So , I 'm all tired , half awake , half dozing on our comfy leather couches , its all quiet at The Cabana , The Lovely Steph Leann is in the kitchen doing up a dessert for The 38th Annual Nipp New Year 's Luncheon tomorrow . . . I 'm even wondering if I 'm going to make it to midnight - - I cannot remember a New Year 's midnight I 've missed , but I might miss this one . . . . . . and then . . . . . . I turn on ABC 's " Dick Clark 's New Year 's Rockin ' Eve , featuring Ryan Seacrest " . Ryan is looking his American Idol bestiest , and he is standing with some of today 's hottest young acts . . . there 's the wonderful Taylor Swift . Her new album is fantastic , her first album is also fantastic , she 's going to be great . Behind Ryan there stands Demi Lovato . You 'll know her soon enough , if not already , most notably from " Camp Rock " , and she 's even got her own Disney show coming up . And then , with Demi and Taylor , to the right of Ryan , are three of the biggest guys in the world , the Jonas Brothers . They are all laughing , and having a great time , as they should with standing on platform in Times Square , minutes before the ball drops . But who is doing most of the talking ? Not Taylor , she 's not saying a word , she 's just smiling . Not Demi , she 's just behind the Jonas Brothers , as if she knows her place right now . Not the Jonas Brothers , though they are jumping in here and there . No , not even Ryan is doing most of the talking . No , instead , its . . . Lionel Richie . When booking talent , deciding who would be great to appear on the show , figuring out who should be with Ryan at what point in the show , and who should perform ( Ne - Yo just did ) , who in the world wrote : " Demi Lovato , Nick , Joe and Kevin Jonas and Taylor Swift to be with Ryan Seacrest , flanked by Lionel Richie " Not sure if that guy should be flogged or promoted . If I 'm Lionel Richie , I 'm keeping the ' fro . When this album came out , Taylor , Demi , Nick , Joe or Kevin weren 't even around . Seriously . So , its currently 1115pm , 45 minutes left in 2008 . . . but on the West Coast ( wessss syyyyddde ! ) it 's only , what , 915 ? And who bewritten by " . . . we 're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas . . . " Twelve words spoken , mostly in humor , to a London audience by lead singer Natalie Maines . Her comments previous were essentially that they opposed the war effort and violence , which in 2003 was just in its early days . She said the next line , above , and then gave a laugh when the audience roared in their support . Then , the line was picked up by a media outlet , carried to the states . . . and much of the country went nuts . Their song , " Traveling Soldier " was the # 1 song in the country , and the next week , it plummeted to # 36 . The album , " Home " , dropped like a rock . And people were demanding that country stations stop playing their music . So , right here , right now , as promised in a previous post , I figured it was time to say what I thought about a group that I love dearly . . . For the record , I don 't agree with Natalie Maines ' comments . I also think it was kind of foolhardy to say it to an audience overseas , especially denegrating a Commander - in - Chief . That 's asking for trouble . Furthermore , I think that over the year that followed , when things were dying down , the Chicks set it upon themselves to rustle things back up again . It was Emily Robison herself ( or maybe it was Martie ) who said that the whole thing might be the best thing for their career , because otherwise they would have never gotten Larry King , or The View or Barbara Walters . President Bush 's response ? That they had the freedom to say what they wanted , but shouldn 't get their feelings hurt when people don 't support them for it . That caused another rift with The Dixie Chicks ( it was Natalie who replied to that by saying that the President was a " Dumb Eff You See Kay " ) , and another dust up came . Again , for the record ( I say to make sure that no one is unclear of my opinions on this topic ) , I think President Bush had a point . . . use freedom to say what you want , but understand there are consequences . Finally , " Not Ready to Make Nice " is a terrible song . . . not the message , but more of the " woe is written by Read A Very Deuce Christmas Story . . . . Installment One , featuring Parts 1 - 3Installment Two , featuring Parts 4 - 8Installment Three , featuring Parts 9 - 12Installment Four , featuring Parts 13 - 15Installment Five , featuring Parts 16 - 20Installment Six , featuring Parts 21 - 23Installment Seven , featuring Parts 24 - 29Installment Eight , featuring Parts 30 - 34 ( the finale ) It 's been eight years since those eventful few days that I spoke of here over the last several weeks . Some of us - - myself , Tom Johnson , Mikey Nipp , Amy Wible , Stephanie Nipp - - went off and got ourselves married . Still more of us - - Tommy McLeod , Jennifer Hudson , Justin Glenn , Leslie Cordell , Matt Latta & Ginger Thomas - - took it one step further , by not only getting married , but also having kids . Drew Morris , Ty Coffey and Shawn Sharp still live the swingin ' bachelor lifestyle . . . for now , anyway . From time to time , I 'll get a question about what has happened to the people you 've read about . In anticipation of posting this story , I made some calls and sent some emails to try to find out . As far as our original intentions , Amy Wible 's grandmother 's house was re - built , as was the neighborhood . It didn 't happen that day , it took a while , but the area was recovered and finished . . . I also remember Wookiee calling me one day in 2004 , and asked if I could meet him . " Dress nicely , " he said . I did , and I did . . . he had wanted me come with him to Britany 