Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus . . .

I just love this letter and the response! Every year I look it up to read. I'm not sure how, where, or when I was first made aware of it but it is obvious why this editorial has been reprinted again and again.

More than 100 years ago, an innocent question was asked by a daughter of her father. Unintentionally (and undoubtedly with the intention of not wanting to squash his daughter's belief and childhood innocence) the father passed the responsibilty on to a New York city newspaper, The New York Sun. The published response manifests truths that I believe ring true still today.

This is a great time of year to remember that you do not have to "see it to believe it". The tangibility of  evidence is not required for proof of existence. Believing by definition is "to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so". Let us remind ourselves that each are entitled to our own beliefs and opinions. I challenge you to take into the New Year an open mind and open heart, knowing that others are not necessarily wrong because their opinion, stand, or beliefs differ from your own. Whether we like it or not, the world exists with shades of gray.

I could go on but the letter speaks for itself. Seize the season and opportunity to make a positive impact on someone in your life by sharing this publishers open minded perspective so that they too can remember and pass it on.

"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.

"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.

"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'

"Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.

"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/

The Top Ten Reasons I Love Living On The Coast

10. Warm weather clothing is less bulky than winter wear, resulting in the ability to store (read "shop") a broader and larger variety of apparel!

9. Biting winds, icy rains, frigid temperatures, cold air, frozen pipes and the slight possibility of snow are typically limited to a less than four month time span. (Thank goodness!)

8. Small towns represent local business owners, personal attention, a friendly smile, and the extra touch of someone who cares about customer satisfaction.

7. Never a dull moment - boating, sun bathing, swimming, barbecues, golfing, fishing, marathons, parades, picnics, fireworks, festivals, fund raisers, tournaments, parties, outdoor concerts, and of course sun rises and sunsets that literally take your breath away. Yes, I know that these things happen everywhere, but somehow to me they just seem more fun and relaxing beneath the warmth of the coastal sunshine with the added hint of ocean in the air!

6. Wearing flip flops nine months out of the year - which also means more pedicures to maintain the hoofs and show off the oh-so-cute shoes of the season!

5. The quaintness of a close knit community that welcomes strangers and old friends alike.

4. The smell of salt air, the sound of waves crashing on the shore, even the shrill of the hungry seagull (read "the beach" - duh!).


3. Living life surrounded by history - giant sand dunes that continuously move, lighthouses that once warned ships of dangerous shoals, old burial grounds filled with generations of families and heroes, re-enactments of pirate invasions, relics from newly uncovered ship wrecks, celebration of man's first flight, the remnants of what once was which led to what life is now.

2. The Hidden Treasures of Mother Nature: nesting sea turtles, pelicans that hover barely above the water as if by magic, a sandbar covered in sand dollars revealed only at low tide, the unexpected show put on by dolphins at play, wild horses that roam purposefully to remind us of an era past, the unquestionable healing powers of the startling beauty of nature . . .

1. Money can't buy happiness but peace of mind and heart can!

 

To Everything there is a Season . . .

And a time to every purpose under the heaven . . .
Ecclesiastes 3

Christmas of course is most easily recongized as a season of forgiveness, love, charity, and good will among men. What can you do this season to make a difference in the life of a stranger?

I am organizing a blood drive for the company that I spend my mornings working for. If you happen to be in downtown Beaufort, NC on December 23rd from 12pm to 6pm, come see me at Ann Street Methodist Church and roll up your sleeve. Did you know that one pint of blood can save up to three lives? Giving blood is a fast, easy, FREE, and amazing way to give to someone who truly is in need. I imagine that there are very few of us who have not known at least one person in our lives that at some point was in need of a blood transfusion. Right? So stop being squeamish, and if you aren't near Beaufort, go find a place near you to make your donation. Give Blood and Give Life!

December 1st tomorrow? Really?

How is that possible?! As you may have noticed, this year I have posted an overwhelming number of updates on my really cool blog! I'm feeling increasingly pressured to exceed even my own expectations. I mean now even Jonathan has a blog - and he's not even in the country with anytime access to internet. What an amazing young man, huh?

Well anyway, I felt that I should give you all fair warning that Beaufort has lots of fun (and free) activities this time of year and so it has inspired me to re-activate the social networking of my life. It has been completely selfish of me to deprive you of news of all the fun that I have here on the coast.

You'll be jealous to know that today is almost 70 degrees! I can walk barefoot on the beach, if I want to. I probably won't, actually, as I have all the tell tale signs of being/getting sick. But, if I wanted to, I could.

