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A Special Christmas

    It was a couple of months since he had seen them. The little boy that wasn't big enough to walk when he left would surely be toddling now. The young man had been in boot camp for a couple of months and had been sent straight to advanced training from there. He missed the black-haired beauty that was his wife. He missed her so badly that it hurt deep inside him. She wasn't much more than a kid, herself.
    When he got to his new post, he got a weekend pass and went home to get his wife and baby. The baby didn't really seem to know him but it was wonderful to hold the two of them in his arms. There were some tears all around.
    They drove hundreds of miles, in the dead of winter, in their old rattletrap Chevrolet. He had taken the sides off an old washing machine and placed the metal in the floorboards so less cold air would blow in through the holes. He was late getting back to base and got in some trouble.
    When they arrived in the frigid town where his new base was, they rented a tiny trailer and the little family was together again for Christmas.
    This story and hundreds like it are knitted into a fabric. It's the fabric of love and family and the bond that a man and woman form when they start with nothing and build a life together.
    The black-haired beauty is now a cute little granny but this Christmas Eve I'll go to sleep holding her just like I did on that Christmas Eve back in the 1970's. It was a very special Christmas.
    Happy Holidays from the author's green retreat. I'm CE Wills.
    PS: I would like to say a special thanks to all those who are serving in our military tonight.
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