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MY FURRY TALES--STORIES FROM 20 YEARS IN THE FUR! #9
16 years ago
Notes by a white lion.
(YES! SANTA KNOWS AND SANTA CARES!)
It was the Christmas season after 9/11. Our troops were in Afghanistan. I was then doing my usual Santa duties, Monday through Friday, at the local mall that is fairly close to where I live in the San Gabriel valley. It was a weekday afternoon, probably about midway through the day. I'm sitting there, on my "throne", when a mother and a boy of about seven years of age come up together to see Santa.
The boy really stands out as he's wearing an obviously brand new army camouflage uniform with cap, no less. He does look sharp! I can tell this is the "real McCoy" too. It's obviously not a costume either. They both say hello and we engage in the usual Christmas-time conversation.
I ask the boy about his uniform. "Is that new? It sure looks like it." The boy answers yes. I continue, "I suppose that might mean your dad's in the Army?" To which he smiles and answers.
"Yep!" So, I now inquire back.
"Is he here or over there?" The boy, still smiling with pride, answers me quickly and firmly.
"Over there!" Mom also adds that dad had just fairly recently shipped out. That dad was so very proud of his son and vice-versa! So I say to the both of them to please sit down with me for a few more moments before they would leave as I have something very important to say to them. They had been standing in front of me up until then. The little boy sat on my left side, while mom sat on my right.
"Now, Santa knows it can be very hard to communicate and talk with people in this situation, being so far away and all. But I want you to promise Santa that the very next time you talk with him, if that's possible, or for the next time you write him, to be sure to tell him that Santa says thank you for what he and all the other soldiers are doing! Santa is all about kindness, love and gifts. But Santa also knows that there are some very bad people out there in the world that can do really terrible things to others without a moment of second thought. Your dad, in his own small way, is helping us stop those bad people and stopping them from doing even more bad things. He's helping me, Santa, you, your mom, and everyone else. I want him to know that Santa appreciates what he's doing! I want you to be sure to thank him for me--please. You promise now, ok?"
With a smile that would do Christmas morning proud, he is grinning from ear to ear and nods his head and says in a sharp clear voice, "Yes!" Mom, I could see was more than a little misty-eyed. We said our good-byes. I gave the boy a big bear hug which he happily was returning at the same time. I also gave mom a light hug as well. As she hugged me back she said "Thank you". To which I said softly back into her ear, "And I meant EVERY word; God Bless!"
I am a firm believer in the "It's A Wonderful Life" philosophy. I sincerely try to live it every day. That wonderful concept and it's moral that's so beautifully stated by that classic movie with Jimmy Stewart. That we may never know of what things that might come from or transpire from even the most simplest and littlest things that we may do for others. Who knows, the simplest good deed can "snowball" into something so much more, even many years in the future. I do know one thing for sure. That at least for that single sweet moment in time, I felt SO good, the boy felt SO good and mom felt SO good. That's a pretty darn "good" start. At least for now!
Semper Furry! --Me Furry
It was the Christmas season after 9/11. Our troops were in Afghanistan. I was then doing my usual Santa duties, Monday through Friday, at the local mall that is fairly close to where I live in the San Gabriel valley. It was a weekday afternoon, probably about midway through the day. I'm sitting there, on my "throne", when a mother and a boy of about seven years of age come up together to see Santa.
The boy really stands out as he's wearing an obviously brand new army camouflage uniform with cap, no less. He does look sharp! I can tell this is the "real McCoy" too. It's obviously not a costume either. They both say hello and we engage in the usual Christmas-time conversation.
I ask the boy about his uniform. "Is that new? It sure looks like it." The boy answers yes. I continue, "I suppose that might mean your dad's in the Army?" To which he smiles and answers.
"Yep!" So, I now inquire back.
"Is he here or over there?" The boy, still smiling with pride, answers me quickly and firmly.
"Over there!" Mom also adds that dad had just fairly recently shipped out. That dad was so very proud of his son and vice-versa! So I say to the both of them to please sit down with me for a few more moments before they would leave as I have something very important to say to them. They had been standing in front of me up until then. The little boy sat on my left side, while mom sat on my right.
"Now, Santa knows it can be very hard to communicate and talk with people in this situation, being so far away and all. But I want you to promise Santa that the very next time you talk with him, if that's possible, or for the next time you write him, to be sure to tell him that Santa says thank you for what he and all the other soldiers are doing! Santa is all about kindness, love and gifts. But Santa also knows that there are some very bad people out there in the world that can do really terrible things to others without a moment of second thought. Your dad, in his own small way, is helping us stop those bad people and stopping them from doing even more bad things. He's helping me, Santa, you, your mom, and everyone else. I want him to know that Santa appreciates what he's doing! I want you to be sure to thank him for me--please. You promise now, ok?"
With a smile that would do Christmas morning proud, he is grinning from ear to ear and nods his head and says in a sharp clear voice, "Yes!" Mom, I could see was more than a little misty-eyed. We said our good-byes. I gave the boy a big bear hug which he happily was returning at the same time. I also gave mom a light hug as well. As she hugged me back she said "Thank you". To which I said softly back into her ear, "And I meant EVERY word; God Bless!"
I am a firm believer in the "It's A Wonderful Life" philosophy. I sincerely try to live it every day. That wonderful concept and it's moral that's so beautifully stated by that classic movie with Jimmy Stewart. That we may never know of what things that might come from or transpire from even the most simplest and littlest things that we may do for others. Who knows, the simplest good deed can "snowball" into something so much more, even many years in the future. I do know one thing for sure. That at least for that single sweet moment in time, I felt SO good, the boy felt SO good and mom felt SO good. That's a pretty darn "good" start. At least for now!
Semper Furry! --Me Furry
