To all of our friends and visitors Keepers and JM would like to offer these wishes for each of you in 2008:

continued personal growth

friends who understand and care

T’s who get it

family that takes time to listen and really hear you

less painful memories and many more good ones being created

less stress and more joy

more friends and less enemies

more healing and less pain

time to do what makes you happy

significant others in your life to share life with

to realize you deserve good things and are worthy of them

to be accepting of all your parts and to love your littles

protect your littles

be happy, be respected, be loved

You are all so very special to us and we wish you the best in 2008

peace and blessings

Keepers and JM

Over the last eighteen months, our ministry at KEEPERSKORNER has been growing at a rather moderate but very steady pace.  New people reach out to us every day–some by email and some through our toll free number (1.888.752.9070).  And requests for our AVAILABLE SERVICES or even keeper’s artwork come in at a fairly consistent pace.  While our ministry here at KK has been growing, JM and keepers have been hard at work establishing ourselves as both a reliable and trustworthy ministry.  Since many have given their support to what we do, we have slowly but surely become what we see as a well established ministry dedicated to improving the quality of life for those who live in multiplicity.

However, there are times when growth here at KEEPERSKORNER happens in spurts.  This is particularly during holiday months like these we have just experienced.  Many therapists are out of town over the holidays.  People are feeling their own personal aloneness more at this time of year.  And bad memories seem to always erupt for many during the Christmas season.  So, it makes sense that things would become much busier with our toll free number (1.888.752.9070) and with our using the webcam to spend time with our sister survivors.  It makes sense that requests would increase both before and during the actual Christmas week.  So, saying that KEEPERSKORNER has been extremely busy over the last couple of weeks is putting it mildly in some ways–especially since we try to run our ministry 24/7 at times like these when the need is so great for what we have to offer.

To be honest, keepers are at our happiest when our ministry at KEEPERSKORNER when things are very busy here.  We never seem to feel overwhelmed or even stressed out over what happens in any given 24 hour period.  In fact, keepers find ourselves thriving when we are at our busiest.  I think that is because keepers love feeling useful and helpful to others, which is how we feel in following our calling here.  And keepers tend to get out of our own funks and our own pain when we are doing things for others.  So, keepers really truly are at our happiest when KEEPERSKORNER is a very busy place like it has been lately.

Still, there are times when keepers have to sit back and prioritize the jobs that need to be done.  Always, our toll free number (1.8888.752.9070) is our first priority.  This is because we know it takes a lot of courage to pick up the phone and reach out for someone to care like people do when they call us.  We have only the one line which means people can not always get through on the first try but we ask that you either leave a message or try again in a few minutes because getting our voice mail means we are already speaking with someone on our toll free line.  After the phone, keepers consider IMing and webcam of great importance for much the same reasons as our toll free number.

JM and keepers try hard to get out there to visit blogs daily so that we know how our cyber friends are doing but during busy times–even this takes a lower priority.  However, we do try to visit blogs before even writing our blog as knowing how our cyber friends are doing is more important than what keepers have to say.  Also, we try to be diligent with answering emails but may be slower at responding during our busiest times.  During less busy times, keepers try to put up a new blog every single day but when more crucial matters are at hand, our blogs take a back seat until we have more time to work on what we want to write.

KEEPERSKORNER being busy is something that truly ebbs and flows for us.  We have times when things are quiet and we can do more of our daily routine of work.  We also have times when our toll free number is ringing by 7 in the morning and we are still on the phone at 4 o’clock the next morning.  Keepers and JM do not determine what work gets done around here nearly as much as the needs of others does.  It may well be that after the New Year begins things will quiet down around here and our routine will once again fall back into place.  But, either way, keepers are doing what we are meant to do and we are very happy with our lives as they are today.

Whenever we are speaking with someone on our toll free number or even on IMing, that system is our main focus.  We try to never limit the time we spend talking with someone and we try to minimize distractions while talking.  So, the calls that come in will be allowed to go to voice mail until our line is clear again.  Then, we move on to whoever else wants to reach us.

There are times when JM answers the toll free number because keepers are busy with something else.  He is more than happy to sit and talk with you any time you feel comfortable with that.  But many prefer to wait to speak with keepers which is something JM understands fully.  So, when he answers feel free to chat with him if you want or feel free to ask that keepers call you back as soon as possible.  Either way is fine with JM and keepers.

