I Still Believe In Santa Claus

(This is a real letter from 8 year old Virginia to an editor of the NY Sun, dated September 20, 1897, and his response to her).

"Dear Editor--I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, 'If you see it in The Sun, it's so'. Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?" - Virginia O'Hanlon

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the scepticism of a sceptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no child-like faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood. - Francis P. Church, Editor, NY Sun

Just as I cannot see Christ with my eyes nor did I witness His birth nor His death on my behalf and yours, I KNOW that He lives!!! That He did die for me and for you. I celebrate in His gift to us, the gift of redemption, that we can live with Him again. I celebrate the priceless gift He was to us, from a Heavenly Father that loves us more than we know.

Remember the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas!!!!

Amy's Birthday: The Musical

Birthdays can be a little less forgiving with each passing year and sadly I look forward to them less and less. I really try to not let them bother me and make the most of them if I can.

This year, my birthday started out emotionally handicapped but thanks to some very amazing people in my life, it was absolutely fabulous! Who knew that spending my big evening in my p.j.'s surrounded by my wonderful friends, singing along to Mama Mia (and annoying the crap out of Lori) could be the freakin' time of my life!? What more could this birthday girl ask for?

A GIANT THANKS TO....

- Job...I mean Carrie. thank you for the rather hairy and well endowed cake. You're freakin' hilarious! (Someone send me a picture). And thank you for not spreading your bad luck around. (I just checked and my tires are still holding air).

- Lori, thank you for offering to make French toast in bed...but then not actually following through. (No really, thanks for not spreading your bug. Get well soon.)

- Uyen and Michelle...for my greek dinner. :) mmmmm.

- KC, Mare, Lowder, Michelle, Stacie, Lori, Lingwall, Kelli, and Uyen...thanks for the cash! Can't go wrong with cash right?

- Michelle, thank you for the book, going to get a pedicure with me AND making my greek musical desire come true. That freakin' rocked! You always make the magic happen. How you do that?

- And a final thank you to my "icing on my birthday cake". You know who you are. You are too too sweet. Thank you for remembering and going beyond what was necessary or expected.

I'm a very blessed and loved birthday girl. You all rocked my 33 year old arse off! I don't need my life to be as happy as a musical as long as I have you all in my life.

America's New Bedtime Story

"Once upon a time there was a very happy couple. Their names were Freedom and Capitalism. They married and had many wonderful children. Their names were Independence, Self-worth, Hard work, Dignity, Charity, Faith and Hope. They all lived happily for many years and the children respected their parents and loved them both very much.

But Freedom and Capitalism later had several naughty children, very naughty. They weren't so respectful and never appreciated their parents. Their names were Wealth-Envy, Environmentalism, Animal-Rights-Activism, Racism, Feminism, Ultra-Liberalism. These evil children blamed their parents for everything and hated their parents' Freedom and Capitalism.

In fact, these unappreciative children began to hate their parents since they didn't realize their parents gave them everything they had and didn't realize that they wouldn't even exist without their parents. They hated their parents so much, they began to plot with their neighbors to kill their parents and to keep their home. Their neighbors' names were Socialism and Communism who on the outside were a very lovely couple but inside they were very, very ugly. They and their children, whose names were Despair, Poverty, Suffering, and Repression had been welcomed into every neighborhood they had lived in. But then thrown out after years of suffering and the loss of many lives.

So late one night in total darkness because Socialism and Communism did everything in darkness and the way from the light of the truth, while everyone was asleep, Wealth-Envy, Environmentalism, Feminism, Animal-Rights, by their younger obnoxious brother, Hollywood, disguised by Socialism and Communism and let them into the house, Freedom and Capitalism. It wasn't hard for the two parents, Freedom and Capitalism, always left their gates and their door open for everyone.

Wealth led the way because he knew the house oh, so well. The evil children led Socialism and Communism throughout the house, one room at a time. And one at a time they killed Hard-Work, then Dignity, then Independence, Self-worth, Charity and Faith. They finally found the room of Freedom and Capitalism and killed them as well. It wasn't hard to do, since Freedom and Capitalism always left their door unlocked and open for everyone. Only Hope survived. Hope survived hiding in the closet. She ran out during the ensuing celebration.

After Socialism and Communism moved in, things went well for a while but then they decided they didn't like Freedom and Capitalism's evil children, either. They wanted their own children to have the rooms in their new house. So late one night in total darkness because Socialism and Communism did everything in darkness and away from the light of the truth, they sent their children to kill Freedom and Capitalism's remaining evil children. Poverty and Suffering killed Environmentalism and Animal-Rights first, for they were so hungry, they had to kill all the animals for food and the trees for their wood. And besides, why should animals have rights if people don't? Hopelessness killed Liberalism, the retarded brother of Communism. Then Poverty, Suffering, and Repression killed Feminism, the retarded sister of Liberalism. And Hollywood, the young obnoxious son of Freedom and Capitalism, was also killed.

Finally, Wealth-Envy, who led the attack on his parents, died at the hands of Poverty since there was nothing left to envy.

So Socialism and Communism and their children, Poverty, Despair, Hopelessness, Suffering, Repression lived in the once beautiful home of Freedom and Capitalism which was now in great disrepair and they all lived sadly ever after. All that was left of the family of Freedom and Capitalism was Hope who was quietly hiding in the woods. The End." - Author Unknown

I Highly Reccommend....

It's at a local Red Box near you. I watched it last night. Its entertaining, facinating, freaky, and could easily piss you off. I think it will even make you smarter, or at least feel smarter. :) For the premise, click here.

So Good I Wish I'd Said It Myself

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help little men by tearing down big men.
You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.
You cannot build character & courage by destroying men's initiative & independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves.

- William J. H. Boetcker

Need Your Help

I'm looking to start my New Year's resolutions early. One being to stop eating large meals and to "graze" all day long instead. But I need your help...what are some easy "grazing" foods that you like that are ...

a) more healthy than not
b) easy for snacking on at work

Help a girl out and maybe Santa will reward you.