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#rebeccadarr Christmas of 1983 was a sad Christmas. On one hand, I was living in one of the most beautiful small towns on earth-Albany, West Australia. It sits right on the Indian Ocean on the West Coast of Australia. It has 15,000 people. Long ago it was a whaling center. People were nice and welcoming.
My personal circumstances were sad. My beloved Brasilian wife Maria had left me for good. She was living thousands of miles away in San Francisco. It was doubtful that I would ever see her again. I was likewise separated from my family and would not see them for a long time. I had lost my home and my car. I worked at a menial job paying very little money. I lived in a tiny room with a bed and a portable television. I had no car. I took my meals at a community kitchen for the poor of the town. I was supported by a woman Australian business partner who ran a business that I had designed. It was going to be a sad and lonely Christmas.
Then Len and Eve Lees came into my life. They were from England. They married right before World War II started. Len went to fight in Italy with the Royal Army. He was captured by the Nazis and sent to a POW camp. When he was released at the end of the war, he and Eve were reunited. They decided that they wanted a quiet and peaceful life. They moved thousands of miles away to Albany. Len worked in a printing shop until he retired.
On Christmas day, they came to see me in my modest room. They brought a Christmas dinner that they had cooked for me. They also brought what they call in British English "a tin of biscuits." It was a beautifully decorated metal box with tasty cookies inside. I was so touched by their kindness and concern for me. A sad Christmas became a wonderful Christmas that I will remember fondly as long as I live.
Despite Tulane going to the Cotton Bowl, Argentina winning the World Cup, and Loki the German Shephard coming into our lives, this Christmas season has been very bad for Elena and me. My car got damaged and had to go in for serious bodywork. With the supply chain problems, parts were hard to find. My car would be offline for a long time. Elena then had an accident with her car. She was lucky that she was not seriously injured. The repair was expensive and rarely done. The same supply chain problems arose. We did not know when her car would be repaired. We are driving a rental car paid for by the insurance company that had to be turned in on 31 December. We were facing the prospect of an expensive rental car bill waiting for cars to be repaired. Then I had an accident in the house, Had Elena not been right there, it could have been a fatal event for me.
Yesterday morning was cold and overcast. I began the day with a medical appointment to look at my injuries. Stitches were removed. I was told that I was healing well. I was also told that I could not return to swimming until after the New Year.
I went to Stewart Chevrolet. I got the bad news that one control arm needed to repair Elena's car had not arrived. They had no idea when it would arrive.
I went to the post office to check the mail. There was a note in the post office box. I had to go to the counter to claim a package. I claimed the package. It was from one of our readers, Rebecca Darr. I opened it, Inside was a book by Condoleezza Rice. In another life, she was President Bush II's right-hand person for his 8 years in the White House. She now holds dual professorships at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and in the political science department of Stanford. I examined the book advocating democracy. It was autographed by Condoleezza. My spirits picked up immensely. I bought it home and happily, showed it to Elena. Later in the day, Stewart Chevrolet informed me that the final part needed to repair Elena's car had arrived. The repair on her car would start tomorrow. We could pick up the car next Tuesday.
Rebecca Darr became the Len and Eve Lees of 2022. Rebecca thank you for your kindness and thoughtfulness. You brought real Christmas cheer into our lives!