A Big Little Christmas Miracle...

Continuing on with our journey into The World of Carol Ann Erhardt, here is a true story that is sure to bring you a smile...

WILLARD AND THE RED VEST

By Carol Ann Erhardt

A dear friend recently shared a story with me that brought a tear to my eye. She gave me permission to share this wonderful example of how God pulled off a miracle.

When she was younger she ran a small organization called the Christmas Bureau. When she took over, it was in terrible debt and she had no clear idea of what to do. However, she was young and full of energy and her mentor was an elderly Presbyterian minister who was on fire with the love of God and he made her believe that all things were possible. 

Armed with that belief, she and other volunteers went to the personal care homes and asked every inhabitant what they wanted for Christmas and vowed to get it for them. Though they had no idea how to do it, they still promised. The year was in the 1980’s and the inhabitants of those homes were mostly folks from state mental hospitals who had been released by Congress but money never followed to put them in decent places. Thus, the personal care homes sprang up and at the time there were no regulations governing them. The homes were grim places…the inhabitants mainly elderly, simple, and very dear.

 One particular old man, called Willard, looked like a watercolor picture of Santa, complete with white hair, beard, and fat belly. Willard was so indoctrinated into the life of the state hospital that he couldn’t put his own toothpaste on his toothbrush. He stood quietly and held it out while someone put the paste on because he didn’t know how. The caseworkers knew he had been incarcerated at a very early age, but all paperwork had been destroyed in a fire. At the time, he was believed to be around 80 years of age, although no one knew for sure.

When the inhabitants were asked what gifts they wanted, most asked for simple things: socks, talcum powder, cheap perfume, or fruit. But Willard asked for a red vest because he remembered wearing a red vest and flying a kite with his father.

My friend’s heart sank when he asked for the vest because she had no idea where that kind of money would come from. A vest would cost twenty or thirty dollars and the budget allowed for spending two or three dollars on each resident. She was sick with worry about it.

The Christmas Bureau worked hard to raise money by speaking at churches and clubs asking for donations. When she asked the treasurer how they were doing, the response was “Okay, but watch those pennies!”

Finally shopping day came and she realized she couldn’t do it. Even though they’d worked hard to raise money, the treasurer said they were limited to spending $15.00 max for Willard and receipts would be checked. My friend had thought to buy the vest herself, but she had very limited personal funds and was admonished not to do that.

She met her sister, who lived in a larger town, and asked for her assistance in picking up the Christmas gifts. Her sister took her to the local K-Mart. My friend had never been in the store before because there were none near where she lived. The first thing she looked at was the vests. Price $35.00. Her heart sank. There was no way.

Heavy hearted, she loaded her cart with all the other things on the list and as she approached the checkout…all of a sudden bells and whistles went off and she didn’t know what was happening. Then a voice came over the speaker saying that for the next ten minutes men’s vests were 60% off!

She ran to the men’s section, grabbed a red vest and brought it to the counter. $15.00!!

When Willard unwrapped his vest that Christmas Eve he said, “That’s my kite flying vest! That’s what I’ll wear when I fly a kite with my Dad again.”

I hope they buried Willard in the red vest. I can just picture him running around in heaven in that red vest and flying a kite with his dad.

God provided a miracle when least expected. I hope your heart was warmed by this story, just as mine was.

I’ll be sharing more about what happened to the Christmas Bureau on my personal blog next week. If you care to learn about another miracle God worked that Christmas, go to my website at www.CarolAnnErhardt on Tuesday, December 13 to read the rest of the story.

Carol Ann Erhardt also has a Christmas novella available this year,  called, LIGHTING THE TREE...

Brenda Davis is resigned to climbing into bed and shutting out thoughts of happy family gatherings. Twenty-four years ago she gave her baby up for adoption. Every year since, she’s placed a present under an unlit Christmas tree, waiting until the time they can be reunited. It’s Christmas Eve, and Brenda’s heart is heavy for she’s going to spend it alone—again.

