Love, Faith and the Spirit of Believing

I remember when I discovered that Santa was real. I was five years old at the time and my mom had been abandoned by our father the year before. Mom, a devout Catholic, meant her vows when she said them, When You are Dating but I suppose our father had forgotten his. He left her to raise six children on her own. While he moved on, Mom had to figure things out for herself. Financially, she struggled to make ends meet.

While we had little, the love our mom had for us was undeniable. That year, as she always did, mom planned to take us to Midnight Mass at the local Catholic Church. To be honest, I do not think any of us enjoyed Mass until we got to the part when we were to offer the Sign of Peace. My brothers and I squeezed each other's hands as hard as we could. There was nothing peaceful about it. Before taking us to Mass that night, Mom scrounged up enough money to take us to the Days Inn Hotel. Our home was without heat during that winter because she couldn't afford the propane. She had little to give at the time so she did what she could. Mom rented the hotel room from 7pm to 11pm which was enough time for each of us to get a bath and enjoy watching television in a warm room. By the time we left, we were clean, The Woman for Dating warm and presentable for church. This was our mom's gift to her children and one we have not forgotten.