MY CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

    DECEMBER 24, 2024

MY CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!

    I've shared this story many times

but it's always worth retelling. My

video BLOG includes a re-creation

of this true story that happened 36

years ago this very day. I had a bad

habit of doing my Christmas shopping

on Christmas Eve. There was a time 

when that added to the Christmas spirit

for me. But that year, 1988, my wife

had asked for a somewhat unusual gift.

It was a lawn decoration that looked

like a lamb. I already had plans to pick

up a present for one of my daughters

at a shop in Montrose which is about

an hour and a half from our home. I

decided I'd better look for that lamb

first. I visited a number of Lawn &

Garden shops. A couple of the owners

were familiar with the decoration but

didn't have any in stock. The hour was

getting late with that drive ahead of me

so I decided I'd make up a gift certificate

for my wife and find the lamb after

Christmas. It was dark and getting late

when I finally set out for Montrose.

I was driving along Route 92 near the

Susquehanna River. I was, I believe,

in the area of Harding when I passed a

house off to my right that had one of

those lamb decorations in the front

yard. They had to know where they

bought it! My dilemma was trying to

decide if I should stop and bother the

homeowner on this dark Christmas Eve

to ask where they bought the lamb. Since

this was a special gift my wife wanted I

decided to take a chance. I got out of my

car and walked up to the house then

knocked on the front door. A woman

answered. The woman who MADE THE

LAMBS!!!! Her name was Madeline Woods.

She once owned an area flower shop. Madeline

had two of the newly made lamb ornaments

in her house. One was a gift for a friend. The

other was available! Coincidence? Somehow

I doubt that. Madeline passed away many

years ago but she left my wife and I with

a wonderful craft that we regard as a

Christmas Miracle! Merry Christmas to

you all and may all your NEWS be good!