Recently, keepers watched a show on OPRAH about people with callings.  It was a wonderful program and it helped keepers because those speaking were sharing their callings with the same love and passion we feel in doing our ministry at KEEPERSKORNER.  I can not explain how or why keepers were called to do what we are doing but we do truly know that this our calling and what we are meant to do for the rest of our lives.

Keepers love hearing from every one of our sister survivors.  We feel humbled by the fact that you are willing to reach out to us.  We can only say the keepers love hearing from you and look forward to your next phone call with great caring and compassion.

peace and blessings,

keepers

It was in 1972 when keepers first worked intensively with a psychiatrist.  We were living in California at the time–married to our JM and our son was just a baby then.  Keepers first went to this psychiatrist because we were trying to live the life of a military wife and it was not working for us at all.  To be honest, I have no idea if Dr. S. even saw our multiplicity but I do know he saw our vulnerability in this world. He helped our JM to be released from military service through a Humanitarian Discharge so that he and keepers could be together on a more regular basis.  I remember the last few appointments we had with this psychiatrist.  He was adamant that keepers not return to our home town and be around our family of origin.  Time and time again, Dr. S. told us that the people in our family would destroy us in every way.  Still, after leaving California, we found ourselves heading home to be with the people who had already done us so much harm.

Keepers came back home in spite of Dr. S. warnings simply because we knew no other way.  Our parents had created a huge dependency in us on them by constantly beating us down and telling us how inept we were.  The world we had always lived in consisted mostly of family members which meant keepers nothing else of life beyond our abusive childhood.  Somehow, we had accepted the sickness of our family as the norm of the entire world.  We thought all mothers bounced checks the way our mother did.  We thought all fathers drank their way through their work days.  We thought boys were a thousand times better than girls.  We accepted that keeping family secrets was the only way to show love for its members.  We honestly believed that everyone followed sitting in Church on Sunday morning with going home and kicking the dog.

Keepers mother was a teacher. She always taught at the schools we attended which meant she was ever present force in our lives–no matter where we went.  We were taught that our teachers were always right which fed into Mama always being right.  Her friends were all nuns which put her in high esteem to others because the sisters were well thought of.  So, keepers came into adulthood with a totally distorted and unreal view of a mother who was–in truth–selling out her own children for financial gain and staying so present in our lives merely to keep us quiet.

Now, it is over thirty years since that psychiatrist told keepers to never be around our family again.  I am so sorry that we failed to hear his words of wisdom when were in our twenties.  The cost of that has been phenomenally high for everyone concerned.  Yet, keepers can look back and see that we were doing the only thing we knew how to do which was to follow the family and be what we were expected to be.

It was not until the night of our mother’s death that things began to change for keepers.  I can not explain what happened when our mother passed but something changed almost immediately.  We began to realize that–by her very existence–our mother was keeping us bound to our own self destruction.  Only when she was removed from the equation completely were keepers set free to begin what would be our beginning our own personal healing path.

One of the problems keepers always faced in live was that we trusted the wrong people.  Keepers continually placed our trust in people who were much like our parents.  This was true even in therapy which we learned from the former therapist who did us so much harm.  Only after leaving his treatment did we see that trusting him was natural for us because his ways were as dishonest and purposefully hurtful as those of our family of origin.  We began to understand that keepers saw people who only used us as our friends because that was the way life had always been for us.  We realized that keepers trusted people who criticized and humiliated us because that was what we thought we deserved.

But even after our mother was gone–keepers did not sleep at night and were still struggling hard with addiction problems.  Our life was changing slowly through yoga and socializing more but we were still not at peace enough to sleep or be clear minded.  for us, those things only came as keepers realized that doing the right thing is extremely important–not only for others but to give keepers the peace of mind we deserved.

Speaking out or doing the right thing sounds like a good way to go.  But keepers have learned that it is a very unpopular and extremely hard way to go–especially since we live in a family that rares up in anger at people who do the right thing.  But, to tell the truth, keepers know it is better to accept our aloneness than to feel haunted over the safety of young ones in our family today or to worry about who our former therapist is going to victimize next.  At least now, keepers can look in the mirror without feeling unbearable shame and we can sleep through the night without guilt eating away at us.

