A Time for Giving

This Christmas brought a time of hustle, bustle, shopping trips to town along with the rest of the northern half of Texas, and........SNOW (Thank you Jenn Beamer!)!!!

That's right!  We had a "White Christmas!"

Our "Winter Wonderland" was also fraught with all of the perils of traveling in 3-5 ft. drifts of snow and inch upon inch of ice!

Our very own neighborhood was no exception.  On Christmas Eve, just outside of our backdoor and off of our driveway, at least 5 people got stuck in the 3 & 4 ft. drift that covered our street.......little did they know--and lucky for them--that at our house lived an "Every day Hero" by the name of Mr. Analytical!!

This, my friends, is one of the many reasons why I love this man so!  No matter the weather, the temperature, or what his daily-grind brings, he will never bypass a stranded motorist.  Thus, every one who was stuck outside of our driveway was greeted by Mr. Analytical--clad in his Carhart coveralls--with a smile and a "Need some help?  I've got a chain and my truck's warm," only to be on their grateful way within a brief time.  All except for the 9:30 PM stranded motorist....

At 9:30 PM on Christmas Eve we heard the intermittent spinning of tires and knew the scenario.  Mr. Analytical donned the coveralls, gloves, toboggan and headed out the back door with the same resolve he had when the sun was shining and he pulled out the first stuck vehicle earlier in the day.  Mr. Analytical and the driver of the truck pulled, dug, pulled, dug...and dug some more.  They worked tirelessly.  

At 10:02 PM, I began to get a little concerned that the two men had been out there a little too long and needed something hot to drink, so I set to work on some hot chocolate to take out to them (I may not cook, but I can whip up a hot chocolate that would make Santa feel all warm and fuzzy).  Just as I was pouring the cocoa into cups to take out--around 10:10--Mr. Analytical walked in the back door.  The man was out and gratefully on his way...and his vehicle had been VERY stuck!

Around 11:30 AM, on Christmas Day, Mr. Analytical was heading out the back door to go to work (he'd been called in for an acute heart-attack).  When he opened the back door there, hanging on the handle with a red bow and an anonymous 'Thank You' attached, was a brand new tow rope!!


Now, we have no idea from whom that package came, nor do we know when and where that person could have possibly purchased that tow rope between 10:15ish PM on Christmas Eve and 11:30 AM on Christmas Day!  But to you, Mystery Giver, we say 'Thank YOU!!!!'

I love this man I call Mr. Analytical.  Many who know him love him.  If you don't have the privilege of knowing him I hope that someday you have the pleasure and blessing of making his acquaintance.  He is a true "Every Day Hero!"

*This post is dedicated to the memories of Milton & Leona Troxel (who have both now gone home to the arms of our Lord, Jesus) of Austin, TX who first called Eric Knight a Christmas blessing and Every Day Hero on Christmas Day, 1995.*