's funeral because " I don 't think I can do this without some help , buddy . " The little girl had held on as long as she could , but finally , it was time to let go . Not too long ago , I asked him why he wanted me along , and not his wife , Gina . He paused , and said , " I dunno . I think . . . well , I think you understand it . " And he was right . I did . Claire was apparently there , but never having actually met her , I didn 't know who she was . Britany 's and Claire 's father never showed up . I emailed Jennifer a month ago to see if she had heard from Claire . She said that she had . Claire had given up hope to go to Harvard . However , appared $ " Yeah boy , " Wookiee smiled . He looked over the room and saw that Amy was laying on the floor with a coloring book draped across her face , motionless . Matt was sitting against the wall , head leaned to the side , eyes closed . Steph was laying with a few little girls , book in front of her , also dozing . " We just played with the kids to keep them busy . I have three roommates back home I do the same thing with . Kept us busy too , which was nice . " " That 's okay , " Jenn replied . " I 'm going to stay with them . Let me give you my address , so that you can write me and let me know how Harvard is . " " Right , " Claire laughed . Jenn wrote her address down and handed it to Claire . She took it , stuffed it in her pockets , and then hugged Jennifer . Ty looked around his hospital room , eyes very heavy . Leslie was in a chair across the room , head leaned straight back , eyes shut , thick hair hanging down . He reached over and clicked the button on the side of his bed , changing the channel . A few channels later , he saw Jimmy Stewart running through town shouting " Merry Christmas . " I bundled up the materials that Mrs . Keller had given me , and I saw Michael doing the same . Ginger lay on the couch , the top of her head visible under her blanket . The pillow she was using was thick , and her head was buried in it . I put my head down onto the pillow I 'd formed and closed my eyes . You know , God , if you had wanted us to go other places than Tuscaloosa , it would have been a lot easier to just tell us , wouldn 't it ? I thought . I opened my eyes to the sound of small muffled crying . It wasn 't loud enough to wake me normally , but just enough to get my attention . I lifted my head from my makeshift pillow of two sweaters and a pair of jogging pants , and looked around . Apparently , Michael had also heard the crying , because our heads lifted simultaneously . I gave him a confused glance , and he returned the look . I glanced up at the couch , and Ginger was also awake . I slowly pulled the blanket back and stood up . My feet were very frozen , so it hurt to stand , and I could tell Michael was in the same boat . He wobbled a bit when he stood . Ginger , who had the benefit of warm socks , sat up on the couch that served as her bed , and stood with us . I looked back at Michael and Ginger , and in their faces , both gave me the confirmation to go in . I turned the doorknob and opened the door wide enough to step in . I took a step inside the room , and Ginger followed . Michael stood in the doorway . Mrs . Keller sat in a rocking chair similar to the one in the living room . Mr . Keller lay in the bed , blanket pulled up to his chin . He was not moving , face pale though looking very peaceful . Mrs . Keller sat in a rocking chair similar to the one in the living room . Her cheeks were moist with tears , though she wore a very calm expression . " No , son , " she said . " I 've already called the police and the rescue squad . They should be here any moment now . The phone works now , if you 'd like to call someone . " From the light of the sun shining brightly through the window , we had a full view of Mrs . Keller 's face for the first time . She looked much older than she was , but her face had what looked like a lifetime of wrinkles . My mother used to tell me the more wrinkles a person had on her face , the more experiences they had had in their life . " Thank you Ginger , " Mrs . Keller said . " If you boys will go into the living room and call who you need to , I 'll be out there in a minute . I 'd like to show you something . " The phone sat in the middle of the table , as Drew and Jenn both sat on each side of a booth sleeping . Tommy was in another booth , head just hanging off of his neck . Tom was snoozing , with his head on his hand , elbow on the table . Justin 's head lay in his arms , face down on the table . " Ty ! " Wookiee yelled as Leslie wheeled him into the room . Matt raised his head off of the floor enough to see Shawn sitting up . Stephanie was still asleep , surrounded by a trio of little girls . " They are at a little house about fifteen miles from here , " she said . " They are totally fine . David said we wouldn 't believe the night they 've had . Drew and the others are at a Waffle House nearby , and said the same thing about their night . We are going to meet everyone there in about an hour . " Stephanie was awakened , and everyone gathered together . Faith motioned for Steph , Amy , Matt , Shawn and Wookiee to come to where she was . Leslie pushed Ty to the group circle . " Thank you all so much for what you have done last night and this morning , " Faith said . Without a word , Faith said a prayer for them . When she said amen , she smiled and said " Merry Christmas to all of you . " " This is my journal , " she said . " I 've been trying to keep one ever since I was 16 years old . Now , I 've gone long amounts of time between entries , but since 1950 or so , I have never let more than a month lapse . This is probably my last journal I 'll keep , as my hands are getting more shaky as the years go by . " She stared at the book for a moment , and