They say that hindsight is 20/20.  Looking back on our lives, keepers know we made mistakes.  Our greatest one was disregarding our psychiatrist when he told us that this family would destroy keepers.  In essence, they did destroy us almost completely.  It was only after their power and control was gone from keepers that we could learn what it means to follow our own hearts and how good it feels to do what keepers know is the right thing to do.

peace and blessings,

keepers

Today is the birthday of our youngest daughter. She was once our miracle baby since she was born two months early. She has also always been the very best Christmas gift keepers were ever given since she surprised us by coming into this world so shortly after Christmas one year. But now she is a grown woman who is married and has two little girls of her own. Today, she is in her very early thirties and celebrating this special day with the people she values and wants in her life. Still, keepers can not let this day pass without acknowledging how very thankful we are that we got the honor of being Beemer’s mother during her childhood years. She has always been very precious to us and we want her to know that in her heart–especially on her birthday since we shared her first one together bringing her into this world.

Actually, Beemer had a very difficult beginning to life on this earth. Just two months before she was born, JM and keepers had our new home gutted by fire that originated in a deep fat fryer. I do not have any idea if the trauma of all that was what caused our baby girl to arrive two months early but we know it was a distinct possibility. Anyway, she weighed in at just over five pounds at birth and spent the first few weeks of her life in the neo natal unit at a local hospital. The day we were able to bring Beemer home is one that keepers will always remember because it felt like we had to wait so long to introduce our new little baby girl to her brother and sister.

To be honest, keepers had no idea about our multiplicity when Beemer was born. Actually, our parents were ruling our lives with their control and manipulation on a constant basis. In fact, we had just spent two months living in their house due to the fire that made our own home uninhabitable. Not only was it our parents home but the uncle who had been our worst perpetrator was living in the basement of their home at the time. At one point, JM and keepers decided to take our two young children and move into a motel until our home was ready for us. Keepers parents threw such a fit that we stayed where we were.

When Beemer came into this world, keepers did not remember the horrors of our childhood. However, our lives were riddled with lost time and pains that no one could explain and just trying to get through each day felt impossible to us. Besides which, the birth of each our children threw keepers into an undescribable postpartum depression. Still, it would be five years until keepers actually sought therapy and, eventually, received our diagnosis of MPD/DID. Unfortunately, our memories began to surface too late for us to keep our little children safe from our family of origin. That is something keepers just can not forgive ourselves for in spite of the fact that our family was exiled from our lives as soon as we realized the kind of people they truly were.

I can not tell you anything about our youngest daughter in today as keepers have had little or no relationship with her for the last four years. We have no idea who she has chosen to be in today. However, I can say that keepers loved our youngest daughter from the moment she was born. It is a love that will live in our hearts forever. But, that love has gone from being filled with joy to being riddled with the pain of not knowing anything about our youngest daughter any more.

For keepers, the saddest part of everything is that we wanted our daughter to feel love for us. We wanted nothing more than that from her. But even that simple want has gone bad since we no longer have any kind of relationship with her. So, all keepers can say is that we wish Beemer the happiest of birthdays. And we want to tell her that her old mom loves her so very much no matter what.

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR SWEET BEEMER

Mom (aka keepers)

In today, KEEPERSKORNER is full of treasures that mean everything to keepers because each one is a reminder of the wonderful life we are now living. One of these treasures is, of course, the painting our youngest daughter did when she was in first grade. That picture has always been and always will be the foundation of KK because it was such a loving gift for our little daughter to give us years ago. Another treasure is the butterfly the 9 year old alter in someone’s system made to hang in the our doorway. And we now have a snowman that hangs in our office. This snowman is special–partly because it was a gift from our dear friend Meadow–but also because this was the first year that little keepers were introduced to THE POLAR EXPRESS where one can only hear the sound of Santa’s bells by believing wholeheartedly. Our new snowman has a huge bell as the bottom layer. Our little keepers know they still believe every time they hear the bell make it noise. So, more and more, KEEPERSKORNER is filled with treasures that keepers are collecting on our healing journey.

The above plaque was one that keepers saw while we were out shopping one day. We showed it to our John Michael because we fell in love with it. He automatically went and bought it because it meant as much to him as it does to us. Once we got it home, keepers made our JM climb up on our desk in the office and hang our plaque above the window. The actual length of the plaque is about three feet so it is quite easy for us to read when we look up from our desk while we are working. This plaque is a treasure that keepers will always see as so very precious because it tells us why KEEPERSKORNER exists in today.

