I'm not exactly what you would call religious. I'm not a big fan of the whole church thing, tho I do think the current pope seems to be a pretty right-on guy.

On the other hand, I'm not an atheist.

I've always found those two extremes to be equally loopy, because they both seem to be saying the same thing. Basically, that there is one absolute truth to existence, and I'm the only one who knows what it is. Ignore everybody else. They are wrong. I am right. Suck it.

So.... I'm an agnostic.

Because I have no idea what the hell is going on.

And I'm pretty sure that everyone that I've ever met who claims to, is talking out their ass.

And you're probably wondering what all this has to do with the current holiday season.

Here goes...

Every year around this time, my family - that is, myself and my mom and dad - fly out to California to visit my brother and his wife, and their two kids. It's tradition.

I should, by all rights, be there right now.

But, I'm not.

A couple days before we were scheduled to take our trip, my parents were at their local Church, taking in some food they had cooked for a pot luck supper. A sort of community thing where those who can, bring food. And those who can't are given a nice meal by those who can. A nice sort of rosy-cheeked, hey-everybody-let's-pitch-in sort of thing that brings people together. And I like that.

Anyway, while they were there my mother hurt herself.

She'd gone into the lady's room, and there was a brick in the middle of the floor.

She tripped over it.

The brick was apparently there so it could be used to prop the door open. Somehow it ended up not behind the door where it belonged, but out in the middle of the floor ready for someone to trip over it - which is exactly what happened. My mom tripped, fell, and threw her back out.

And after getting herself looked at, the doctor told her there was no way she could handle a plane trip in her current condition. She will be perfectly alright, but being crammed into a tiny little airline seat isn't on the cards right now. She needs to stretch out and take it easy.

So, our flight to California got moved to Easter. And I'm at home for the holidays.

Yesterday, I got a call from a friend and local fur. He's in the hospital.

He drove himself over to get checked out, after feeling a bit out of it. They checked him over, and now he's staying there to have surgery done. Heart stuff. Nothing too serious, but it will mean that he's going to be there through the New Year.

And he's been living with his 95-year old father, who is a diabetic. And who needs a daily set of pills to keep going. All of this medication was being handled, sorted and administered by my friend, who now couldn't, due to being laid up in a hospital ward. And being that I am the only person he really knows locally, he called on me to go over and take care of things for him. Because his dad was going to try and go for the rest of the year without his insulin or his pills, because my friend wasn't there to give them to him.

So, I spent today, Xmas day, over at my friend's house sorting his dad's pills, and getting his insulin injectors ready. And when we stopped back to the hospital, my own father sat my friend down and explained to him that the state we live in has a care system for the elderly who will handle all that for him, for free. All he has to do is ask the hospital to set him up with a social worker. My own parents have had to make use of this service many times, and my dad knew exactly who he needed to talk to and what to tell them to get someone looking after his father until he was discharged and could return home.

Okay, okay.. Christmas message. I'm getting to it. Be patient.

Here's the point of all this...

If Christmas had gone as planned. We wouldn't have been here. We'd have been on the other side of the country. So, nobody would have been there to get his phone call, and to make sure my friend's dad got his medication. Nobody would have been here to explain about the social network that was available to him.

My friend would have been completely alone. In a hospital. On Christmas.

And his dad probably would have died from not taking his medication.

And all this was prevented... by a brick.

In a bathroom.

In a church.

As I said at the start of this, I'm not really religious.

But you know, they say God works in mysterious ways.

And if you believe in that sort of thing, then I'm here to tell you that it seem to involve chucking bricks at old ladies.

Merry Christmas everybody, or whatever end of the year holiday celebration you choose to adhere to.

But, I doubt they will ever write a song about this Christmas miracle.