then wiped a tear from her eyes . Then she pushed it to me . " Would you please read it to me ? What 's written on the left side , under the day that says December 3rd . " " Before you came to our door last night , Roger told me when he was at the Waffle House , some random strangers came in and started helping . He said it was unlike any act of kindness he 'd seen in a long time . Someone told him they were Christian folk , but he said these Christians didn 't get in anyone 's face and tell them they were going to Hell . Instead , they didn 't say anything about God and just started working . He said for the first time , he saw people who call themselves Christians actually acting the way they talk . " Then , when I went to bed , he said he heard Ginger read the story of Jesus , and he heard the three of you praying for him . He said he could not believe that three total strangers who he had been so rude to would pray for him . He asked me if the God I have loved for all these years was the same God these young people followed . I said ' Yes ' . Then he said something I 've been waiting for all my life . He said he wanted to meet my God . So right there , in bed , I prayed for him , and my Roger accepted Christ . He got on his knees in our bedroom floor and said that he knew he was a mean person to a lot of people , and he asked Jesus to forgive him and help him change . And this morning , the Lord took him home . " She smiled a beautiful smile , and her eyes displayed sadness , but joy . " I prayed that God would send some angels to help me with him , and God answered . He sent you here last night . No matter how uncomfortable you may have been yesterday and last night , it 's clear to me that God wanted you to come here . You thought you were going to help those poor people in Tuscaloosa , but instead , you helped a lost person find Him . I thank God for all three of you . " " Dave ! " he smiled . " Are you ready . . . " He stopped , seeing my expression of sadness , then glancing inside to see Ginger wiping her eyes again . " Dude ? What happened ? You guys okay ? " We all nodded in agreement , and piled out into the parking lot . Due to Matt 's truck not working all that well , Amy drove her truck to carry people back to Birmingham . In three separate vehicles , we followed each other closely all the way back to The Deuce . Amy and I shared our previous night 's stories , while Tom and Shawn just slept in the space behind the seat . Drew 's car was directly ahead of us , and I could see Justin 's , Jennifer 's and Tommy 's head 's not moving in the backseat . Tommy and Wookiee both went upstairs and passed out on the couch , as Justin and Ty passed out on the floor . Tom went straight to bed , as did Shawn . Michael gave a hug to Amy and wished her a Merry Christmas . Amy and I both watched him then disappear into the doors of the Deuce building . " Yeah , " she laughed . " Yeah it did . Hey , thanks for trying to come and help out . " she paused . " Even if you didn 't make it to Tuscaloosa to actually take part in the helping out process . " " Well , then , Merry Christmas , Amy , " I smiled , giving her a big hug . She said , " Same to you , Dave . " She got in her truck , backed out and with a wave through the passenger side window , she drove away . I sighed , completely exhausted yet exhilarated at a million things at one time , then made my way upstairs . Michael had just sat down on the couch , a foot away from Wookiee 's head . I sat on the other side of the couch , with Tommy 's feet close to me . " Why yes , " Faith smiled to the person she was talking to , " It 's quite amazing . I had no help and these four just showed up at the door . It was as if God had sent them himself ! " " That 's so incredible ! I 'm so happy for her ! Wow , I 'll have to share that with my new volunteers here ! Well , they say the roads won 't open up here until at least four in the morning , so I might be here for the night . Okay , the connection is breaking up … well , my battery is full , so it 's either your battery or the lines are going down again . Bye ! " " That 's so exciting to me , " Faith said as she handed the four bags to each person , while explaining her conversation , " Claire is someone who really needed direction . And listen to this : I have a friend who works at a Waffle House down the interstate , and much like I was , they were overwhelmed . And like the four of you , some people just randomly showed up and started helping out ! She said they could not have survived without them ! She said that one guy was cooking , one was waiting tables , someone was washing dishes , and one of them even sat down with my niece and gave her the plan of salvation ! They prayed right there at the counter ! " " I dunno , " he replied , unwrapping the sandwich he 'd picked out of the bag given to him . " But that could be them . It wouldn 't surprise me at all . " Then he perked up , looking at Faith . " If you used your cell phone , that means that some lines are up ! " " Matt ? " Faith asked . " I have to do rounds in a few minutes . I haven 't been able to do them because I 've been in here all afternoon , but before I do that , will you do me a favor ? " " Hey , it 'll burn , " Michael replied . He lowered his voice and muttered , " You can take this wood and . . . " He stopped after I kicked him in the back of the leg . He glared at me , muttering softly , " Stupid Mexican . . . " " Come in , boys , have a seat , " she smiled to us . " Ginger was just telling us about how you two work with youth at your church . That 's so wonderful . " She looked as if she was forcing a smile as she watched him disappear into the kitchen that led to the bedroom . She turned to us and sighed , " His health is failing more everyday , but I guess that happens