well Slap, Had be knowing you da man with the plan, (and a heart of gold).... So I am sitting at Sams Club, enjoying a soda and watching the crowds go by. Out of nowhere a jolly lookin fella plumps down in the table across from me. I looks him over real good. About 70 or so. Round, white hair, with a nifty 50ish suit on. Blue. Dark blue. His eyes were sky blue, sept ya couldn't really tell as his eyebrows hung low. Bushy eyebrows. White. White hair too. In the dark trenches of his clothing sprung a blip of white. No doubt, a small tear in the suit, where a man don't want it to be. It gots me ta tinking a bit. This old man, sitting in this huge store, eating a vanilla ice cream from a cup. Wonder if he had family? Wonder if his wife was shopping with their grown kids or something. Wonder why he was here, of all places, by himself. My mind was alive with thoughts. I just had to ask, make small talk.
So, if I refill my soda, I will have to walk by him, I thought. On the way back from my secret mission, I mutter, "looks like a good Ice Cream". He looks up at me, kinda in shock I think. Whats that, he says. Your ice cream, looks good, I say. Oh, its something to do, he says. Huh, I say. someone shopping and your relaxing, eh?...no, I dont have no one, just me, he says. Oh, I see, get your energy up and then shop, eh, I says. No, eyes looking sad, just me,he says.
I make a little more small talk with him, and pull up a bench next to him. He tells me the greatest story, and the sadest story I have heard.
See, he was a vet of WWII. He had a sweety, and a son. Went off to war, and his wife died of a flu. He was in Belgium at the time, so the state took his kid and put em in foster care. Kid eventually was adopted out. He had several scars from injuries of war. He told of many hospital stays in other countries. When he returned from war, he could not locate his child, or his relatives. Says to me, everything I ever loved was killed or taken away. Now, I am just an old man. I never had a family, though I wanted one. As a kid, my poppa didnt have no money for christmas. I never seen santa claus, you know. Watching everyone else is as close as I come to experiencing christmas. And this ice cream.... Them your children over there, he says, ( squeezing my hand). Yes, thats my kids.
Thats when it happened, he squeezed harder, looked me dead in the eyes, and said, you are a blessed man..don't ever think your not. You be a good Santa Claus, and love every day with them. Christmas is for spending time and taking pictures. For families. I seen a lot of good men die on christmas. Those were just another day. I ain't never seen christmas. If I could I woulda run away, lookin back now. ( reference going to war)
So the wife comes along, we end our discussion, and I get up to leave. I look at this man, and say, Merry Christmas. He smiles, and says, no, you take what I said, you, have a merry christmas.
I walk away, never realizing the vets, the homeless, the less fortunate. The scores of people who have never felt the joy of Christmas. It renewed my sense of what this holiday is all about. Humanity. Bringing a smile to someone else face. I hope I can inspire a few of you to do something this season for someone you don't know. Me? I think I am gonna have to find something to do for the vets of this country. They gave the most, and lost the most. They deserve to have a Christmas....

WOW!! Thanks Big Had for taking the time to share that with us. If you don't mind I would like to paste and share with some family members and friends who don't read my dune boards? I pray that happiness and Christmas joy find this man someday soon.

Merry Christmas everyone
Erin

That touched da bottom of da Slapsters heart big had, it rightly did...Da holidays can be downright stressful on all of us, and sometimes we be losin what this time of year is all about; caring and sharing. With you stoppin and rappin with dat fella big had, Slap honestly believes dat it made him feel good inside, cuz somebody was listenin and seemed to be caring what he said.

Slap knows a couple people around da area dat don't have it as good as others, and it sure wouldn't hurt da Slapster to stop, talk, and smile a little with them. Heck, Slap's got all kindsa stories he could tell, and some might even make them laugh...It sure can make a big difference in somebody's Christmas...Time to shift down to 2nd gear and slow it up a tad bit...

Yep, Slap has a few stops to make, and some ice cream to share...Thanks big had, Slap needed dat little eye opener...Dat is one for da McScrappbook

Stuff like this can make a man speechless. Thanks big had. Your the man.

wow I missed this yesterday, great story