Our April Christmas Guest

Our April christmas Guest

by Kerri
Iowa, USA

It was early in April 2003, so it still got dark early. My 8-year-old daughter and I were carrying groceries from the car in the garage to the back door of our house. As we made our way across the yard, a man was standing on our sidewalk watching us. Holding onto my daughter’s hand, I watched him watch us as we moved toward our house.

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Some Little Action I Can Take

Some Little Action I Can Take

by Marie Clark
Pennsylvania, USA

Rain began to pour down in buckets as my husband and I left a lovely Philadelphia restaurant and headed back to our car. Purse in one hand, dinner leftovers in the other, we raced toward the parking lot. My husband Mark popped the trunk and I threw leftovers and purse in, and then jumped in the car.

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Extra Ordinary

Extra Ordinary

by David McLaughlan
Ayrshire, Scotland

It was just another nothing much kind of day, in January 2009. I’d done a little shopping and was walking home with nothing much on my to-do list. I overtook a wee old lady. To be honest, she hardly registered on my radar. Just another ordinary old lady.

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Departure Tax Deficit

Departure Tax

Jodi Hendon
Texas, USA

Twenty years ago seems like ancient history to my 21-year-old son, of course, but seems such a short time ago for me. In 1986 I made a quick weekend trip from Texas to Cuernavaca, Mexico to attend a friend’s wedding. I took only about $50 in cash, since the trip was so short and
I was staying at my friend’s house.

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Beyond Customer Service

Beyond Customer Service

by B. Leeann Springer
Arkansas, USA

I had a plethora of items to buy that were needed for our farm the next day; this shopping trip couldn’t be put off for another time. My 4-month-old grandson was with me, as I am his caregiver. It was pouring down rain that day in April 2001, a true “April showers” day.

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A Generous Change of Plans

Generous Change of Plans

by Linda Gavitt
Connecticut, USA

In January 1999 planning for my daughter’s wedding began with a phone call telling me she and John would marry in March — leaving little time to plan! Fortunately Lauren wanted a small wedding with 20-30 close friends and relatives. She was in Orlando, Florida, John was stationed in Kentucky, and I was in Connecticut. Her finance’s family generously offered their help to plan everything, and their Tampa area home for the reception.

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Following a Hunch

Following a Hunch

by The Caroler
California, USA

In 1990, as was our family tradition, my husband and I invited children from the local high school aCappella choir, including our son, to sing Christmas Carols to people we felt could use some special Christmas cheer. My husband dressed up as Santa Claus and drove a rented flat bed truck.

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The Envelope

The Envelope

by Lisa Swindler
South Carolina, USA

In 1998, a week before Thanksgiving, I took our 10-month-old baby daughter to the doctor for a check-up. The nurse commented how well she looked. Fifteen minutes later we were headed to the hospital emergency room. Ruth’s oxygen level was below 90 and she was having difficulty breathing. It was her fourth hospitalization that year.

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The School Bus Driver

The School Bus Driver

By Patty Mooney
California, USA

It’s been many years since I have had to stand on the end of Pusheck Road in Bellwood, a suburb of Chicago, waiting for the school bus, and yet I remember one special day as though it were yesterday.

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Bucking the Crowd

by Jeff Simms
Barnegat, New Jersey, USA

It was a nippy Fall day — our favorite kind of weather. It was Saturday and we were going to have a great time. My divorced mother, two younger brothers and I were on our way to the park at the other end of the small Jersey town we lived in. We had our football and makeshift goal posts in the back of the station wagon and our teams already chosen: us against our mother. (Don’t worry, it was only touch football.)

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