Heart Touchers

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{Straight From the Heart} *A Child Shows the Way* 12/17/00

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Today we get a special treat! Two stories from Mary Emma Allen!

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A CHILD SHOWS THE WAY

By Mary Emma Allen

"I'm here, Granny," Ricky announced.
Mandy watched the small boy touch the old lady's hand and smile at her.
Mom Perkins looked blankly at him and said nothing.

Ricky didn't seem to care. He kept chattering away.

"Can we take Granny for a ride to see the lights, Mama," he asked.
Mandy wondered what was the use. Her mother wouldn't know whether there
were Christmas lights or not. She didn't realize it was Christmas any
more, the season she always enjoyed.

They wheeled Mom Perkins to the activity room. There the nursing home's
Christmas tree shone with twinkling lights, and carols peeled forth from
a CD player.

"See the lights Granny," said Ricky, pointing to the colored lights.
"And here's a Christmas ball. It has a picture of baby Jesus in the
manger."
Mom Perkins didn't respond. But Ricky kept talking.
She doesn't understand, Mandy felt like shouting to her son. She's not
the person I remember. Mandy recalled Christmas celebrations of her
childhood when her mother played such a prominent role.

Then Ricky tugged at her arm. "Granny smiled at me, Mama," he said
with a grin. "She likes thelights."
Oh, yeah, thought Mandy.
Ricky continued, "See, she's moving her hand to the music."
Yes, Mom Perkins was patting the arm of the wheelchair almost as though
she heard the music.
"She always liked Christmas carols," Mandy explained to Ricky. "She
liked to take us to church on Christmas when we sang carols."
"She still likes them, Mama," said Ricky.
Then he began patting the arm of the chair along with his grandmother.
This is what Christmas is all about, thought Mandy, beginning to feel
more at peace. A smile came to her face as she watched her son and his
grandmother.

Ricky has shown me how to enjoy someone even when they can't respond or
be the person we remember. I have to accept Mom where she's at.
Mandy realized, too, that her mother could still enjoy Christmas but at
a different level now.

It took a little boy to show me, she thought.

"Let's take her to see more Christmas decorations, Mama," said Ricky.
Mandy helped Ricky push Mom Perkins down the hall to see a Christmas
wreath with a bright red and silver bow.
Before they left the nursing home, Ricky placed an ornament he'd made on
the nightstand beside the bed...a gift for his Granny.

But his greater gift is accepting her where she's at, thought Mandy, and
teaching me to do the same.

(c)2000 Mary Emma Allen
me.allen@juno.com

Send Mary Emma an email and let her know what you thought of her story!

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Mary Emma Allen is the author of "When We Become the Parent of Our
Parents," the story of her mother's journey through Alzheimer's. This
story above was inspired by watching the interaction between her grandson
and her mother...his great grandmother. Visit her web site:
http://homepage.fcgnetworks.net/jetent/mea
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GETTING THE CHRISTMAS TREE FROM THE WOODS

By Mary Emma Allen

One of the most enjoyable activities of Christmas when I was a child was
getting the Christmas tree from the woods. This was as much fun as
putting up the tree and decorating it.

Before Father had a tractor, he'd hitch the team of horses to the sleigh
that he used for hauling wood from the woods. We children and Mother
piled on, sitting on empty grain bags, with the bear robe pulled over our legs.

Shep ran beside the sleigh. Father called, "Geddy-up, geddy-up" to
Dick and Nellie. Then we rode over the glistening snow and heard it
crunch under the heavy wooden sleigh runners.

Excitement in the Woodland

We were filled with excitement and could hardly sit still as the horses
followed the trail past the barn, beyond the pond in the pasture, and on
to the woods.

Once we entered the woodland realm, we heard the blue jays calling from
tree to tree. We climbed up the trail through the woods. We rode past
the waterfalls usually were ice covered. This was a small woodland
stream which tumbled over steep rocks along the trail.

Beyond the waterfalls was a turn around in the trail. Father left the
sleigh there and Mother stayed with the smaller children. The older ones
followed Father as he hiked to a tree he had picked out earlier in the
year.

It often seemed forever before we reached the chosen tree. There it
swayed gracefully, a stately hemlock midst the carpet of snow.

After Father chopped it down, we headed back to the sleigh where Mother
was digging through the snow to find greens for making wreaths. After
tying the tree to the sleigh, we started down the trail toward home.

Often we sang Christmas carols on the homeward ride. We hardly noticed
that our toes and fingers were getting cold and our noses felt tingly
from the wind.

When we finally were indoors again, Mother made hot cocoa and we talked
about the decorating we'd do that evening.

When Father got a tractor, he used it for hauling the sleigh.
Occasionally when the snow was too deep, we hiked all the way to the
woods to get the tree.

But no matter which method we used, the family activity of getting the
tree from the back woodland was one of the high spots of the Christmas
season...one I look back on with fondness and remember how close it
seemed to bring the family together.

Send Mary Emma an email and let her know what you thought of hers story!

_
/_/\/\    MICHAEL T. POWERS
\_\ /    THUNDER27@aol.com
/_/ \    "For I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but
\_\/\ \   Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live for the Son
   \_\/   of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20

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Video Imagery (Michael's Video Production Business.)

"I thought of you first after my family sat down to watch the video we gave them. They loved it, to say the least! Within thirty seconds my mom was crying and my dad did too. They said it was the best Christmas gift we could have given them!! You did such a beautiful job! They were so surprised and so touched---they really, really, really loved it. Thanks for helping to make it so special to us all. My mom mentioned how the songs were perfect for the video too! Thanks again!"
Kelli (RKaGe@aol.com) College Station, TX

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