The truth of our ministry here at KEEPERSKORNER is that keepers work very hard on a full time basis. We see this as our job from early morning until evening. Then, in the evening, our JM is hard at work while keepers are, too. Mostly, keepers are the ones who visit blogs and handle emails and answer our toll free number. But, every moment of every day, keepers are keenly aware that none of this would even be possible if our JM was not out working every day to bring in the funds to maintain KK with the standard of quality and commitment for us both to live up to. Now, as KK grows and changes, there is much more work to be done every day. In all honesty, more work than keepers can handle alone. Our JM consistently steps up to take over at the computer while keepers are on the phone with this friend or another.

The truth is that our ministry at KEEPERSKORNER is thriving in today all because two (we did not know how to put each keeper into that equation) people fell in love well over thirty years ago. Had JM and keepers not joined our lives together back then, KK would have never been more to a dream to keepers because our ministry requires just as much of our JM as it does of keepers. These two people falling in love was meant to be because we both know that our destiny was to be doing our ministry at KEEPERSKORNER as partners in every way.

Our ministry here at KEEPERSKORNER is based totally on the healing power of love. The only reason keepers base our ministry on the healing power of love is that we have learned so much about love from our JM. No matter where keepers were on our healing journey, he was right there with us. No matter how dark our days were, he came into our darkness and helped us find our way back to the light. No matter how little we trusted him–our JM was always there believing in keepers. It took a great many years but keepers finally came to know that it was really was two people falling in love with each other so very many years ago. Since it has been love (more than anything else) that healed keepers, it is completely unconditional love that we reach out and offer to our friends who come to KK as a safe and caring place while each one is on their healing journey.

JM and keepers are all committed to doing KEEPERSKORNER until the end of our days on this earth. We fully plan to keep going–no matter what. We thrive in doing KK because we are the two people who fell in love so many years ago. As you know, JM and keepers have no family with whom to share the love we feel on a daily basis. So, we both come to KK each day and find such great joy in giving to others the healing power of being loved unconditionally. KEEPERSKORNER is our life now and it truly is a life that we are both happy living to the fullest.

peace and blessings,

keepers

 Today is Christmas Day in Australia.  KEEPERSKORNER has received word that JIP entire system may well be in grave danger on this holiest of days.  We already have our prayer warriors from Save Our World Ministries praying for JIPs entire system.  JM and keepers are holding them in prayer as well.  We ask that anyone who feel able and willing join us in praying for JIP throughout this Christmas Day.  Thank you so very much.

peace and blessings,

keepers

 Update:  Maddy is home and doing lots better, thank you all for your prayers!!!

Please include in your prayers tonight and for the next several days and nights, Beautiful Dreamer’s granddaughter Maddy. She is in the hospital with RSV, Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of respiratory illness in young children. RSV causes infection of the lungs and breathing passages.

Beautiful Dreamer asked us to pray for Maddy and we are also passing on to the Save Our World prayer warriors for their prayers too. Please join us in praying for a fast and full recovery for Maddy.

Thank you

keepers and JM

We at KEEPERSKORNER just wanted to let everyone know that our toll free number (1.888.752.9070) will be manned 24/7 from today until December 26, 2007. We invite you to call and chat for a while if you are looking for someone who can listen with a caring ear and let you know that you are not alone in this world. However, please remember that our toll free number is not meant to be a crisis line and keepers are not professionals. We are just simply people who truly understand the experience of living in multiplicity because that our has been our life experience from the very beginning.

KEEPERSKORNER first established our toll free number (1.888.752.9070) nearly eighteen months ago. We did so because keepers have spent much time feeling all alone on this earth and we have lived through many nights where our system wished with all our hearts that we had a friend we could call to share to going ons of our multiplicity in an open and honest way. We felt such a need for a relationship that understood living in multiplicity but was in no way a therapeutic relationship. So–when establishing our toll free number was mentioned for the first time–keepers knew full well that we wanted to do something very different from being a crisis line or even a toll free number that offers advice. In fact, we try very hard here at KEEPERSKORNER to simply listen and chat in friendly ways so that others will have that sense of friendship that keepers never had during our years of struggling hard with our multiplicity.

