I'm having a miserable time gettin into the spirit

[seclark]

1972
Christmas day...my birthday. my mother and us kids were living w/my grandmother in st. louis. mom had just packed us up and left my dad a month earlier. dad was in a detox ward 150 miles away. after we left him, he'd hit rock bottom, quit his job before he was fired and checked himself in. we had no money, food came from grandmas job. didn't know what the future had in store for us. the only gifts we got was a bag of oranges from the lady next door.

we'd gone to my aunts house for Christmas dinner. it was awful. people were trying to be nice, because they all felt sorry for us, i guess.

about 1:30 the doorbell rang. i went up and answered it. i opened the door to see my father standing there, not knowing whether he'd be welcomed or not. he'd started working on the detox ward, helping w/new patients and such. they had a patient that needed sent to st.louis for something, and he was allowed to help bring him down. it was the first time i ever remembered hugging my father(12 years old). he was only there for about 15 minutes, but he told us all how he was doing his best to get himself straightened out, and if possible, we could all be together as a family again.

he did. he got out and got a job, eventually going back to what he did when everything blew up. two weeks later, i moved back w/him. the next week, so did my older brother. two weeks after that, mom and my sisters came back. he stayed sober and was the best father i could ever have for the last 36 years of his life.

1972
Christmas day. the best Christmas i ever had. no gifts. just hope.

sec

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by seclark

1972
Christmas day...my birthday. my mother and us kids were living w/my grandmother in st. louis. mom had just packed us up and left my dad a month earlier. dad was in a detox ward 150 miles away. after we left him, he'd hit rock bottom, quit his job before he was fired and checked himself in. we had no money, food came from grandmas job. didn't know what the future had in store for us. the only gifts we got was a bag of oranges from the lady next door.

we'd gone to my aunts house for Christmas dinner. it was awful. people were trying to be nice, because they all felt sorry for us, i guess.

about 1:30 the doorbell rang. i went up and answered it. i opened the door to see my father standing there, not knowing whether he'd be welcomed or not. he'd started working on the detox ward, helping w/new patients and such. they had a patient that needed sent to st.louis for something, and he was allowed to help bring him down. it was the first time i ever remembered hugging my father(12 years old). he was only there for about 15 minutes, but he told us all how he was doing his best to get himself straightened out, and if possible, we could all be together as a family again.

he did. he got out and got a job, eventually going back to what he did when everything blew up. two weeks later, i moved back w/him. the next week, so did my older brother. two weeks after that, mom and my sisters came back. he stayed sober and was the best father i could ever have for the last 36 years of his life.

1972
Christmas day. the best Christmas i ever had. no gifts. just hope.

sec

Beautiful story, sec.

Thanks for sharing.

[Jilly]

Originally Posted by seclark

1972
Christmas day...my birthday. my mother and us kids were living w/my grandmother in st. louis. mom had just packed us up and left my dad a month earlier. dad was in a detox ward 150 miles away. after we left him, he'd hit rock bottom, quit his job before he was fired and checked himself in. we had no money, food came from grandmas job. didn't know what the future had in store for us. the only gifts we got was a bag of oranges from the lady next door.

we'd gone to my aunts house for Christmas dinner. it was awful. people were trying to be nice, because they all felt sorry for us, i guess.

about 1:30 the doorbell rang. i went up and answered it. i opened the door to see my father standing there, not knowing whether he'd be welcomed or not. he'd started working on the detox ward, helping w/new patients and such. they had a patient that needed sent to st.louis for something, and he was allowed to help bring him down. it was the first time i ever remembered hugging my father(12 years old). he was only there for about 15 minutes, but he told us all how he was doing his best to get himself straightened out, and if possible, we could all be together as a family again.

he did. he got out and got a job, eventually going back to what he did when everything blew up. two weeks later, i moved back w/him. the next week, so did my older brother. two weeks after that, mom and my sisters came back. he stayed sober and was the best father i could ever have for the last 36 years of his life.