when you hit 70 . He 's too stubborn to go to the doctor , but what worries me most is that he 's not a Christian . One day , the good Lord will get tired of waiting on him to get some common sense , and he 'll take Roger away . And by then , it 'll be too late . " " Married in 1949 , we were , " she smiled . " He was 19 , I was 15 , and we were so in love . But let me warn you , if you don 't have the Lord in the center of your marriage , it 's a lot harder than it has to be . " " Yes ma ' am , " Michael said . He stood up and was forced to pick up the huge book with both hands . He walked over to Mrs . Keller , but she held her hand up . " I think your favorite bible story should be … " Brit leaned her head on the pillow like she was thinking really hard . " It 's Christmas , so your favorite Bible story should be Jesus ' birthday . " " Okay , that 's cool ! Now , since it 's your favorite Bible story , can you read it to me ? " Brit smiled at Wookiee . " I 'm so excited ! " Bethany put her arms around Claire , who still had tears in her eyes . " I just got off the phone with your Aunt Faith , and she was about to cry too ! " " Yes ! " Bethany replied . " It 's a tradition . You know we are open 24 hours a day , all year long , so every year at midnight on Christmas , someone reads the story of Jesus . If the customers get offended , there are a thousand Waffle Houses in Alabama they could go to . " " Doesn 't matter , " she smiled . " We 'll make a special exception because you are here . Drew , would you read it for us ? " " Read the story . Turn to Luke , and read it to me , " Ty said . " It 's Christmas , and I 'd like to hear it . " In those days Caeser Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world . This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria . Everyone went to his own town to register . " Matt looked out to the kids sitting in front of him , and to Amy , Steph , Shawn and Faith that were in the audience , and continued reading . He tried to be as expressive as he could reciting God 's word , saying " So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea , to Bethlehem the town of David , because he belonged to the house and line of David . He went there to register with Mary , who was pledged to be married to him , and was expecting a child . While they were there , the time came for the baby to be born . She gave birth to her firstborn , a son . She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger , because there was no room for them in the inn . " " And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby , keeping watch over their flocks at night . An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them , and they were terrified . But the angel said to them ' Do not be afraid . I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people . Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you . He is Christ the Lord . This will be a sign to you . You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger . " Wookiee smiled as he read , noticing that Brit had drifted off to sleep . He debated on slipping out , but he decided to finish reading his new favorite Bible story . Softly , he read , " Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel , praising God and saying ' Glory to God in the highest , and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests . ' When the angels had left them and gone into heaven , the shepherds said to one another ' Let 's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened , which the Lord has told us about . ' " Ginger squinted in the dark light of the oil lamp , but the print was rather large , so she didn 't have much trouble seeing the words . She read , " So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph , and the baby , who was lying in the manger . When they had seen him , they spread the word concerning what had been told to them about this child , and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them . But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart . The shepherds returned , glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen , which were just as they had been told . " " That was beautiful , Ginger , " Mrs . Keller smiled . " Let me get you some blankets and such . I only have one extra pillow , and that will be for Ginger here . You boys will have to rough it on the floor . " She stood up and walked to a small door on the opposite wall from the fireplace . She pulled out three blankets and the pillow she spoke of . " David , Michael , here are some sweats and old cloths you can bundle up and use for pillows . They are clean , so don 't worry about catching anything . And for Ginger , I have one pair of clean socks . I would give you boys a pair to warm your feet , but I 'm afraid all I have are Roger 's socks , and you 'd probably catch some sort of unidentifiable fungus . " " Oh , anything really . Let 's pray for your safety and that your friend is okay . We can pray for all your friends who might have gotten caught in the storm . We can pray for how wonderful Jesus is , and thank God that he let Jesus be born . And we can say a prayer for Roger . " Wookiee put the Bible down on the table , and smiled at Britany 's slumbering body . He put his head down and whispered , " God , I don 't know where I go after this , but thank you for my new friend . Take care of her . Take care of her sister , who works at Waffle House . She 'll need the prayer if she works at Waffle House . You just taught me a lot through this little girl , so don 't let me forget it . Amen . " " Oh , I 'm sorry , " Wookiee explained . " I came in here accidentally thinking this was a different room , and she started talking to me . So , we chatted for a while . " " Yes ma ' am . We talked about Batman , Star Wars , Jesus and