So, we at KEEPERSKORNER invite you to call 1.888.752.9070 should you feel the desire or need to simply make contact with someone who really does care and understand the ins and outs of multiplicity. Please do not be offended or discouraged if your call goes through to our voice mail. That simply means we are already on the line with another caller. Please leave a message and your phone number on our voice mail and we will return your call as soon as possible. Or, please, call again in about twenty or thirty minutes when we will–most likely–be off the phone and available to speak with you.

Keepers look forward to hearing from each of you. We are so thankful to be part of such a wonderful, caring community of survivors. Whether you choose to call or not, please know that keepers are grateful to each one of you for the wonderful and unique things you have each brought to our lives.

peace and blessings,

keepers

1.888.752.9070

Today, KEEPERSKORNER received the decision (via snail mail) concerning our hearing last week about our local tax exempt status.  I am very happy to say that KEEPERSKORNER met all of the requirements for exemption and were approved for our tax exempt status as of January 1, 2007.  To us, the date of approval is important because it means we will not have to pay local taxes on this current year.  The letter also states that KEEPERSKORNER will remain on the tax-exempt rolls of St. Louis County until such point where our purpose or activity here at KEEPERSKORNER changes.  Since both JM and keepers are very dedicated and committed to our ministry here, we plan to continue with KK for the rest of our lives.  Fortunately, our approval is set up on a permanent basis which saves us from having to reapply for approval year after year.  Needless to say, both JM and keepers are thrilled to have received our tax exempt status.

The truth is that this is only a local tax exempt status but it still means a lot to us–but it still means an awful lot to us.  Last year, the mayor of our municipality supported KK by freeing us of having to pay for business licenses and other local requirements.  That gave us a strong sense of having the support of our own home community.  Now, we have this tax exempt approval from the entire metropolitan area which also feels like KEEPERSKORNER is being taken seriously in ways that truly matter.  We do still have a long way to go because we have decided that it is best for us to work on things like this in a step by step manner.  Having the approvals that we already have received inspires us to continue establishing as a charitable organization that is respected on many official levels.

Keepers have said–many times–that every little bit helps and that is sooooooooo very true.  Having this tax exempt status enables us to put more funds into paying for our toll free number (1.888.752.9070) and maintaining our AVAILABLE SERVICES which is very exciting for us.  It also enables us to have the funds to share our artwork (without cost) to those who find meaning in it.  Keepers artwork can be seen by visiting our GALLERIES on our website.

At times, keepers do have very down days like we have experienced recently.  But we always know to hang on because something wonderful may as close as five minutes away.  Well, this time it took a little more than five minutes for our miracle to arrive but indeed it did when we checked our snail mail today and opened the envelope that contained our permanent approval for our tax exempt status.  Hanging on five minutes at a time is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo worth it.

peace and blessings,

keepers

The following true story was told to us today by a very dear friend, and we were so touched we asked her to write it and with her permission, allow us to post it so others can read a true Christmas story.

My Christmas Story

We are creatures of habit for the most part–all humans are. We tend to stick to routines. There’s a certain amount of comfort in following a routine–knowing what to expect and when to expect it. You may take the same route to work every day and find yourself behind the same car at the same stop light on most days. The only reason you might notice this car amid hundreds of others is because of a funny bumper sticker or unique license plate. You see the same school bus and the same group of kids waiting for that bus–and the only day you might notice the bus or the kids is if you have to stop for the blinking red lights on that bus and wait for those kids to load up so you can be back on your way.

On the days that I work, I leave my house at the same time and follow the same route. I am usually behind a silver Toyota Camry with a Butler High School decal on the trunk. I have noticed that whenever she is behind me, she takes the first opportunity to get in the left lane and pass me–so she always ends up in front of me. Today I noticed she had two new Christmas decals on either side of the usual orange Butler bulldog paw. Not a big thing to notice, but something different that caught my eye. It won’t be far up the road before she slows our lane of traffic down to make a right turn into a small development. In my mind, I wave goodbye and say “I’ll see ya tomorrow.”

There is somebody else I’ve noticed from time to time. A little boy, about 9-years-old, waiting at a bus stop out in front of one of those pay-by-the-week motels just around the corner from my office. Sometimes I see his mother waiting with him and sometimes I imagine she gets him to the bus stop and heads to work herself. I have found myself wondering how it is that they ended up living there. The mother looks like she’s had a hard life and when looking at her for the brief moments as I pass by, I wonder if she’s running from something or someone.

