I miss Santa Claus.
You know, the big guy in the red suit who comes down your chimney or through your door and leaves lots of goodies? You leave him cookies, he leaves you a bike or a sled or a Wii?
Where did he go?
The kids and I set up the Christmas tree and put out the decorations, and the whole time I kept thinking about that one guy who was for so long such a big part of our lives. Growing up he was the one I turned to, hoping for that one special thing every year. He left for a little while when I was in high school and college, but then after I got married and the kids arrived, Santa returned, full of promise and holiday spirit.
Now the kids are teenagers and Santa is nothing more than a stuffed doll counting down the days to Christmas on my bookcase.
I remember when the kids were little I sometimes -- very selfishly -- couldn't wait for the day when they no longer believed. Some fictional fat guy had been getting all the credit for the good stuff and I didn't like it. Little did I realize then that he was also getting the blame for much of it: if that XBox didn't show up under the tree it was because Santa didn't think it was a good idea. No pony? Santa didn't think we had room.
And childhood squabbles were a dream. A casual mention of "Santa's watching" brought calm to any storm; now I'm left to my own devices to stop teenage bickering.
Oh, yeah. I miss Santa.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Thumbs up
Last week I wrote about my pending order with a local Angel Food Ministries distribution site and noted that I'd check back with my thoughts.
I'm impressed.
The distribution site I chose is the closest to my home and is in a small town, so the numbers they serve each much (about 30) are much smaller than those served by Cedar Rapids sites. That would be the reason -- that, and the uber-efficient assembly line-like process of bagging the food -- that my first stop was so fast, in and out in less than 10 minutes.
But that wasn't the most impressive part of the order. The food was top-quality. My order included four individually frozen strip steaks with a very small amount of marbling; 1.5 pounds of pork ribs; 1.5 pounds of chicken breasts; breaded chicken nuggets; a salisbury steak frozen dinner (great for the kids on the nights I work late), and a host of other things.
Not bad for $30.
I'm impressed.
The distribution site I chose is the closest to my home and is in a small town, so the numbers they serve each much (about 30) are much smaller than those served by Cedar Rapids sites. That would be the reason -- that, and the uber-efficient assembly line-like process of bagging the food -- that my first stop was so fast, in and out in less than 10 minutes.
But that wasn't the most impressive part of the order. The food was top-quality. My order included four individually frozen strip steaks with a very small amount of marbling; 1.5 pounds of pork ribs; 1.5 pounds of chicken breasts; breaded chicken nuggets; a salisbury steak frozen dinner (great for the kids on the nights I work late), and a host of other things.Not bad for $30.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Food from Angels
Sometimes you have to be hit with something a few times before it finally catches your attention.
I first learned of the Angel Food Ministries program almost a year ago when my pastor and her husband brought over some food that they had gotten in the program and wouldn't eat -- she's a vegetarian and there is only so much meat he can eat on his own.
I thought about doing a story at the time, but discovered a coworker had done one just a few months earlier.
Then came what had to have been the worst 12 months in Eastern Iowa history. Snow and ice blanketed the area in near-record levels from November to mid-April. A spring thaw was barely under way when immigration officials raided a kosher meat plant in Postville, arresting almost 400 illegal immigrants and devastating a small community. On Memorial Day weekend, more than half of the community of Parkersburg was flattened by a tornado. Then the water came -- and came, and came.
As Eastern Iowans were recovering from a rough year, the economy took a drastic downturn. It was time to find "deals" wherever possible.
I was reminded about Angel Food Ministries, a national program available to everyone, regardless of age, race, income, religion or any other discriminating factor. Participants order a box (or two, or three) of groceries valued at about $75 and pay just $30. The menu varies from month to month, and each box contains the same thing, but the food is name brand, top quality product. The distribution centers are typically churches.
I wrote a story about this program and how it would help those in need, and those looking to save some money. I received no fewer than two dozen phone calls from people wanting a complete list of participating churches.
I had to give it a try. The November box includes, among other things, four sirloin strip steaks, chicken hindquarters, a dozen eggs, vegetables, frozen chopped steak and gravy (great for a 16-year-old boy) and a list of other items.
My order comes in on Saturday. I'll let you know what I think.
(Oops! I forgot to include the progam's Web address so you could check out the menu or find locations. It's at www.angelfoodministries.com)
I first learned of the Angel Food Ministries program almost a year ago when my pastor and her husband brought over some food that they had gotten in the program and wouldn't eat -- she's a vegetarian and there is only so much meat he can eat on his own.
I thought about doing a story at the time, but discovered a coworker had done one just a few months earlier.
Then came what had to have been the worst 12 months in Eastern Iowa history. Snow and ice blanketed the area in near-record levels from November to mid-April. A spring thaw was barely under way when immigration officials raided a kosher meat plant in Postville, arresting almost 400 illegal immigrants and devastating a small community. On Memorial Day weekend, more than half of the community of Parkersburg was flattened by a tornado. Then the water came -- and came, and came.
As Eastern Iowans were recovering from a rough year, the economy took a drastic downturn. It was time to find "deals" wherever possible.
I was reminded about Angel Food Ministries, a national program available to everyone, regardless of age, race, income, religion or any other discriminating factor. Participants order a box (or two, or three) of groceries valued at about $75 and pay just $30. The menu varies from month to month, and each box contains the same thing, but the food is name brand, top quality product. The distribution centers are typically churches.
I wrote a story about this program and how it would help those in need, and those looking to save some money. I received no fewer than two dozen phone calls from people wanting a complete list of participating churches.
I had to give it a try. The November box includes, among other things, four sirloin strip steaks, chicken hindquarters, a dozen eggs, vegetables, frozen chopped steak and gravy (great for a 16-year-old boy) and a list of other items.
My order comes in on Saturday. I'll let you know what I think.
(Oops! I forgot to include the progam's Web address so you could check out the menu or find locations. It's at www.angelfoodministries.com)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
