aluminum pipes were not very cooperative! But alas, we finally had the Mobile Stage lit up and ready for the Santa’s first appearance!

By now the sun was setting and the temperature began to drop. Mr. & Mrs. Santa appeared and started exercising on top of the Stage. They were a big hit with drivers who often honked and waved. Every now and then a curious person would pull in to the parking lot and roll down their windows to talk with us. Most of them had kids in the back seat that were mesmerized by the sight of the Santa’s exercising!

Fortunately, we have family members that live nearby who came out and supported us that night. Our grand daughters stuck around for hours shivering in the cold! About this time rBods Sue decided to stop doing pull ups. Santa went down to become a mechanic to fix the problem but wasn’t able to with the tools on board. We started rebooting the system and that helped but it meant that we had to go up and down the ladder every 10 minutes or so.

We had hoped for News Coverage that day but they never arrived. That, we are learning, is how it goes…a little Mom and Pop only get attention if it’s a slow day! The cars began to thin about 9pm but we continued to hope that one of 4 News stations that we had notified would show up. Around 9 pm our daughter-in-law brought us some coffee, and with our grand daughters, said goodnight for the evening.  Alone again, in a foreign place, with a daunting task...trying to improve the health of our nation one person at a time.

Then, the Togo’s restaurant next door to where we had set up caught on fire and a lady pulled up to us as she called the fire department. About a half dozen fire trucks rolled up to the scene giving us the most excitement of the evening. We persisted in our wait hoping for possibly a News truck to show up at the fire. None arrived and we were getting mighty cold even though we continued to exercise and wave (and smile!) to the few passing motorists.

Then we received a Christmas blessing. A large extended Latino family (Two adults and 9 kids) arrived on foot from a nearby apartment complex. The kids were so excited to talk with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Of course, we gave them the message that we wanted them to exercise every day at school or in their nearby playground. Santa challenged them to races in the parking lot, jumping jacks, and push ups…which they all happily participated in. Mr. & Mrs Santa then passed out raisins to them in lieu of candy and reminded them to eat healthy throughout the year. One bright young boy told Santa that he would put cookies and milk out for him on Christmas Eve and I replied I would rather have fruit. All the kids named off every fruit they could think of and agreed to eat them throughout the year. Next, all the kids formed a line to ask Santa for the things on their Christmas lists. Like all kids, they mentioned the usual popular toys, Ipods, and computers….but intermixed high on their lists were things like clothes and shoes…things many wealthier kids seldom ask for. Then one of the kids asked for flowers for his sister. Another child quickly informed me that his sister had just died. I know Santa’s eyes teared up at that point. Then other kids asked for the bad guys to be gone and for happiness to prevail over sadness. We were overwhelmed with emotion as we all stood in the middle of that dark and cold parking lot and did a group hug.

Sometimes, when you think you have it tough, God sends us a reminder, that we are all human and each of us is a thread in the fabric of society, with the ability to lend our strength to others when our lives are frayed or torn by things beyond our control. Cathy and I are very grateful for this experience and we will never forget it. Isn’t that what this season is all about? Here’s hoping that you can help a stranger get through a difficult time too. In the mean time,

Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!