Last December, we asked our VIP Players what they wanted for Christmas. One of our long-time players, WOBEGONER, shared a wonderful Christmas story that illustrates another aspect of winning: in life! Read on and we are sure you will agree that this story is a true winner:

I grew up in a middle class family in a small Mississippi Delta town during the 50's and 60's. My dad knew poverty first hand as a child, but he would have been insulted if I had ever described things in that manner. Still, to me... no indoor plumbing and working your way through college as a janitor before graduating with honors and becoming a Naval Bomb Disposal Officer in WWII, then moving on to a successful civil service career for 35 years suggest that his roots, though poor in my opinion, probably served to make him the man he was.

Living in the Delta during those years gave me a front row seat to see poverty. It's better... a lot better today... but it's sadly still there, alive and well. Ignorance breeds poverty, and breaking the cycle of the uneducated, generation after generation, is difficult if not impossible for many who still live there. I still live in Mississippi... in a much larger and more affluent community. Still, poverty is pervasive. You find it anywhere you look, if you're willing to do so. My roots make it easy to spot. Someone who is poor and doesn't care is one thing, but a poor family that is doing everything possible to meet basic needs and see that their children hopefully have a better life is a whole different story. I doubt any of us have not had the experience of being in a store and seeing a mother have to put some grocery item back because she didn't have enough money... or seeing a child that simply wanted a piece of candy and had no way of even comprehending that his or her getting that candy required money that was not available. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to know the deep inner pain in that mother's heart. She lives the life God gave her. I believe the poor are more grateful to God for what they DO have than the richest among us. Still, that does take the pain away of having to deny a child something she knows her child needs... food, clothing, medical care... and although simple, the occasional treat like a piece of candy or a gift from Santa on Christmas morning. Most of us in this country have never had to experience her pain. We aren't even aware of its depth or how prevalent it really is. Rest assured though... I could take you on a fifteen minute trip just about anywhere on this planet and show enough sorrow and unfulfilled needs that you would never be able to feel the same about what you have again. No doubt, you could do the same.

I'm not rich. You don't have to be rich to make a difference. I remember one of my favorite opportunities to make a difference. I was in Walmart years ago, in the grocery line on a busy Saturday afternoon. I don't remember why, but I had a significant amount of cash in my pocket. I'd like to think God planned it that way... smile. She was buying the weekly groceries with three small children in tow. Her husband was bagging the groceries while she paid. She realized too late that she did not have enough money after she gave the clerk her food stamps and the cash she had. She started to pull things from the unpackaged groceries that remained. I tapped her on the shoulder and asked if she had dropped that. Three $20 dollar bills folded together were lying next to her foot. She looked at me puzzled for a second and bent down to pick them up. As she rose, our eyes met. More unsaid words passed between us in that instant than could have been shared in an hour of conversation. She smiled and said thank you. I didn't say "You're welcome." After all, I didn't know where the money came from. I just said "No, problem." Her day was much better in that instant. My life has been better ever since. I've taken the opportunity every year since to walk around Walmart or similar stores in the toy department looking for children with a parent in tow that more than obviously could not possibly get what they are expressing an interest in from Santa. It's amazing how miracles happen when you do that. The needed money just sort of "appears" on the floor near the parent... and I somehow seem to be close. I always ask if they dropped that and after they say no, I point out that they must have and if they did not... well, then it must be their lucky day because it obviously doesn't belong to anyone else... smile. I've never been able to resist adding with a grin... "Look at it like this... I bet Santa's job just got easier!" And in a flash, I'm gone.

So... what do I want for Christmas? The same thing I was blessed with a while back... the chance to know that some children and their families will have a happier Christmas memory than they've probably had in quite a while. In other words, I already have my Christmas present. So... if I or someone else out there should be drawn to receive a special cash bonus this Christmas, I know where it should go... where it's most needed... and that's rarely in our own pockets. Trust me, "Invest the money in bringing happiness to those who least expect it. The dividends will last a lifetime." And I heard him exclaim as he rose out of sight... Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Your friend,

An Elf

Our heartfelt thanks go out to WOBEGONER, along with $1,000 into his player account (remember, VIP Players get double the bonus!) for reminding us of the true spirit of Christmas which we should carry with us all year round!

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