since I have married is putting the cards that we receive in a ziplock bag each year. I never thought about doing that before, but it's amazing how just a year later things change, and relationships do too....It's great to have that rememberance of the moment.

Christmas Music......Where do I begin?......Anyone who knows me knows that's obvious. I absolutely love it....from Bing Crosby to Sugarland and all around the bend....It doesn't get any better than ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS, the 1984 classic album from Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton....imho.....

Christmas Food......I don't know if anything qualifies as "Christmas Food." After all, you can eat summer sausage and creme drops any time of the year. But, I have to admit they taste a little better in front of the TV as the Cowboys are beating the Redskins.....Oh, wait a minute, the Cowboys don't beat anybody in December......but you get the idea. I don't need any of it per se, but it does taste good.....and that leads to me a question. I know they have creme drops, but I seem to remember eating fudge drops one year that I got from the store....but I never see them....Just wondering....

All in all, it's still the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! I hope you're having a good one.....and get those Christmas cards in the mail!....You never know who might be waiting at the mailbox!