But her friend, Dave Kingsdale, has other plans. He convinces Brenda to go to dinner with him. What he doesn’t tell her is that dinner will be at his parents’ home. For a long time, the widower has been longing to tell Brenda he wants more than friendship from her. What he doesn’t know is that she has the same feelings for him. And what neither of them know is a Christmas miracle is about to happen—delivered by an unlikely Santa.

The World of Carol Ann Erhardt...

Welcome, Carol Ann! It's great to have you stop by and share a bit about yourself, and your latest book:

TRAPPED
(see Lilly's Book Club for a peek)

First of all, Why did you write this particular book?

There’s no particular reason that I write any book. TRAPPED began with a character in mind…a man who loved animals. After tossing around several ideas, I just started writing and developed a chapter showing his passion for caring for others. I developed an inciting incident around a school bus accident after reading a newspaper article that squeezed my heart. All the things began to gel and soon the story developed with the characters revealing layers of themselves that surprised even me…something that seems to happen with each book I write. I’m not a deep plotter, though I’ve tried every method possible to become a plotter. What works for me is doing a lot of “thinking” and jotting down notes and ideas. Then I just write and the story develops naturally.

 Well, it's an interesting method, and it seems to work well for you. Is there any particular theme you most like to write about?

Seems all my books end up being about forgiveness and trust. Again, stemming I believe from my own past experiences and the trials of dealing with these issues.

Two important things I'm sure many of us can relate to. Which of those experiences would you say has contributed most to your writing life?

Growing up as an only child, I lived in books and the adventures swept me away. Once, in third grade, I was reading Bambi in school and didn’t hear the teacher calling my name until the entire class burst out laughing. As I grew older, I daydreamed a lot, creating my own stories which eventually found their way to paper. The stories stopped when I married and started my own family. I continued to read voraciously, but my daydreams were interrupted with a full-time job and raising kids. Then one day I lost my senior management job due to a corporate cut-back. The shock of having nothing to do and being an empty nester drew me into writing again. I started writing short stories for children but the dream of writing a book took hold and I penned my first novel in three months while searching for a job. Since then I “can’t not” write. I believe it wasn’t just one experience, but the culmination of all my life experiences which propelled me into writing. That, and God’s plan, of course! 

It is definitely revealing to look back and see God's hand throughout our lives, isn't it. Now that you have found this "storyteller's calling," what do you like most about being a writer?

Being incredibly rich and lazy…NOT!!! Seriously, I love being a writer because I can work from my own home in the quiet solitude of my little office cave. I don’t have to dress up or put on makeup, don’t have to get up at a particular time or drive in bad weather. I enjoy the flexibility of setting my own hours. The very best part of being a writer is hearing feedback from readers who enjoy my stories. When someone tells me they cried while reading a scene…that to me is so rewarding. My boss is the best because I write for God.

That's absolutely wonderful. Do you ever use music for inspiration? If so, what kind?

The music I play isn’t something most people would listen to. I listen to CD’s in the Creative Mind System which are supposed to stimulate the creative mind pattern in my brainwaves. The recordings are like background music that I tune out, but keep me in a creative zone. Not sure if they would work for everyone, but it sure works for me. The 2-CD set came from therelaxationcompany.com and I purchased through Writer’s Digest several years ago.

Well, it must have worked, because I really enjoyed reading TRAPPED (you can read my review over on Lilly's Book Club page), and am looking forward to what comes next. Speaking of which, what manuscript are you working on right now?

Currently I’m working on the second book in the Havens Creek Series. In the first book, TRAPPED, the readers are introduced to the hero’s sister, Rebecca (Becca) Middleton. This new book, as yet untitled, is the continuing story of Becca and her daughter Jenny and a new hero, Chance Stevens. Chance is fulfilling a promise made to a dying soldier when he builds a home near Becca. The last thing he expects is to fall in love with that man’s widow. Is it God’s plan that drew them together? Chance needs to reveal the truth about that fateful day in Afghanistan, but if he does he risks the chance of losing Becca and Jenny. 

Sounds like another one I won't be able to put down, so I'll be looking forward to it. I think you did a marvelous job of making Haven's Creek a place people will want to come back to time and again. I'm sure I definitely will!