...Only Makes Us Stronger

I can remember years ago my mother talking about Christmas curses. Not the scary, creepy kind – the “oh my gosh, why is this happening to us right now?” kind.

But you know when you’re a kid; all you’re interested in is that Santa remembers to bring you everything you asked for and then some. Everything else is background noise, other than the one ear you keep open for those sleigh bells.

Well guess what? Now I’M the background noise – and I’m experiencing my first Christmas curse. Granted, it could have happened long ago, when I was a single mom, trying to raise two children, and provide Santa Clause on my own. 

So admittedly, “the curse” could have happened at a much worse time than now.

Let me explain this whole curse business – it’s best told with a story from my childhood that I’ve heard and understand a lot more clearly now as an adult.

In the summer of 1972 my family and I moved into our brand new house that my parents had built on Radium Springs Road in Albany, Georgia. That very December, in their new home, with their new house payment, along with all the other costs it takes to start-up a home, the refrigerator stopped working – it just absolutely died. And the last thing that my parents could afford on their very tightly, budgeted income – was a new refrigerator.

This year – the beginning of MY curse: Thanksgiving Eve, my boss was kind enough to let me go home at noon; unfortunately, I came home to a puddle of water standing at the foot of MY refrigerator.

Since my husband was out of town, I knew I had to make a decision. It wasn’t hard for the single-woman-on-her- own-Michelle, to swing back into gear. I called Stewarts of Quincy, and they were at the house within a couple of hours. 

Thankfully it was just a pin-prick hole in the copper tubing that connects to the ice-maker and they had it repaired in no time - $153 later. But much better than the cost of a new refrigerator!

The following Tuesday night, I turned-on the faucet in the bathroom sink so that the water could warm-up and I came back to yet ANOTHER puddle of water, this time on my bathroom floor; we called the plumber and he arrived the next morning – a loose pipe - $75 later.

Then sadly this weekend, our television started to die. It’s still dying – slowly. Sometimes it comes on, sometimes it takes awhile. Sometimes it has weird color streaks, sometimes not. So we’re waiting for the final shoe/curse to drop. 

BUT – I don’t have small children waiting on Santa, and our bills are few. When it finally dies, it will be irritating – not catastrophic. The worst will be hooking the dang thing up – but that’s another crazy story for another day.

My hopes are that everyone has a smooth-sailing holiday, with only the expenses you’re expecting and can afford. Merry Christmas to all and may you only have peace, joy and love surrounding you and your families.