Happy Friday Everyone!!

I have to tell you about my friend here at work. Yesterday she came into work to find a Christmas card on her desk....hmmmm she thought, who could this be from. She opened the card and saw a ten dollar bill on the top of some other money, she slowly began fanning the money out and looking at it, all she saw was a bunch of twenties and a hundred dollar bill. She quickly stuffed all the money back into the envelope (without counting it) and sat down in her chair. She called me and asked me what I had done, I told her I did not know what she was talking about, I am not a good liar (at all). Finally she came back to my office with the envelope and sat down and cried. She counted the money and finally saw the gift card. She said "Karin, there is $ 250.00 dollars here in cash, I wonder how much this gift card is worth?" She turned the card around to see that the card was for $ 250.00 also. She just about peed her pants. She is so excited. She said that she can finally go and get some groceries and not worry about spending money that should go to her electric bill or her phone bill. I wish you all could have seen her face. What a wonderful feeling it is to know that I was a part of something so wonderful, something that will help her out with no only Christmas but also with some bills and food and as she stated yesterday "Finally, I can buy a new bra and not worry. I have needed one for almost a year and I have just not had the money to spend". Bless her heart.

Now, I got this meme so I am going to have to tag someone. I just want to tag everyone so if you are reading this, please just do it.

Participate with me on this. I only sent this to folks whose answersare bound to be clever! This is what you are supposed to do, and trynot to be LAME and spoil the fun! Just give in and do it.Copy, not forward, this entire e-mail and paste it into new email. Changeall the answers so they apply to you; then send this to a whole bunch ofpeople you know *including* the person who sent it to you.Put your name in the subject. The theory is that you will learn a lot oflittle known facts about your friends. It is a fun and easy 50 questions toanswer.

1. MIDDLE NAME? JoAnne

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? I don’t know, I think I was named after one of my mom’s friends, that is where JoAnne comes from…..at least I think so. Mom, if I am wrong, let me know.

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Sunday

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE LUNCH MEAT? Ham

6. KIDS? Jonathan – 25, Emily – 23 (almost), Sarah – 19, Stephen – 13 and Amanda – 10 (and 4 grandchildren)

7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes, I am a fun girl

8. DO YOU KEEP A JOURNAL? Somewhat, but not really

9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? I try not to, yes, sometimes

10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes

11. WOULD YOU EVER BUNGEE JUMP? Ahhhhh no

12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CEREAL? Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds

13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope

14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Not if you want to move something

15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ICE CREAM FLAVOUR? I vary on this subject

16. SHOE SIZE? 8 1/2

17. RED OR PINK? Red

18. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVOURITE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF? I get upset to easy, feelings get hurt….oh maybe that is my age

19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My dad, I still talk to him all the time. He just does not answer back all the time.

21. WHAT COLOUR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black pants, tennis shoes

22. LAST THING YOU ATE? Chicken Burrito

23. ARE YOU LISTENING TO ANYTHING RIGHT NOW? Not a thing, it is very quiet out here.

24. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOUR WOULD YOU BE? I think I would be green, don’t know why just like the color.

25. FAVOURITE SMELL? Rain.

26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My husband

27. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Always the eyes

28. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? yes

29. FAVOURITE DRINK? I am sticking with water, with a raspberry ice packet

30. FAVOURITE SPORT? Minnesota Vikings Football

31. EYE COLOUR? Brown

32. HAT SIZE? Who knows, I have a big head

33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No

34. FAVOURITE FOOD? Mexican or Italian

35. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy ending.

36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED AT THE THEATRE? Over the Hedge (yes, it has been a while)

37. WHAT COLOUR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW? White and blue.

38. FAVOURITE SEASON? Fall

39. HUGS OR KISSES? hugs

40. FAVOURITE DESSERT? Anything chocolate

41. WHO IS LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Angie, I don’t think that she has time

42. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Tammy L.

43. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Hmmmm I can’t remember the name for the life of me

44. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? My mouse.

45. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Cops, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Roseanne

46. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles

47. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Amsterdam

48. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? LOL…..never mind

49. WHEN & WHERE YOU WERE BORN: October, Charles City, IA

50. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Tammy K

Ok, I found another story to tear at your heart strings. Please....All my friends, If you have been blessed and you are able to help someone this year, please please take advantage of it. My friend will open a card here at work tomorrow. Her secret Santa will have given her a Wal-Mart card for $ 250.00 and there will also be another $ 250.00 in cash so that she can pay some bills or get gas in her car or anything else she needs to do. The people at my work have been so generous this year and the best part is that she suspects nothing. She has absolutely no clue. Ok, here is the story that I found today, it is not me but it is really good.

