A Letter from my Dad.

It's no secret that my dad and I do not always see eye to eye. I've had to come to terms with things and deal with abandonment issues. He doesn't often agree with my assessment of the past. So when I got this in my email today, I was overwhelmed. What a great Christmas gift from my dad.

Dear Christie,

It's early and I was thinking of you. How I love you and Robert and feel badly that I wasn't there when you were young. I am proud of both of you and want all that is best for you.

As Christmas is coming, I remembered the year that we celebrated Christmas in Magna. I remember us going out to get the tree. I think I had something like $6.00 to get me through to the next payday. We went to Highland Road where I had seen trees advertised for $3.99. When I asked about those trees, the fellow showed me the saddest group of trees you had ever seen. They were twisted or broken or otherwise deformed. We tried to chose the best of them, and I settled on one that had the top broken off, thinking that we could put some decoration on top to cover it up. When I brought it to the front, the man quietly stepped away, and went and got another lovely tree from the regular stock, and brought it back, and gave it to us at the $3.99. I don't think I have ever had a gift of Christianity presented to me that was more meaningful. Excited to have the perfect tree (as I had originally planned to not have a tree), we took it home, and got out the few Christmas ornaments I owned. I don't know if you remember or not, but we set it on top of my kitchen table as it was only about 3 or 4 feet tall. As I was getting the ornaments laid out, unbeknowns to me, you had quickly wrapped the lights around the tree. I looked up and said, "No, No, Christie, that is not the way you do the lights". I looked into your face, and I saw a happy face immediately turn to sadness at hearing that you had not done it right. In an instant, I had the Spirit whisper to me what I needed to do. I stopped, and hugged you, and we didn't change one thing on that tree. I let you and Robert do all the decorating. When it was finished, it was just the way you wanted it, and we left it like that. It was a tough Christmas, but it is the one I will never forget.

Honey, please accept my warm wishes that you, Doug, and kids can have a very wonderful Christmas. I love you all, and pray for you all the time.

With all my love,
Dad