No Hard Feelings

’Tis the season to “Let Go! Let God! Give patience and peace a try. The years have brought about many conflicts in our lives which never seem to fade away. The old grudges, family feuds and misunderstandings stay with us because we don’t take the time or are afraid to talk about the unresolved hurts from the past. Now is the time to set about righting the old hard feelings. I assure you all parties will become away stronger, happier and with a better understanding of what really matters in life. Reach out. You will be amazed to learn that the other party has wanted to forgive and forget but was afraid to make the first move. Let Go! Let God. He will show you the way.

Respectfully:

Robert A. Brown

My First Christmas

That was over eight decades ago. Has Christmas Day changed? My answer to that is “No” because the birthday of Jesus Christ is on December 25.

Has the Christmas Season changed? My answer to that is “Yes.” The big rush is on. Let’s stand in those long lines and get it over early. The retailers are having a ball.

Three things that I have always loved were Christmas, little kids and journalism. Around this time of the year, I always think of the Editor and Veteran Newsman. He wrote for a newspaper in New York called the Sun. His name was Francis Pharcellus Church. In 1897 he received a letter from eight year old Virginia O’Hanlon. She said, “Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.” Church answered  that letter. He said, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” His response to that question has become history’s most reprinted newspaper article appearing in dozens of languages, in books, movies and other editorials all over the world.

I was talking to a kid the other day. He said, “My name is Thomas and I’m ten years old.” I asked him do you believe in Santa Claus? He answered, “Yes, but not the Fakes in the Department Stores.”

I can still remember counting the days and waiting for Santa. I knew that he came because he ate the cookies and milk that I left for him.

During my life, I have spent many of my years with younger kids. Most of them are believers, but sometimes older kids or adults try to alter their way of thinking. These people are the non-believers and have no faith in anything. They have to see and want proof. In 1973, The New York Mets pulled off a miracle and won the National League Title. A pitcher on that team was Tug McGraw.

He coined a phrase which has carried over in Sports ever since that year. He said, “You Got to Believe.”

How can you be a winner if you don’t believe? The answer is, “You are a loser before you start.”

Things could be better for many of us out there. This year there is also a good feeling at this time of the year. Yes, my Friends and I’ll tell you why, “Santa Claus is coming to town and you better believe it.”

Merry Christmas!

Thomas Francis Clark