This is the time of year we go to the attic, or basement in search of our boxes full of memories. The family Christmas decorations. Some precious heirlooms passed from generations ago, mixed with new memories added as the family ages, and changes. Keeping the links from the past, and adding our new ones. This is the first Christmas blog I ever wrote. I'm getting it out, dusting it off, and in that spirit, sharing it again with new friends, and old.
It is a true story. I Was living with Kacy, Mackenzie, and their mom in a trailer off of Fisk Road. A roller coaster time for me with both the happiest I've ever been, and some of the most heart wrenching times of my life as Lori sank into drug addiction, and faded away like a photograph left in the sun. Still..Through the grace of God, and the help of friends we managed to have some of my most cherrished Christmases there.
I had a fire pit lined with a circle of stones in the back yard. It was my refuge, and a place of many joyfull memories. Like this one....
It was late, and all the little ones were asleep. Lori was with her friends, and as usual I was the odd man out. So I went out to my fire pit in the back yard. It was still snowing, and about six inches coverd everything. It was beautifull. The trees were magic in their winter coats. I took the plywood cover off my circle of stones, and gathered wood &kindling from under the trailer. My woodsman skills soon rewarded me with a good warm fire. I pulled a Milwaukee's Best out of my cooler, and cracked it open..drinking deep.
I was happy. I was alone, but I was happy. As my supply of" the beast " decreased my happiness increased. I wasn't getting drunk, but I had a nice mellow buzz going. I very quietly, almost plantiffly began to sing Silent Night as I gazed into my cheerfully crackling fire. Thinking about stables, and mangers, and the real reason we celebrate this winter holiday. I began to weep. I began to whisper a tearfull thank you for a miraculous gift. Thinking "Now It's Christmas." I didn't know it yet, but I was about to recieve a beautifull celestial Christmas present.
I never heard the car approach, or the door. You never do. I did hear the crunch crunch crunch of his shoes in the snow, and turned (beer in hand) to find a sherrif's deptuy at my side. Was I going to jail? was it my fire? No one complained before...."Evening son." He said cheerfully. "Can I share your fire?" "Sure!" I replied "Is everything alright?" I started to tell him I had permission from the landlord for my fire pit, and that I'd only had 4 beers... He raised his hands, and stopped me. "your fine son. Your neighbor has had a problem with her medication. I'm just waiting for the ambulence." As I looked at the trailer next door where he'd parked another cruiser pulled in. When this deputy had talked to my neighbor he approached my fire and said.."Jerry Fred? Is that You?" (tearing up again here) It was a cousin I hadn't seen since i lived in Monterey Tenn. Years ago!!! Only my mother's people call me jerry fred. My Aunt Francis got that started. (GOD! The gift that keeps on giving. The ghosts, and emotions writing this are stirring!!! I am weeping openly now. Joyfully. Bittersweetly. OHhhh!! it hurts so good.)
We stood around my fire in the cold snowy darkness, our hearts warmed. We caught up on each other's lives. Shared photographs, and remembered Christmases past. It was pure joy. We included the other deputy in our walk down memory lane, And I savored this moment in time. knowing it for the miracle it was. I was part of the conversation, and yet part of me was not. Part of me was watching the whole thing. Recording it in my heart. rejoicing in the magic of it.
We were startled out of our Christmas memories by the crackle of radio traffic. It seems the ambulence had went to the wrong trailer park. (there was another just up the road.) My cousin was on his radio. In that wonderfull Tennessee accent I have come to love so much, he said... "Yore in tha wrong trailer court. look for the far. There's a feller got hisself a far goin. It's the trailer next to that..!0-4? And so it was that my little campfire guided the ambulence to where it was needed. Just like the star guided the wise men so long ago.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