1972
Christmas day. the best Christmas i ever had. no gifts. just hope.

sec

That is powerful, sec. Hope is powerful.

[El Jefe]

Originally Posted by seclark

1972
Christmas day...my birthday. my mother and us kids were living w/my grandmother in st. louis. mom had just packed us up and left my dad a month earlier. dad was in a detox ward 150 miles away. after we left him, he'd hit rock bottom, quit his job before he was fired and checked himself in. we had no money, food came from grandmas job. didn't know what the future had in store for us. the only gifts we got was a bag of oranges from the lady next door.

we'd gone to my aunts house for Christmas dinner. it was awful. people were trying to be nice, because they all felt sorry for us, i guess.

about 1:30 the doorbell rang. i went up and answered it. i opened the door to see my father standing there, not knowing whether he'd be welcomed or not. he'd started working on the detox ward, helping w/new patients and such. they had a patient that needed sent to st.louis for something, and he was allowed to help bring him down. it was the first time i ever remembered hugging my father(12 years old). he was only there for about 15 minutes, but he told us all how he was doing his best to get himself straightened out, and if possible, we could all be together as a family again.

he did. he got out and got a job, eventually going back to what he did when everything blew up. two weeks later, i moved back w/him. the next week, so did my older brother. two weeks after that, mom and my sisters came back. he stayed sober and was the best father i could ever have for the last 36 years of his life.

1972
Christmas day. the best Christmas i ever had. no gifts. just hope.

sec

Wow, man that gave me goose bumps what a story, thanks for sharing.

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by seclark

1972
Christmas day...my birthday. my mother and us kids were living w/my grandmother in st. louis. mom had just packed us up and left my dad a month earlier. dad was in a detox ward 150 miles away. after we left him, he'd hit rock bottom, quit his job before he was fired and checked himself in. we had no money, food came from grandmas job. didn't know what the future had in store for us. the only gifts we got was a bag of oranges from the lady next door.

we'd gone to my aunts house for Christmas dinner. it was awful. people were trying to be nice, because they all felt sorry for us, i guess.

about 1:30 the doorbell rang. i went up and answered it. i opened the door to see my father standing there, not knowing whether he'd be welcomed or not. he'd started working on the detox ward, helping w/new patients and such. they had a patient that needed sent to st.louis for something, and he was allowed to help bring him down. it was the first time i ever remembered hugging my father(12 years old). he was only there for about 15 minutes, but he told us all how he was doing his best to get himself straightened out, and if possible, we could all be together as a family again.

he did. he got out and got a job, eventually going back to what he did when everything blew up. two weeks later, i moved back w/him. the next week, so did my older brother. two weeks after that, mom and my sisters came back. he stayed sober and was the best father i could ever have for the last 36 years of his life.

1972
Christmas day. the best Christmas i ever had. no gifts. just hope.

sec

...that is by far the absolute greatest story I think I've ever read in the decade I've been here. Thank you for sharing.

My Dad took my mom's brand new car and left us when I was eighteen months old... we too had to move in with my moms' mom till i was in the third grade..it took my mom working at IBM for that lomg before she could afford to get our very first apt @ Somerset village in Raytown..it's still there..and it's small but seemed huge to me then..and we still joke about how all we had was a couch, a B/W TV, and a rubber plant...those memories of growing up in grandmas house and (even though we didn't have much), those christmas' with the smell of a real tree, nuts and candy in the stockings and the warmth and love and the spirit of giving from my grandma remains deeply rooted in my sense of the Spirit of the Season.

Merry Christmas to you and yours sec....Merry Christmas.

[Slainte]

Originally Posted by seclark

1972
Christmas day. the best Christmas i ever had.

Worst Christmas ever for Chiefs fans...

[Brock]

Originally Posted by Town'NCountryChief

Worst Christmas ever for Chiefs fans...

Are you sure about that?

[Slainte]

Originally Posted by Brock

Are you sure about that?

Not so much. D'oh.