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From Grinchly To Grateful: A Grinch's Holiday Transformation (Part Three) by Karen Lynn Vidra, The Texas Tornado
Sunday, December 19, 2004
Rated "G" by the Author.
The Sandusky family gets an unexpected surprise in the mail...
I think that I have outdone myself. And because of it, I am feeling mighty good! (Not to mention, proud!)
I think that a certain little boy is going to have the best Christmas ever...not to mention, his entire family...
I stopped by the bookstore today, and I happened to see a book that caught my attention. The book was written by a mother who had adopted a bunch of kids with disabilities, and I happened to see the little boy in among the happy, smiling faces of the children on the cover of the book; and I knew that the boy was the one I had seen only weeks earlier. As I started perusing through the book, I found out that the little boy's name was Johnny Sandusky, and that he had muscular dystrophy, which was why he was in a wheelchair. I also found out that the family often struggled with bills because of the demands of the children, but even with all the hardship this incredible family often faced, you wouldn't have known it from the way the mother wrote. She seemed genuinely happy and blessed, and she considered her children to be her "greatest blessing".
That was when I felt compelled to do something for the family. I went to the store, where I got the family several turkeys for their Christmas dinner, and I also left them a monetary check. Nothing major, but still, enough to let them get their kids something extra for the holidays, and to make their lives a little easier. (I wrote the check in the amount of $2,500, along with a note that said: "You don't have to pay me back; consider this a gift from a caring friend. God bless you all this Christmas, and use the money to make the holiday a little brighter for your family. Thank you for your compassion to those less fortunate, and thank you for opening my eyes; your brave son has taught me the true meaning of Christmas, and I consider it an honor to make your Christmas merrier. I especially consider meeting your little Johnny a very big honor, and I hope that God blesses him beyond his wildest dreams! Signed, a Former Grinch".)
Of course, I stopped by the house while they were not around, and I slipped the check in an envelope with "Merry Christmas!" on the outside, and put it in their mailbox; and I also left the two turkeys on the porch, nearest the front door. I could hear dogs yapping and barking, but I wasn't afraid; after all, I WAS a man on a mission, and my mission at the moment was to make this struggling family's holiday just a little bit brighter.
Little did they know what was in store for them when they got home from wherever they had gone. Their Christmas was to get better than they had anticipated, and it was all my doing...only they didn't know who the "Good Samaritan" was.
For the past two years (2006-2008) The Bridge of Silver Wings has earned a name for itself both as a series of poems published in different e-zines and as a book first published in 2007.
What makes this 2009 edition a special one is th
I think that I have outdone myself. And because of it, I am feeling mighty good! (Not to mention, proud!)
