Thanks to a loving community, the harsh reality of cancer was forgotten for our family during Christmas 1965.
\nOver Thanksgiving weekend, lung cancer had stolen away our beloved dad, Bob Devine. Mom\u2019s first words after he died were \u201cNow what are we going to do?\u201d With medical bills exceeding $10,000 and a bank account wiped out, she feared the worst.
\nAt age 44, although she had overcome the challenges of a high school injury that left her crippled, Mom had no idea how to deal with the reality of her life as a widow with 10 children. The situation looked grim as Christmas day closed in.
\nMy teenage siblings pitched in to make the season feel somewhat normal. They cut down a fresh tree and dragged the boxes of decorations from the basement.
\nDad loved to watch his 10 children scramble for their favorite ornament and carefully place it on the branches of the evergreen. Jim and Jack, the 15-year-old twins, lifted 4-year-old Patti on their shoulders placing the angel on top of the 10-foot pine, something Dad used to do. Christmas would be different without him, but this one would be remembered for the rest of our lives.
\nImagine the mystery and surprise when each day Christmas angels emptied their pocketbooks to fill a deep void left in our hearts. They filled our front and back porches with Christmas love. There were sacks of potatoes, bags of flour and sugar, apples and oranges, boxes of cereal, turkeys, hams and roasts. One egg carton arrived with a $100 bill tucked neatly inside. Wrapped gift boxes marked \u201cboy\u201d or \u201cgirl\u201d were quickly hidden to save the Christmas morning surprise for the kids who still believed in Santa.
\nAlthough she claimed not to believe in Santa, 13-year-old Kathy was forced to say \u201cYes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,\u201d as she watched us trip over the packages on Christmas morning. Yet, Santa was not a singular noun, like our English teacher mom had taught us. Santa was an entire community, dear sweet Anaconda.
\nWe were overwhelmed by clothes and coats; a train, a race car set; Monopoly and Mouse Trap games, dolls with beautiful dresses, ice skates, sleds and skis. The most overwhelming thing was the look on mom\u2019s face as she watched her cherished 10 squeal with delight at the surprises.
\nMom would not have been able to buy any toys this year, just a month after losing dad. At a time when her future was uncertain and worry caused sleepless nights, loving friends and strangers gave her something to smile about.
\nTo this day, we do not know the names of the Christmas angels who blessed us in 1965. No one ever came forward to take credit. God knows who was responsible for this incredible blessing that lives on in our hearts.
\nThis gift of love has motivated me to help needy families in my community. One year we witnessed the excited smiles as we delivered food and wrapped gifts to a Romanian family with 13 children. Christmas 1965 came alive in my heart that day.
\nSevere dementia has stolen mom\u2019s ability to tell this story herself, but for years it was a favorite told to her family. As she lives her remaining years in a nursing home, I am telling the story for her.
\nMay the blessing of Christmas live long in your hearts as you choose to pass it on to those in need. The impact you had on our family will never be forgotten.
\nThank you, Anaconda.
\n\u2014 Gigi Devine Murfitt is a freelance writer living in Woodinville, Wash., with her husband, Steve, and sons, Zane and Gabe. She and her husband have recently established Gabriel\u2019s Foundation of Hope, a non-profit organization serving families who deal with a disabled family member.
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It IS better to give than to receive.
\nAnd it is so much fun to watch others receive that unexpected surprise.
\nI share with you a video I found on YouTube of what JCPenney did to several random customers to make their Christmas special. They gave the opportunity for customers to give and for others to receive.
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