December 9, 2003

Dear Mom’s Club

Yes Children, there is a Santa Claus!

In the Christmas’ past, we have always been able to pick a name off the tree and help someone who needed help at Christmas. As we kept adding children to our family, we did for them as we did for our own children. Christmas morning seemed like a dream., Toys everywhere, stockings dumped out and the children had everything they wanted!

This year we took a giant turn and completely changed our lives and those of our children. We decided to open a Child Care center so that we could still be with our little ones and offer a safe place for other parents who have to work. We put everything we had into this venture and it took longer to open than we had planned We were living off credit cards and those are all maxed out! The kids had to give up so much, allowance was a thing of the past and bulk buying was what we had to do.

We had to explain to the children that this year money would not be there for lots of new school clothes and Christmas was going to be very small. They needed to think of only one or two things they really needed to have and not expect more.

When you are worrying about where your mortgage and food payments were coming from, Christmas was way down on the list. I hoped that the kids would understand and know that when things get going again and we begin to make an income that things will be better.

But the little ones didn’t understand, why if Santa was bringing the gifts, did it matter if we had no money? Then Mary called and l knew that Santa was really going to make sure our kids have Christmas! We never expected for this group to get everything they asked for!! You don’t know what you have done for us. These are children who have lost everything at one point in their life and now they have a new family and we did not want them to be disappointed at Christmas.

I know that next year will be better and even though we have a full house we will be able to provide. I know that our decision to start the business is the right one and when it past this hard part we will look back be proud that we didn’t give up when it got rough. I believe this has shown the children what it means to be a family and work together for something that we really wanted. But most of all we will look back and remember those people that helped us and made this Christmas one of the very best for me. It really reminds you of what the real meaning of the season is. I wish you all could sit there on Christmas morning because the ones it will really matter to are the ones that are thinking they will not get-gifts and have not complained or begged for anything. The little ones are still counting on Santa coming through and they will be happy and excited The older ones will know that someone had to have helped and l hope they will remember this.

I make a promise to you all. When we are back on our feet, we will do this for another family. We will not forget.

I can never thank you enough. You are all angels in disguise!

Sincerely,

Laurie and Bruce Mykel