I also know that all of you are probably dearly concerned about the stray cat that I took in this past June, named Mia, by Christie. You heard at lunch on Saturday, how she bust through the screen on the screen porch and got out, repeatedly. I believe she was searching for me. Well, Brett "sewed" the screen with fishing line, which kept her in, for a day or two, but after I left again yesterday to go to work, she busted free (again most likely in search of me). When I got home, she was sitting under the side porch waiting, (for me of course). The unfortunate bit of all of this is that the front porch of the shack is not more than five feet from the highway. It was widened last year to put in a turning lane for the development. I'm afraid I'm going to come home one day to a very unpleasant scene. Now that she has gotten out, she appears to have cast off her "inside" cat lifestyle and wishes to convert to an indoor/outdoor life. Locking her up inside without access to her screen porch where she lived so peacefully for the past four months, proved to be disastrous for the interior of my house, which although it is a shack, is still my home. Suggestions (not violent) are welcome.

As a last and final note, Thanksgiving was wonderful. I have come to fully embrace the Anderson Family Thanksiving Extravaganza and hope that it may be a tradition that we continue. I don't realize how much I miss each and every one of you, until I see you and then you are gone. For instance, when I got up and went to work yesterday, there were no little people there running at me with arms wide open and lips puckered up for kisses! How dull to have been back to work. So hoping and looking forward to hearing from and seeing you all, on Facebook, your respective blogs, email, and text messaging.  I choose to fully embrace the world of social media from this point out and bore you all to death with the mundane details of my fabulous life!

Until next time . . .

Happy Fourth of July!

Be safe, be proud, and be happy! More updates to follow. . .

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Words of Wisdom for My Niece, With Love

Things You Should Know But May Need to be Reminded of . . .

You are a joy to my heart and a light in my life. You were the first "female" blessing in what has become a large family overly blessed by males! You were much anticipated and loved by all. You are the only of my 13 nieces and nephews that I have visited in the hospital at birth to welcome into this world. You are special because you are you.

You are beautiful. You resemble both your mother and father, bearing the best of both their traits. But your beauty lies inside as well out. You are kind, gentle, genuine, and passionate. You feel with all of your heart. You will love completely and hurt deeply. Yet you will overcome obstacles that others may cower before. You are strong, confident, and loyal. You are beautiful because you are you.

You are intelligent. Of course you pass tests and make good grades. But you are more than just book smart. You think things thru and consider the consequences. You stand by your decisions and make choices, not regrets. You are finding your way. Know that it will not always be easy and that you will make mistakes. Also know that no matter what, you will always be surrounded by a family that loves you and supports you unconditionally. You are intelligent because you are you.

You are amazing. You are tolerant and thrive in a large family, often putting others before yourself. You are surrounded by brothers who love and tease you. You give as good as you get without being hurtful or mean. Your parents at times may drive you crazy. They want only the best for you, to protect you, to guide you, to keep you safe.  You may not always think they are right but be assured that their intentions are always right. You cherish them and love them. You are a reflection of them. But you are amazing because you are you.

You are an Anderson thru and thru - stubborn, adamant, determined, outspoken at times. You could allow these traits to be flaws but instead you are learning to manage them and will make them great assets of your personality. You are an Anderson, but more importantly, you are you.

I am proud of you. You do not give up because things get tough. You do not sit and wait for things to happen. You trust you can do what your talents let you do. You do not allow others to define who you are. You will follow your goals and dreams. You will laugh. You will cry. But above all, you will shine! 

I am proud of you because you are you.

All my love always,

Aunt So

Brothers Birthday Poem

Ode to My Brother on (the day after) his Birthday   

Riding bikes, Climbing trees,

Board games gone awry.

Playing tag, shooting hoops,

So many things to try!

Touch football turned to tackle;

Swimming in the sound;

Building forts, Reading books,

From sun up until sun down.

Being chased and getting caught,

Those cities in the sand . . .

Being young, wasn't it fun?

Our imaginations grand?

We took our swings, landed some punches,

And maybe a kick or two,

But tears were dried, and tempers calmed

When the day was thru.

Now years have past, with old grievances forgiven

When a mystery unveiled itself to me,

About the pain I thought you were

To the friend you turned out to be!


Happy Birthday Tim!

Coming Soon . . .

Alright so I've taken some slack for starting but not updating this blog. Actually, a lot of slack. SORRY! But I must say there's only ONE Anderson that does a great job of keeping us posted one way or another. (Thank you Kelly - I know I always look forward to your updates.) Plus I am also grateful to my great friends who do an amazing job of posting updates and keeping me in the loop of their lives. (Thanks Val!)


As for me, as you can see I have done some work here and my very good intentions are to post more regularly.  No, this is not a New Year's Resolution. I don't believe in "New Year's Resolutions" as more often than not people tend to set themselves up for failure. I do, however, believe in setting attainable goals and staying in touch with those people that are truly important to me is at the top of that list.

I can not vouch for what you will find on these pages in the days and weeks to come.  I do hope that you won't realize how dreadfully boring and old I've gotten!