Holiday happiness

I received good news about my cousin. Her new kidney (not sure if she got one or two, second hand news from my mom) began working before she was out of recovery! What a Christmas blessing for her! My aunt was there when she came out of recovery and my cousin reached out and grabbed her mother's hand and said "Mom, I can feel them working!"

Thanks for all of your prayers and good wishes.

I took Hot Rod to deliver some gifts we picked up for the children at the local state home. We work really hard to have the children understand the importance of helping those less fortunate. We have our soccer team participate in the local soccer association's food drive for Make A Difference Day and we talk to them about what it must be like to go to bed hungry and help them feel a need to help. We take toiletries to the Salvation Army shelter and give old items to the Goodwill store. Christmas, though, seems to be one of those times when it really hits me. I have a friend who grew up in the ghetto of Dallas and he has shared many stories with me about getting nothing for Christmas except maybe a checkers game from the local youth center. That just breaks my heart. I had Hot Rod carry the little bag into the restaurant where we leaving our gifts. He took the bag in and put it under the tree and was thanked by the host there. He asked me why we were giving those presents and I got all choked up when I explained that some kids don't have families that can take good care of them and this lets them get gifts on Christmas, too. I have a second cousin who lives in a group home because she became too hard to care for by my cousin and his wife. It was sad and it was a hard decision for them to place her there, but she was so strong and non-compliant that it was awful for them. I've seen this girl in action and she is dangerous because she is incapable of reasoning. I don't know that she has the mental faculties of a toddler, but she seems to be happy there. She is one of the lucky ones because her family cares and visits. But, the people at the state home have it hard and some are essentially abandoned there by their families.

I highly encourage you to give to those less fortunate - especially this holiday season. Army of Dad received the following request:

The young men and women who are at Walter Reed have given a lot. Now it is our turn to help them. Yellow ribbons tied around trees and red, white and blue stickers on the backs SUVs saying "Support our Troops" are things that make civilians feel good but do nothing for the men and women actually in uniform. So please consider the following:
The number ONE request at Walter Reed hospital is phone cards. The government doesn't pay long distance phone charges and these wounded soldiers are rationing their calls home. Many will be there throughout the holidays. Really support our troops --Send phone cards of any amount to:

Medical Family Assistance Center
Walter Reed Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20307-5001

They say they need an "endless" supply of these -- any amount even $5 is greatly appreciated.

NOTE: ANYONE can also buy phone cards through the PX on line by going to this web address: (They will even mail them to a specific Soldier if you have their address)
https://thor.aafes.com/scs/default.aspx