stuff . Smart kid . She asked me to read her the Christmas story , and she fell asleep . I just said a quick prayer for her . " The nurse put her hands to her mouth , and then used her shoulder to wipe away a tear that quickly appeared . " I 'm sorry , but Brit is my niece . She 's been so lonely . She never talks to anyone . " She looked up at Wookiee and back at Brit . " I don 't think you realize how much God has used you tonight . She really needed a friend , and anyone she talks about Batman to is considered her friend . " Merry Christmas , fellow Coffee Drinkers . Regardless of what you hear from KT , if you read the blog , I consider you a " drinker " of the wordy liquid I have to offer . Becoming a " follower " only makes it official . Heck , I 'm just glad you stopped by . . . Wookiee sat for a moment , and then quickly wiped a tear from his eye . No sense in letting her see the big strong beast cry . He sat next to her bed in a small chair , chin on palms , elbows on knees . He had been in this position for the last hour , chatting with this 7 - year - old child . He marveled at her innocence of the world , he wished for the day when his biggest problems were getting his j and k backwards on a test in school and not coloring completely in the lines . He also felt sympathy for her when she told of how her mother died of cancer a year before . He had a broken heart when she told him how her father hasn 't been to see her in the hospital in the three weeks she 'd been there . " He works a lot , " she had said about that , in a voice that indicated its okay , he 'll be here when he can . " The only who visits me is my sister , she comes when she can , but she has to work a lot . There 's really no one to talk to . But now you are here ! " He silently prayed for her as she said she loved Jesus , and that he would take care of her , no matter what . Wookiee fought back tears like he 'd never done when she said , " Jesus loves little kids , because he said so in the Bible . My Bible even has a picture in it with Jesus and a bunch of kids . " She opened it , flipping pages for just a few seconds , stopping on a painted picture of Jesus surrounded by several children . " She 's my favorite , " Brit pointed to a little girl in the front of the picture standing next to the depiction of Jesus . " I like her because she has curly brown hair like me , and because Jesus has his hand on her arm . I think it would make me feel really special if Jesus has his hand on my arm . " " I 'll bet it would , " Wookiee smiled , leaning back into his chair . " It would make me feel special too . But you know what ? " " Jesus always touches you , " Wookiee said . " He may not touch you on the arm like this … " he leaned over and poked her in the arm with his finger , causing her to giggle , then continued , “… but he always touches you here . " He put his hand over his heart . " He 'll always be in my heart , just like he 'll always be in yours . " We reached the yard of the house we had spotted from the highway , and the house looked so warm and comfortable . The blue truck sat in the middle of the yard . You could tell it had just been used , as there was very little frost on the windshield compared to the thick snow that covered the entire yard and roof of the house . I wanted to appreciate how pretty the entire scene was , but I was too cold . We walked by a mailbox on the right reading " Keller " , with the flag up . It was almost like a Thomas Kinkaide painting . . . well , except for the below - freezing temperatures , the darkness and piercing wind . Besides that . I stepped on the porch first , followed closely by Ginger and Michael . I carefully stepped up to the door , raised my hand to knock and then stopped . What was I doing ? " Just knock , " Michael finally said . " With our luck , it 'll be some of the DeRamii clan , and they 'll come out with the gun and kill us all . " Michael referred to the people who lived on the first floor of Rollingwood Apartments , directly below The Deuce . Brook DeRamus was a marine biologist that we seldom had seen . At that moment , however , I would have given anything to be standing in front of the DeRamuses door instead of where I stood . " We get shot , at least we 'll be warm , " Ginger added . Taking a deep breath , I knocked . We stood in anticipation , waiting for something to happen . Nothing did . I knocked again , and a few minutes later , I heard footsteps inside . " Or maybe if we could come inside or something , " Michael added , standing behind Ginger and myself . I threw my elbow back to get him , and accidentally hit Ginger . I could tell she had flinched , but held it nicely . " Let you come inside so you can rob me , huh ? " the man replied . " No thank you . Get off my porch before I call the police . " " Oh ma ' am , " I quickly walked back to the door to where she stood . " We had an accident , and we were supposed to be picked up by a friend of ours , but he didn 't make it . Now we have no place to go , and we are all freezing . " " Please come in , " she smiled back . I breathed a sigh of relief as I walked into the house . Suddenly , every part of my body that had been exposed to the cold was hit with a blast of warm air . " Oh my gosh , " Michael said as he walked through the door . " It feels so good in here ! " " Nice to meet the three of you , " she said . " My name is Linda Keller . You 'll have to excuse my husband Roger , he 's paranoid about everybody and everything . I told him we couldn 't let you freeze , that just wouldn 't be very Christian of me , now would it ? " The house had an old feel to it , like a typical grandmother 's house you would find . Although the power had gone out , I could make out older pictures and paintings on the wall , and different decorative Christmas