I would like to share a story with you which you may also share with everyone if you wish.

 

I was the last of 5 children, born to parents getting a little up in childbearing years. My family, although financially secure was not a close family because our parents fought all the time, my father loved to gamble more than anything, and he was also a workaholic so we never saw him. Myself being the youngest, got the bunt of most of my parents unhappiness and anger towards each other. We weren't a family that did anything together or had traditions or anything like that.

But, when Christmas came around, my father was like a little kid in a candy store. He would get this gleam in him eye and a smile on his face that no one saw very often, and I remember that every Christmas he would load me and my mother into the car and drive around our neighborhood to see all the houses decorated in beautiful lights and statues.

We even had a park downtown called Centennial Park in Nashville, TN. Back then it was filled with lit statues of Mangers and Angels and everything you could imagine, as well as lighting up 10 city blocks. My Dad would drive us through there on occasion, until some teenagers went inside with baseball bats and ruined everything. I remember hearing the news about that incident, and I remember my Father's eyes getting a little puddle inside them. So through all my Father's outer tough shell, he really was human, and he really loved Christmas, the brighter the better.

So, you see why I love Christmas lights so much. And believe me I have seen some displays in my 44 yrs, and I think yours was done with a lot of effort and heart. It is beautiful, so please pass this letter on to anyone who thinks you are crazy, because what you do means so much to someone.

Thank you for getting back to me on the arches. I am working on them just as soon as I get off the computer. And Thank you again for the beauty you have given to such a special time of year.

Melanie Shivers

Alpharetta, GA