I live in the south where it doesn’t get terribly cold and we rarely see snow. But it gets cold enough. Yesterday the temperature was 22 degrees when I left my house. I had to scrape a good layer of frost off my windshield before I could leave home and I was thankful I had remembered my gloves. Today the temperature was a bit warmer at 38 degrees, but it was raining…a cold rain. Both days I have noticed this little boy more than usual because he was not wearing a coat of any kind. All he had on against the cold and rain was a sweatshirt. Today he was jumping up & down and shaking himself trying to stay warm as the rain continued to come down on him.

I was only blocks away from work and I began to cry. I knew today had to be different–not only for me but for that little boy. In the next few minutes I had a plan.

When I got to work, I immediately went into my supervisor’s office and told her I had an idea that I wanted to tell her about. We hadn’t yet made any definite plans for an office Christmas party and we usually get each other something frivolous that we don’t really need. I was still crying as I told her about this little boy without a coat in the cold & rain. I asked her if we could bypass those $5 & $10 gifts this year and instead pool the money together to get this little boy a coat, hat & gloves. I could see how touched she was as she reached into her wallet and pulled out some money. I went around to several other coworkers and many were no longer dry eyed and all of them willingly donated—some giving me all the cash they had in their wallets at the time.

I work for the corporate office of a small retail company. We have 6 stores in the area and we sell shoes, boots, dancewear, horse equipment and even some outerwear. So when I approached the boss, he told me he would give me some gloves for the boy and that would be his donation. A short while later, he called me back to the warehouse and he had a selection of coats he had pulled out. He told me to pick one that I thought would fit the boy and he would sell it to me at his cost (which is roughly ½ of the retail price). He said he’d rather do that & see the kid get a really nice coat than to have me go to a discount store and pay more money for a cheaper coat. I picked a nice one out of the pile…a Wrangler coat with flannel lining and a hood. He later brought the pair of gloves he had promised me to my desk so all that was left to get was a hat. After paying for the coat, I still had $71 of donated money to spend on the little boy. I went to Walmart after work and found a hat and a few sweet treats to put in his gift bag to make it even more special. I also got his mother a box of chocolates and put the remaining $55 on a Walmart gift card for the mother to use for groceries or presents.

My plan was to leave for work early tomorrow morning and try to catch the mother walking her son to the bus stop so I could give them the gift bags since I didn’t want to approach the boy if he was out there by himself. But I also wanted him to have the coat to wear in the morning in case it was bitterly cold once again. I decided to drive to the motel this evening and ask whoever was in the management office if they knew where the little boy who waits out front for the bus lives. I was a bit nervous to knock on someone’s door like this, but I wanted him to have his coat before morning. As I pulled into the driveway of the motel, this boy & his mother were walking towards me. They were headed out for dinner I assume. The boy had a short sleeve shirt on and the sun was going down. I quickly did a U-turn and pulled up behind them and opened my window. I had to holler a bit for the woman to hear me over the noise of traffic. I got her attention and she stopped to talk to me. I got out of my car and asked her if this was her little boy and if he was the one I see at the bus stop every morning. She hesitantly answered yes and then wanted to know why I was asking. I told her that I see him every day and I was worried that he had no coat–especially these last two days when it was so cold. I told her that my coworkers and I wanted to do something for them for Christmas and since I had no idea if she would be offended or not, I asked her to please accept the gifts in the spirit that they were being given. She said that he did have a coat but that it is at her other son’s house and they have no way to get it. I told her that she didn’t have to worry about that any longer, as I handed him the giant bag filled with the warmth that every child deserves. She began to cry…and I did too. As I handed her the small gift bag with the chocolates and gift card, she hugged me and thanked me. As she stepped back, I felt two small arms around my waist and I looked down to see this little boy with his arms wrapped around me. I hugged him back and wished him a very Merry Christmas.

I look forward to my drive to work tomorrow-I hope to see him at the bus stop, wearing his new coat. I still don’t know his name, and they don’t know mine…and that’s the way it should be. My routine was broken today and I’m so thankful for that. By giving him the gift of a warm coat, I can now truly feel the warm spirit of Christmas all around me.

-bjy-
12/19/07