items scattered about the living room we stood in . The tree was in the corner , standing tall , but dark because of the power loss . I could only guess the warmth was caused by an alternative source of power , such as gas , and the roaring fire in the fireplace across the room didn 't hurt . The fire in the flue combined with the candles glowing in the window must have given the light I spotted from down the road . As she walked by the table in the kitchen , we each had a seat . In the candlelight , I couldn 't truly see her face , but I could watch her silhouette move to the stove . I heard a click , and then a little row of blue flames popped out . She grabbed a pot and filled it with water , then placing it above the flames on the stove . Our eyes watched her as she walked to another doorway that I only noticed when she went to it . " Roger , come out here and meet our guests that you so rudely spurned ! " She turned back around to us , slowly walking to the counter . An elderly man appeared in the dark doorway , which I could guess was our greeter a few minutes before . " Why don 't you just go to the Waffle House ? It ain 't but about four miles from here . If ya ' started now , you could make it in an hour . " " Roger , settle down . They 've been in the weather since mid - afternoon . I 'm not going to make them go walking in it again . " " You weren 't mean to Claire again , were you ? " She turned to us . " She 's just the nicest young lady , putting herself through school and all . Roger is so rude to her , makes her cry sometimes ! " " Roger , " Mrs . Keller said . " I 'm making them some hot tea . Now , in a moment , David and Michael are going to go outside with you and chop some wood . Ginger will stay here with me and help me clean up the kitchen . And in return , we will allow them to stay in our living room for the evening . Roger , how does that sound ? " " Fine . When you wake up tomorrow and everything is gone , don 't complain to me . I 'll just ignore you and go to the Waffle House for some breakfast like I always do . " Mrs . Keller turned back to face us . " Now , does sound like a fair deal ? We need the wood chopped , and you need somewhere warm to go . You can 't take much from the living room even if you wanted to , because anything of value is not in there . But first , you need to warm up before going back out , and the hot tea is almost done . " " Ginger , " I leaned over and whispered in her ear . " How do you feel about this ? If Michael and I go outside , you 'll be inside by yourself . " She leaned back a little and whispered , " I think it 'll be okay . If she tries something , I can take her . I think she 's okay . " " Well , our mother died of cancer a year ago , and my sister is showing signs of leukemia already . She 's been there three weeks now for tests and such . My dad kind of lost it when Mother died , and so he drinks a whole lot . But to Britany , Daddy is the world to her , and can do no wrong . He hasn 't been there once to see her since she 's been there . Because of that , she hasn 't said more than two or three words the entire time she 's been in the hospital . I guess she doesn 't say much because she feels like there 's no one to talk to . " Jennifer took a deep breath , knowing that this is where the conversation had to go . She prayed silently that she could step aside and let God speak through her . She gave a slight pause , took another breath and then spoke . " Listen , Claire , I have to tell you that a relationship with Christ won 't make everything all better instantly . You won 't say Amen and suddenly find yourself at Harvard with a sober dad and a healthy sister . A relationship with Christ is not easy by no stretch of the imagination . But you will have someone to turn to . I can promise you that God will always be there for you . " " No , Claire , you aren 't listening , " Jenn spoke very sternly . " I 'm not talking about religion . I 'm talking about a relationship , a one on one relationship with the Creator of the entire universe . He huge enough to have been here before time existed and will be here long after there is no concept of time , but He is small enough to want a relationship with stupid sinner me and stupid sinner you . All He asks of you is that you admit you are a sinner , and you accept the fact that God sent His Son to die for you to be forgiven . That 's not a religion … that 's a relationship with Christ . " Instead , Claire looked up at Jenn and had a tear trickle down her cheek . " Jennifer , " Claire said as another tear fell . " Can you tell me how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ ? My sister has one . She talks about how much Jesus loves her and even though she never sees her dad , and her mom is gone , and she 's lying in a hospital bed with possible cancer , she talks about how Jesus will take care of her . I have been passing it off as a naïve child not knowing anything , but secretly I desired to have that much faith in something . In anything . Can you tell me how ? " Well . . . its almost Christmas , and on Tuesday , it will actually be the 8th anniversary of these happenings - - Matt 's wreck , Ty 's broken leg , adventures at The Waffle House , so on and so forth . Keep reading . And yes , this story will be concluded on Christmas Day . He walked over and sat next to Matt and Leslie on the uncomfortable couch , across from the just - as - uncomfortable bench that Stephanie and Amy were seated upon . Wookiee sat in the lone chair in the small lobby . Nobody had said much in the last little while , as their minds were on their missing friends , Ty , the falling snow outside and other things . " I miss James Spann , " Leslie mumbled . Wookiee stood up and announced , " Ladies and gentleman , I have to relieve myself . Excuse