Baja Bernie
`Normal` Nomad Correspondent
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Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: Sunset Beach
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In memory of Mike Humfreville
In memory of Mike Humfreville
When I read this I just knew that I had to post it here for all of his Baja Friends to share!
SIMPLE WHITE ENVELOPE
It's just a small white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the
branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.
It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas -- oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it -- the overspending,
the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma -- the gifts given in desperation
because you couldn't think of anything else.
Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties, and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike.
The inspiration came in an unusual way. Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended. Shortly
before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church.
These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our
boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was
wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford.
Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with
false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat. Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could
have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them." Mike loved kids -- all kids -- and he
knew them, having coached little league football, baseball, and lacrosse.
That's when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and
shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had
done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years.
For each Christmas, I followed the tradition -- one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to
a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on. The envelope became the highlight of our
Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning, and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed
anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.
As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn't end there. You see, we
lost Mike last year due to cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve
found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning it was joined by three more. Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed
an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree
with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope.
Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us. May we all remember Christ, who is the reason for the season, and the true Christmas
spirit this year and always. God Bless!
Pass this along to those friends and loved ones who you know are the givers who understand the true meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
My smidgen of a claim to fame is that I have had so many really good friends. By Bernie Swaim December 2007
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Diver
Ultra Nomad
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Oh my, what an absolutely beautiful story and custom.
I am totally taken.......to tears.
Thank you very much for sharing, Bernie.
.
.
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David K
Honored Nomad
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Thanks Bernie...
I hope Nomads are ordering their copies of Mike's book from Sunbeltbooks.com or other book sources as they make an excellent addition to one's
bookcase... A book written by our amigo who shared his life with all of us!
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Packoderm
Super Nomad
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That story was written by by Nancy Gavin and originally appeared in Woman's Day magazine 12/14/1982.
Gosh, I guess I stutter when I type.
[Edited on 07/17/2004 by Packoderm]
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FARASHA
Senior Nomad
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One of the best Christmas stories I have heard. Touching!!
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tripledigitken
Ultra Nomad
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That story illustrates what the Christmas season is supposed to be about.
Feliz Navidad
[Edited on 12-15-2006 by tripledigitken]
[Edited on 12-15-2006 by tripledigitken]
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Packoderm
Super Nomad
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Here is a link to the nice story: http://www.new-life.net/favrt049.htm
It is very sweet. But as far as I know, it wasn't associated with Mike H. until B. Bernie commemorated him with it.
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Baja Bernie
`Normal` Nomad Correspondent
Posts: 2962
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: Sunset Beach
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Mood: Just dancing through life
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Pack
You are most correct..............I did find it interesting that the guy in the story was named Mike.
Thanks for the authors name............has she written anything else?
Hey! Turn your speakers on when you go to the link that Pack provided.
[Edited on 12-15-2006 by Baja Bernie]
My smidgen of a claim to fame is that I have had so many really good friends. By Bernie Swaim December 2007
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M
Nomad
Posts: 392
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: Laguna Niguel, CA.
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Mood: looking for joy...
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Another touching gift idea...
This is an organization that supplies a living gift that gives all year and can continue to grow.
For $10 you can share towards a goat or, for $120 buy a goat outright.
A goat can eat almost anything, can live almost anywhere, provides milk, meat and offspring. For a hungry family or village it can literally mean
life. Other animals are available that provide very valluable resources. Please click on the link below to read a very insightfull website.
My family has everything also and is impossible to buy for. For me, this was a wonderfull solution. If the link doesn't work, just Google 'gift
goats'.
Big holiday hugs,
M
http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.204586/
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Baja Bernie
`Normal` Nomad Correspondent
Posts: 2962
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: Sunset Beach
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Mood: Just dancing through life
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Hey! M
What a great idea...................a salute to Mike and help to the village folks. Win-win
My smidgen of a claim to fame is that I have had so many really good friends. By Bernie Swaim December 2007
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