Points2Ponder
By Alan P.
Scaglone
He was ending his 12 Days of Christmas, and I had a special present waiting for him.
Did I mention that I also brought a bag of additional presents? Hey, there were some good deals this year!
So… I got to spend my “Christmas” with my Jettster!
He met me at the door and ran straight into my arms and said, “Nano, it’s Christmas, what did you bring me?”
Okay, so maybe…. I have this kid conditioned that, when he sees Nano, he is going to get a present!
Maybe… but, I’m not admitting to anything!
We spent the morning opening presents, and he likes them all, but he loves his angry birds boomerang airplane!
And he loves the “Make it Rain” moment I had with the 20 “one dollar bills” I had placed in his stocking.
I’ve seen it done in the movies a million times, but I have never “made it rain!”
Until Christmas Eve morning 2012—with Jett jumping up, catching the dollars as they “rained” down upon him!
Priceless!
When we finally had to leave, Jett hugged me real tight and said the best thing I have ever heard.
He said, “Nano, I don’t want you to leave. I want you to stay here and live with me—you can live in my room with me—Please stay!”
Have to admit—I shed a tear or two on that one!
And with that, my Christmas was over!
Some of us have to take our Christmas in spurts, whenever it presents itself!
I loved every minute of it, but...Christmas was all over!
Or so I thought!
Points2Ponder Why is it that sometimes, you have a family
you choose, but sometimes—you are blessed to have a “family” who chooses you!
My buddy Teeto and his lovely wife Stacie
invited Bella and me to their Christmas Eve get together—just their family and
their boys Luca and Liam.
I have known the boys since they were born,
and I call them “Loc-n-Load!”And I call their father—friend!
Teeto met me after my heart attack, so he didn’t know the “old” Alan—he only knew the guy who was struggling with cardiac recovery—and losing the battle!
But Teeto liked the guy he met—impaired and in pain—but for Teeto, he didn’t know any other “Alan!”
Teeto got me through those tough times—made me laugh, listening to my “Alanisms”, writing them down, and… befriending me!
Did I mention that we are 30 years apart in age?
But it didn’t matter to him—he became my friend, and I was honored to become his!
He and Stacie invited us to birthday parties, Christmas parties, dedications, holiday get-togethers!
It didn’t matter that we were “not” family—to them, we were!
And they made us feel “like family!”
Seriously—always made us feel welcomed and included!
People just don’t “invite” strangers into their “family” like that.
But Teeto and Stace did that for us!
And yet, having seen all of “our family” once “Jett Time” was over—we were invited to our “other family” gathering!
His parents, Her parents, Her brother and sister-in-law—and another friend and his family who have also been grafted into “The Family!”
There’s our “family” picture at the bottom—All of us, just spending Christmas Eve together—and I could not have felt more at home IF I had been in Tampa!
Guess sometimes—you get lucky to get “picked”
to be a family member of someone else’s
family!
And it’s the BEST feeling to belong in more than
one place in this world!
Tell me about your "other" family!
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