me . " He disappeared around the corner , brushing right past the doctor who entered the lobby and walked right to Matt . " Yes , " Matt stood up . " How 's Ty ? " " Oh , Mr . Coffey is fine . He won 't walk for quite some time , but beyond that , he 's fine . He 's got a fever from the flu he 's contracted , I 'm guessing due to the fact he was riding in a truck with no windows and the wind being blown in his face . " " Yes , I think that 's fine . We want to keep him here for the rest of the evening because of the weather outside . Although we don 't think he 's allergic to anything we 've given him , we want to be sure . He 's in room 354C , on the third floor . " " Normally we only allow two people in at a time , but it 's Christmas , isn 't it ? You 're benefiting from a very quiet evening . Just be quiet when you go in , because though Mr . Coffey isn 't sharing a room , there are other patients on the floor . " " Thanks , " he said , turning and walking towards the elevator . He pushed the button for up and waited patiently as the doors open . He then pushed " 4 " and waited . A moment later , the doors opened again on the fourth floor , and Wookiee stepped out . He saw a sign with an arrow pointing to the left that said 401C - 435C , and then a right arrow that read 436C - 460C . Being the smart Wookiee that he was , he took a right , and began to slowly walk the halls looking for 453C . At the very end of the long corridor , he stood in front of a door with the numbers he was looking for . " I like Batman Beyond . It 's really cool looking . You can call me Brit , " she looked up at the huge man standing next to her bed . " Nobody ever called me Britany except my mom … and my sister when she 's really mad at me . " I need to go find the others , he thought to himself , but I can 't leave yet . God , are you asking me to stay here and talk to her ? He got his answer when Brit said , " Before my mom died . Can I tell you about it , Wookiee ? I would like to tell someone about it . " I guess that 's a yes , huh , God ? Wookiee bit his lip to keep from laughing to himself - not at her mom , but at God 's quick answer to his question . " You can tell me about it , Brit , " he said to her , " I 'm all ears . " The rude man who put Claire in tears was walking out the door , seemingly satisfied by Justin 's service of food . Jenn watched him as he climbed into an old blue Chevy truck , and backed out , then disappeared into the snowy night . He didn 't leave a tip , though Justin didn 't really care , he wasn 't helping out to make money . He continued to help out Bethany and Claire by taking orders . Tom had gone behind the counter and was now helping the cook to make the meals , while Tommy , Jennifer and Drew took turns bussing tables and seating people . " Okay , Jerome , " Tom said , talking to the large black man beside him . Tom was 6 and a half feet tall , but felt very small next to Jerome . " Give me the directions on putting all of this crap on there . " " Man , it ain 't nothing , " Jerome smiled in a booming , deep voice . " You just make the hash browns like you been doing , and then just pile stuff on them . I guarantee the nastier you make it look , the better it will taste ! " Drew was wiping a table down when he noticed a new customer coming in the door . What actually caught his attention wasn 't the man himself , but the guitar case he carried in his left hand . He was an older , heavyset man with an old oil - stained hat on . The guitar case he carried was formerly black , but had much of the vinyl peeled off of the case to show wood underneath . Like a typicaly " former rocker " who had possibly settled down , several faded bumper stickers were scattered on the case , reading things like " Frampton ' 77 " and " Van Halen " and " Bay City Rollers Saturday Night Tour " . " I actually don 't think that would be a bad idea , " the man laughed . " In this kind of weather , I could use some cheer . Only reason I brought it in was that the locks are broke on my car and I didn 't want anyone to steal it . There is a pick in the strings . Here . " " I mean , we are in a Waffle House 40 miles from home , in a snow storm , basically stuck . Tom is helping to cook , Justin is helping the waitresses take orders , you and I are cleaning tables , and some strange man just handed Drew his guitar for Drew to play Christmas carols . This is almost like a Christmas fairy tale . " " Oh , Tommy , " Jenn laughed . " It 's Christmas . It 's the time for fairy tales to come true ! In fact , we need to tell Dave to write this down one day . Maybe on one of those new web log things I 've heard about . " " Where did Wookiee go ? " Shawn stuck his head out of Ty 's door , looking both ways . " We lost a Wookiee , guys . How did we lose a Wookiee ? " " So we don 't know anything about Ginger or Michael or Dave ? " Ty asked . He lay in a bed , leg up in a sling above the mattress . He had one IV in his left arm , and he was feeling cold from the hospital gown he wore . " No ! " Steph said . " Splitting up has caused us to lose contact with Dave , Mike and Ginger , Drew and the others and now Wookiee . Let 's stay together . We 'll just go down to the first floor and walk the halls until we see him . " Steph stepped out in front of the group , leading them towards the origin of the crying . She stopped in front of a closed door that read " children 's playroom " . She looked at Amy , Matt and Shawn for a look that would justify her opening the door . They looked at her with " I don 't know " glances . She shrugged and opened the door . There were about a dozen children running around the room , some with tears in their eyes . There were a few children sleeping on the floor near the wall , and a few more playing with various toys like dolls and cars on