EIGHTY-ONE AND LOVING IT!

After Thanksgiving and Pre Christmas

Growing up on a small farm in East Tennessee, my parents were not rich. My mom worked at a retail store in town, and my dad was a farmer. Our life was simple, without extravagance. One thing we had was lots of food and love.

I don\’t remember my mom saying we\’d go shopping for everyone. She gave my sister and me a little money to buy presents for the names we drew in church and school. We looked at the toy catalogues that came in the mail and we\’d tell her what we wanted for Christmas.

The stores did not start decorating before Halloween for Christmas. I don\’t remember a lot of decorations in stores. We knew it was Christmas. We knew it was a time of giving, and we knew we had to be patient.

We never got the latest doll on the market, but we got a doll each year. I remember one year I wanted a Maxie Make-up doll. She had lipstick, rouge, a comb, and a cape for doing her hair. I still have her. One thing I learned early after I received her, you do not cut her hair. It doesn\’t grow back. I still loved Maxie.

A lot of things happened during 2022. Next year, we\’ll have a new baby at our Thanksgiving and Christmas table. That will make the holidays so much better. My husband and I are looking forward to being great-grandparents.

I\’m thankful for all the good that was brought to us during 2022. We\’ve made a lot of new friends, we\’ve helped many people, and modern medicine has blessed us. I\’m looking forward to the end of this year and a new one.

I will start the new year with a new Bible verse for 2023. Psalm 51:1

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.

Kathy Cretsinger

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