Soap Box

On Thursday, I wrote a preamble to go with dad’s “A Carolina Christmas Carol’ and I mentioned that most likely I would not be posting anything until after the first of the year unless something jumped out at me.

Well, two things jumped.

One was while I was posting dad’s story, and the other happened just now.

If you recall, last time I was lamenting the overall lack of Christmas spirit I had been feeling.

It wasn’t – as some had suggested – due to forgetting the true meaning of Christmas. Some people just read through the part that I was down and not feeling the Christmas spirit and then ended without finishing the part where I laid out what the true meaning actually was.

Instead, my lack of joy was simply due to the absence of the round jolly man with a white beard and a prominent laugh, who was always overflowing with enough Christmas spirit for everyone around, my dad.

But this morning as I was writing the introduction. I looked outside and on mom and dad’s porch was the chubbiest bright red cardinal I have ever seen. He landed on the porch swing right outside the kitchen window where I was working stayed for a minute or so, and then flew off.

I had to smile because as legend has it, cardinals can be our loved ones who have passed away coming to comfort us in times of distress, around celebrations or when we are just missing them. I’m not going to debate how that is theologically possible, but I know that dad was not reincarnated as a cardinal or anything like that, but all I know that it was reassuring to see that chubby red fella out there and when I mentioned it to mom, she tearfully said it was dad checking on us, and it made me smile, something I don’t feel like I have done much of as of late.

Legend or not, I’m calling a “God wink” on this one.

Mom and I had a very low-key Christmas Eve with less than a quarter of the number we would have in a normal year, but the food was delicious and the company was good.

Mom went to bed and I went to gas up dad’s truck and it started snowing to beat the band.

There had been a few flurries earlier in the evening, but this was flat coming down. It was mostly blowing around, and I figured it would be the end of it.

I then stopped back by my house to put the finishing touches on my main Christmas tree (don’t judge me), and finally got to watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” I had to stop and take it in when Linus makes his speech telling the story from the Book of Luke, and I felt a little more cheer filling my heart. And when I finally finished my last-minute decorating (stop judging me) I grabbed my coat and then I was going to head back up to mom and dad’s, but when I stepped out of my back door, suddenly I was 6 years old again.

Snow on Christmas Eve.

For the first time in… I really couldn’t say… we were getting a White Christmas, even if it’s just a dusting.

Middle Tennessee Christmases are funning things. It can be breezy and 70º, 45º and raining or outright chilly, but snow on Christmas Eve is something magically rare around these parts.

A God Wink from a pleasantly plump cardinal, and now spectacular snow covering the ground on a cold Christmas Eve is exactly what I needed.

“Well, in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day.” – Dr. Seuss

This has still been a rough year and, of course, I still miss dad, but I think I’m finally recapturing a little of the Christmas spirit I’ve been missing, and I know how truly blessed I am to have had such an amazing man in my life for over 55 years.

If that was you today, dad, thanks for stopping by when I really needed it. I love you!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

What do you think?

Pray for our troops, our police, the peace of Jerusalem and for our nation.

God Bless America!

#BenghaziAintGoingAway

—  Charlie Daniels, Jr.