the other side of the room . " Oh , no , sweetie ! Don 't eat that ! " Steph cried , quickly running over to a small boy who had a crayon in his hand . He had gnawed the paper off and was working on the wax . " Nice boy , " Shawn wiped the water from his face . Smiling , he gave chase , and caught the boy halfway across the room . He picked the little boy up and threw him over his shoulder . The little boy laughed like a hyena as Shawn growled at him , bouncing him around in the air . " Hi , " Amy walked up to the woman . " I 'm Amy , that 's Matt , that 's Shawn , and the chairman of Crayon Eating Prevention over there is Stephanie . We are kind of snowed into the hospital , and have absolutely nothing to do . Can we offer you some help with these kids ? " " No , this is more babysitting than anything else . We had to bring in off - duty staff because our regulars couldn 't get here through the storm . So , some of the staff had to bring their kids with them because they didn 't have anywhere to take them , so we set this room us as a temporary day care . My relief was supposed to be here hours ago , but we 're all snowed in . Nobody has come in and nobody can leave . " " Well , Merry Christmas , Faith , " Amy patted her on the shoulder . " Your relief is here . Why don 't you go get some coffee , and if you 'll find us something to eat , we 'll take care of these kids until you get back . " Faith looked concerned for a moment , having never seen these young people before in her life , but then broke into a smile . " Merry Christmas to you too , Amy . Thank you . I 'm going to down to the cafeteria , and see if they have any sandwiches left , and I 'll bring you some of whatever they have . Does that sound okay ? " " That sounds wonderful , Faith , " Matt smiled . She looked over Matt , who was tossing a small football to the child who attacked him ; Shawn , who was now laying on the floor with four small children jumping on him , while Stephanie was in the corner wearing a Santa hat , having tea with two little girls . Faith left the room , and Amy smiled again . " So this is the season of giving , huh ? " she said to herself . " We have to find somewhere to go , guys , " Michael said . " I can 't stand this . This wind makes the Iron Bowl feel like a Hawaiian summer holiday . " Michael and myself , along with Shawn and Tom , had been Amy Wible 's guest at the 2000 Iron Bowl , in which the game ( a 9 - 0 clunker won by Auburn ) was forgettable , but the freezing rainy temperatures were not . This was alot like that very night . I left the circle and walked out from under the awning that had been our protection for the last ninety minutes . As soon as I was in the open , I felt colder . The snow and freezing rain began to pelt me in the face , which was already numb from cold . I scanned the horizon looking for something , anything , and praying to God that I would find that something or anything . And on a hill in the distance , there was a house , with lit windows . Against the night sky , I could make out the smoke from the chimney . " Dave , are you mental ? " Michael looked at me . " If I could pull my hands out of my pockets , I 'd smack you . We can 't just walk up to somebody 's house and ask to come in . People get shot for stuff like that . " " Michael , I 'm freezing , " I said . " I 'm so cold right now I feel like my fingers will break off like icicles . And I know Ginger is the same way , and I am pretty sure you are too . I think if we walk up there , knock on the door , and tell them our problem , they 'll help us . Even if we have to stay in a barn for the night , its better than standing out here in the snow and rain . If they turn us away , the walking will keep us a little warm . " " Good idea , " I replied . Ginger and I started walking towards the road , and I looked back to see Michael just standing there . " I 'm not going to that stupid house ! " Michael yelled . By 8 or a little after , nothing had slowed down at the Waffle House . Justin continued to rack up the tips with Bethany and Claire on tables , and Tom continued to go to town on the omelets and hash browns . Jennifer still wiped the tables clean , and picked up the dirty dishes , while Tommy went to the kitchen to begin running dishes through the large Waffle House industrial dishwasher . All had tossed on old Waffle House aprons , and Tommy had even managed to put his thick head of hair into a paper hat . Drew had tuned with the guitar , and was sitting on a stool at the end of the counter . Jenn sighed . Looks like we are stuck at a Waffle House until Christmas Eve , of all places to be , she thought . Is there a reason for this , God ? " Hey Jennifer , " Claire called out . " Our dinner is ready . Let 's eat while we can , " Claire smiled . They both sat down at the end of the counter with their meals , Claire 's a western omelet , and Jenn 's a patty melt plate . " It 's just that I haven 't seen anyone do that in a really long time . Like , when I was a kid , my dad made me say grace before dinner , but our family quit having meals together , like , 7 or 8 years ago . It 's been that long since I think I 've said any kind of prayer , I guess . " " Well , maybe you should start . Getting into law school in Harvard is a lofty goal , even with the grades you have . Prayer would be something I would definitely look into . " They all start somewhere . You started here . . . well , you started somewhere , and ended up here . Or , you stopped by here on your way to somew . . . Here 's a few little stories to share . . . HAVE A SIX FLAGS DAY I recently purchased a Six Flags season pass . I haven 't been to Six . . . Dear Campbell , You LOVE to swing . Actually , you just love to play outdoors , swinging or not . You love to bring your shoes to me , hoping . . .