Christmas

Needless to say, it's been a rough Christmas. And to top it off, I will have to fight Carnival to refund or re-schedule the cruise. But it's not all bad, I suppose. Dad's still in the hospital undergoing more tests. Which is good. For awhile there, he was convinced he was going to leave despite the advice of multiple doctors. I took a few minutes to leave the hospital to get something from the car. Passed a couple newsstands and dallied awhile checking out the headlines and trying to refocus my brain on something unemotional. I was still just so exhausted from fighting tears and fighting parents that nothing was registering. Then a cheery voice called out to me, "Want my paper? Haven't read it, was just going to throw it away!" I turn around, and this complete and utter stranger who knew nothing about me or my circumstances, reminded me what Christmas was about. He just stood there holding out the still bagged Sunday paper at me. I smiled and said thanks, and it was the first real smile I've had since I've come home. Random acts of kindness are so cliche. But a simple gesture can mean so much more when someone just really, really needs something good to happen.