Gram and Gramps lived on the other side of the country, and although we called and wrote often, it had been twenty years since I'd seen them in person. Their health was failing, and age kept them close to home. My responsibilities at home with a husband, two young children and a part-time job, kept me from visiting. I did make a point of going in March one year. I'd spoken to Gram and realized that, in their eighties now, they weren't going to be around forever - as much as I would like them to be. I made the arrangements and flew there for a week. The moment I walked in the door, I was home again. The memories from a childhood long past, immediately returned. The cookies baking in the warm oven, watching Gram ice the fairy-tale cake and letting me dig in the bowl of icing when she was done. The beautiful clothes she'd sewed, smocked dresses and shorts with pop-tops to match. As she often did in her letters, she told stories of what I was like as a little girl and how she'd given me Muriel as my middle name. I never told her how much I was teased as a child because of that name - suddenly, it was prettier somehow and its very uniqueness was so like Gram. Gramps talked of the two wars he lived through, and I told him how proud I was to know he'd served his country so well. He made me laugh, and I believe I made him feel young again, if only for awhile. In turn, he made me cry. He told me that he and Gram had given up on celebrating Christmas about ten years back. They were just too old. How can one let Christmas pass by unnoticed? I remembered best the Christmas as a child, when they lived with us. They loved the season and always went to midnight Mass. Gramps took my brothers, sisters and me to cut down the tree, while Gram baked every Christmas cookie imaginable, then decorated the tree just so. Our house had been filled with the love and togetherness I had always associated with Christmas. I couldn't believe they had stopped celebrating it. Gramps explained that they were too old to bother with a tree and their friends too old to travel to see it. Even shopping, now, was too difficult, and they had all of the necessities delivered. I wanted to cry for the joy they'd once had - and lost. That week remains one of the most joyous of my life. Knowing that it might be the last time I saw either of them saddened me, but I was determined to make it a happy visit. I took the two of them out to dinner - something they hadn't done in well over two years, since Gram had her hip surgery. I know they had a good time. Saying good-bye was difficult. Gramps, the brave, strong hero of mine, cried and Gram did her best not to. She never succeeded. I cried on the plane all the way home. As Christmas approached, I thought of them more than ever. I wanted to do something so they would know I was thinking of them. The idea came to give them back Christmas, and I set about to do just that. First, I found a small artificial tree and decorated it with miniature bulbs and fine gold ribbon. With this, I added colorfully wrapped presents for each of them; slippers, chocolates, a hand-knit scarf for Gramps and a pretty bed jacket for Gram. I made up a box of cookies and bars; many of the recipes were from Gram's cookbooks. Then I filled stockings for each of them with toiletries wrapped and tied with ribbons. In the card, I wrote that they had given me so many wonderful memories throughout the years that I wanted to give them some new ones. I asked both of them to promise to set the tree up in the living room and stack the gifts around it. My last instruction was, "Do not open 'til Christmas!" I mailed the parcel, barely able to contain my excitement. Gram called as soon as it arrived. She was crying and, this time, not even attempting to hide it. We spoke for a long time, reminiscing about Christmas past, and when I knew for certain they had the tree up, I promised to call Christmas morning. When my boys had opened every gift and were digging through their stockings, I made the long-awaited call. Gramps answered on the first ring. I thought he sounded strange, and we only spoke briefly, then Gram took the phone. "We were like two kids," she told me. "Neither of us got any sleep last night. I even caught Harry in the living room, shaking one of the packages and had to make him go back to bed. Honey, this is the first time in years we've been so excited. Don't tell your grandfather, but after he went to bed, I just had to rattle a few of the gifts myself." I laughed, imagining the two of them sneaking out to guess at the presents I'd sent. I wished there was more money to send more expensive gifts, and told Gram that maybe next year they would be better. "Your grandfather can't talk right now because he's too busy crying. He keeps saying, 'That's one heck of a granddaughter we have there, Muriel.'"

Please lets all remember....there is a reason for the season.