Thursday, December 21, 2006

Surprise

Saying for the day- A gift that surprises is remembered.

In the last week we have had two surprise Christmas gifts.
Surprise gifts are the ones you tend to remember.
This got me to thinking about gifts and surprises.
Over the years my parents gave me a lot of Christmas gifts but I can’t remember most of them.
But one year I asked for a movie screen.
It was all I really wanted. I had a camera and I had a projector.
But I had to project on the wall.
My mother said it was too expensive and that I didn’t need it.
I was sure they would get it anyway.
So when my parents would go to my aunt’s to play canasta and leave us to take care of the foster babies I would look.
I looked in my mother’s closet.
I looked under my parent’s bed.
I looked in every hiding place I could think of including the basement and the coal bin.
There was no screen.
You can’t easily hide something that big.
There were lots of presents, all wrapped, my parents knew we were nosey.
I was sure that I wasn’t getting the screen and to be honest I was disappointed.
So Christmas morning came and there at the bottom of my pile ( I had a pile) was one long box.
I was so surprised .
It was like magic.
I had my screen.
Later I asked my mother where she had hidden it .
It was under my bed the whole time.
It was hidden in plain sight or almost plain sight.
That’s the way it was with that first Christmas.
God sent his gift to us hidden in plain sight.
The promised gift was given but not the way it was expected.
Christmas is an always has been a time of surprises.
May God bless you all.

@@@@
News from Pigeon Falls– the little town in my garage where the trains still run and normal things are strange-Day six of what Mrs. Trumble calls “ The occupation”. It was a strange night in Pigeon Falls. Thomas Billings coming out of the Fly Inn at one in the morning swears that the light poles vanished and then returned. People all across the town said that they felt funny. Sort of like riding a roller coaster for just a moment.
This morning the General took his troops , loaded them into the train and left. He told Mrs. Trumble the quarantine was over. He gave no other explanation.
At the same time the telephone service came back on. It was almost as if the week never took place. The troops left on a special addition to the morning milk train.
Dr. Fortress met with Mrs. Trumble at the town hall. He told her that the government had given him a grant from the “ Railroad Extension Act “ that will cover operations for the next two years and is renewable after that so they wouldn’t need to get state aid or a third party investment. For a short time the train would continue running on the lower tracks as it had for the last week. The mountain track that runs through Crippled Creek is out of commission. It seems that a trestle has shifted a foot and there is a break in the track. It will take a week or so to fix that. The mountain track is more the tourist route and not used for supplies or day to day activity.
Mrs. Schmidt is going to go to Hawaii unless something else goes wrong.
It is starting out to be a great day in Pigeon Falls. Will we every know why the troops occupied Pigeon Falls. What did Tommy and Eino see? Why is the trestle off a half a foot? Has the government bribed Dr. Fortress? Will these stupid questions ever stop?
*****

Today’s link-No more links until next Wednesday. Go Christmas shopping. Go see a movie. Go to a play. Have fun
In the morning Apria came with my new oxygen filler so now I can fill little tanks to take in the car and we can leave the big clunker at the house. I sent an e-mail to my Bishop who read it and jumped as Bishops will to a wrong conclusion and E-mailed me. I had to send another as a corrective. I will learn. Betty wrapped Christmas gifts and we are almost done. Then we made a couple of little videos but I have no sound on my machine so I don't know how they came out. I know I look bad in both of them but then I always look bad. I need a camera that will make me look good. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

14 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

So did you have a secret desire to be a movie director as a child? Maybe time to put Pigeon Falls on the "big screen".

5:52 AM  
Blogger Charlene Amsden said...

Jan -- I am certain Dr. John is a retired soap opera writer. In fact, we may ALL exist only as part of his story.

6:25 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tune in tomorrow for the next exciting chapter. Same fortress time. Same fortress address.

7:21 AM  
Blogger Lori's Minute said...

Smart mom....

8:27 AM  
Blogger jafabrit said...

that's a wonderful story :)

10:12 AM  
Blogger Bella said...

I love surprise gifts too! Sometimes they are so surprising that I think "How on earth did you remember that I wanted this?" It's amazing the things that some people remember.

2:57 PM  
Blogger Catch said...

I remember one year close to Christmas my Mom was at the office with my Dad and I was home from school with a bad cold. I got to looking around and found some clothes my Mom had gotten for me....I tried them all on! lol. She had them hid in her cedar chest. Then I was mad at myself for ruining my suprise!I probably would have never thought to look under my bed either!

5:42 PM  
Blogger Janets Planet said...

Oh no Quill! Does this mean that I really am not the long lost daughter of my best friend's step mother's third cousin's widower father who had an affair before he left for the Korean War only to marry a native and had a child who turned out to be my best friend-- making us half sisters? :-)

5:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That's a great Christmas story and lesson. Thanks..

6:14 PM  
Blogger Margaret said...

Oh Dr. John, you don't always look bad. Or ever terribly bad in all of those photos I've seen.

Oh okay, there was the Tubby Time Photo that could have been better if our eyes were diverted by... oh, I don't know... maybe a Rubber Ducky?

A Bar of Soap? Shampoo bottle?

Who am I kidding, okay - this was the photo that the only way to have made you look any better was to pull the shower curtain shut.

7:32 PM  
Blogger Louisiana said...

i hope that you all get many more pleasant surprises and not only in this holiday season. you give us all so much. how many of us, go to our mailboxes to find yet another gift from The Fortress? your life is a present to us, it is only right you get some back.
**************
a Christmas miracle may come to the town. we wait and hope for all have been through enough i'm sure.
*************************
I'm off for a few days. I will miss you very much. I will go with your friendship in my heart and gratefullness for all the many Blessings God has seen fit to give me. Thank you to you and Betty. Love to all of the Linna's.
Merry Christmas. May Our Lord reign in our hearts for all time.

9:17 PM  
Blogger Bill ~ {The Old Fart} said...

It is always a treat to get what you really want and nothing more. Your Mum was smart to hide it where you'd least expect to find it. My Dad always said when he wanted to hide something he'd put it in plain sight, or close to plain site.

Ok, now I am stumped, what really happened in Pigeon Falls, will have to wait and see. I think Quilldancer is right, you must have moonlighted as a Soap writer.

Blessings to you am Betty and wishing a Merry Christmas to you and your family.

10:13 PM  
Blogger starbender said...

ah, dr.John, the best place to hide anything is usually hidden in plain sight! Us Mothers are smart in that sense. I always would hunt my presents down. It was almost as fun as opening them Christmas day!

Again, hope the Holidays are Fantastic 4 U and Betty!

: )

11:54 PM  
Blogger QUASAR9 said...

Hi Dr John,
wishing you and all at fortresss linna
A very Merry Xmas!

3:37 AM  

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