The White Envelope

[Flamingo Girl]

The White Envelope

It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas

tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the

branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.

It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas -- -oh, not the true

meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it-overspending...the

frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and

the dusting powder for Grandma -- -the gifts given in desperation because

you couldn't think of anything else.



Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts,

sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike.

The inspiration came in an unusual way.



Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at

the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league

match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters,

dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing

holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their

spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.



As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling

without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's

ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we

ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their

boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false

bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.



Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could

have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this

could take the heart right out of them."



Mike loved kids-all kids-and he knew them, having coached little league

football, baseball and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came.

That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an

assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent the anonymously to the

inner-city church.



On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling

Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the

brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years.



For each Christmas, I followed the tradition -- -one year sending a group of

mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a

pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before

Christmas, and on and on.



The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last

thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys,

would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope

from the tree to reveal its contents.



As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the

envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn't end there. You see, we

lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I

was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas

Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was

joined by three more.



Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on

the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even

further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed

anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope. Mike's

spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.



May we all remember the reason for the season, and the true Christmas spirit

this year and always. God bless -- -pass this along to your friends and

loved ones.

[BST]

FG,

That story is beautiful and it had me in tears by the end. You have truly captured the light in the bottle with this tradition. It is the true meaning of the season.

My heartfelt thanks in sharing this story with us.

BST

[thomas7g]

Thank you you for the story!


MEEEERRRRYYYY CHRRISTMAS! And best wishes hun!!!!

[braxiss]

thanks, that truly is what christmas is all about

[The 14th Colony]

Your story is uplifting and sad. It brought tears to my eyes by the end of it. So many needy kids and people have benefitted by your gift to Mike and them, that you and now your family have returned the true meaning of Christmas at least to your home and the homes of those affected by those white envelopes, including those like me who have just read your story. God bless you and yours', FG. :

[Dawg]

Yes. Sad and uplifting. It touched me.



Of course, I am an old softy at Christmastime....

I am
Dawg

[Muffit]

Dearest Flamingo,

That is one of the sweetest, most moving things I have read in many a year

You have no idea how you have touched our lives by just sharing it...

Have the merriest of Christmas's!
And may you receive many times over the generosity you have given...

[bsg1fan1975]

very nice story FG!

[unowhoandwhy]

That brought tears to my eyes, FG, thank you for sharing that with us!