We went to the market in Antigua and purches shoes and jackets for the dialysis girls. That was their request for Christmas. So we put up a tree for them also.

We had the monthly vigilia tonight & that is always important to the children as they can sing, perform dramas, etc.

Every child who has passed or will pass through the gates of Casa need to realize that Dottie and I believe in them. They need to know that they are accepted and that we have placed a high value upon them. When they know we believe in them and accept them as they are they can begin to value themselves.

Anytime we accomplish something we wonder if anyone noticed what we did. I can remember all the way back to my peewee football days. When I ran the ball or made a good tackle I always glsnced into the sta=nds to see if my Dad was watching. What he thought of me was how I would think of myself.

I know I have shared this story but my junior year in high school we were playing in the quarter finals of the state football playoffs. Towards the end of the gme I ran a punt back 84 yards and we won 13 – 7. I was a hero. The entire town knew me and hailed me as a hero.

The following week in the semi-finals I fumbled a ball and gave the other team an easy toughdown causing us to lose the game   18 -13.  No one spoke to me in the locker room following the game. I was crushed. I refued to shower untill all my teammates had left the building. When I stepped into the darkness I heard a voice.

The voice came from the shadows and I knew it was my Dad. He asked “Who scored the winning touchdown last week?” and I meekly said “I did” and he continued with “Who fumbled the ball tonight?” and again I meekly said “I did”. His next words have forever changed my life.

“The boy who scored and the boy who fumbled are the same boy and he is my son. “I love you Mike”.