A lot of stories come to me through people I don’t know sharing things and a quite a few folks have told me I am good at putting these memories and feelings into words. I have found it very rewarding. But, grin, there is also another dimension to this emotions/writing thing – I tend to see stories in lots of things. Now that’s not bad – and I always try to be honest.

For instance, look at this tarnished and old Christmas decoration:

Okay, I can see in my head my grandmother hanging it up in a special spot and tucking it away in tissue paper every year. I can close my eyes and be in her presence, hear her voice and smell pine and woodsmoke and cookies baking. BUT, look at the back:

Yes, I think I picked this up at a rummage sale – maybe on bag day. Oh, well, I have enjoyed it and maybe in 50 years Summer will remember her grandma finding it special.
And as to my grandma, well, I think had this old Santa been around in her time, she would have cherished it also.

Nice/Naughty O’Meter, reindeer, bears, lop-sided trees and helping the genes at the “look better” counter.

“Carolers” looks funny, but so does “carollers”. Surely I have seen this word in print many times, why does it seem so foreign now? Oh, well, one of my life’s minor questions . . .

This group came to the nursing home during supper one night this week and then went up and down the halls. Kathryn listened to them in the dining room, and when they came down her hall, she sat in her doorway and listened. Two of three adults came to her and shook her hand and complimented her on her smile; several of the kids also gave her big smiles as the passed the door – I guess she is helping build that bridge between elderly and young whippersnappers.

Yesterday afternoon on the way home from Fort Wayne, I hurried into Meijer’s to take advantage of the Diet Coke sale. When you first go in the FOOD entrance, you find yourself in the bakery section; and, oh,my, it is a very big section. A week before Christmas, I discovered it was also a “tall” section – cookies, cakes, fancy breads, pies and lots of brightly-packed sweets were stacked high on the shelves. It was almost magical.

I think, had I taken a moment to consider it, I would have enjoyed walking around, looking at everything, and then picking out a special treat for myself this holiday season.

However, my first thought that it was really too much, and that people could get carried away . . . carrying way too much to their carts. I thought about my ongoing diet and actually mentally snorted at the “obscene” amount of unnecessary calories. That was such a stupid reaction.

But I can learn. So soon I’m going to prowl a bakery and select something very special . . . and enjoy it. After all, I don’t want to make the sugar plum fairies feel not appreciated.