michelle

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I ended up where I needed to be.

[michelle @chelle1471]

@Jeff_Mans I participate in two live drafts every year. I love how fun live drafts are!

[michelle @chelle1471]

@jerseymikes Free Sub

[Texas Cannabis Collective @txcannaco]

Good morning Lone Star State. Today would be a great day for @GregAbbott_TX to veto hemp ban SB3. Like and repost if you agree! #VetoSB3

[Texas Cannabis Collective @txcannaco]

Simple message to start our day: @GregAbbott_TX veto hemp ban SB3! Like and RT if you agree! #txlege #vetosb3

[Eric Alper 🎧 @ThatEricAlper]

George Wendt, beloved for his role as Norm on Cheers, has died at 77. With a beer in hand and a heart of gold, he made millions feel like regulars. A true legend of TV comfort and comedy.

[Aaron Bady @zunguzungu]

THIRD GRADERS

[James Talarico @jamestalarico]

We can’t forget what Greg Abbott did.

When a bipartisan coalition rejected his voucher scam, he retaliated by withholding funding from our public schools.

He’s sacrificing 5.5 million school children to please his billionaire donors.

It’s unconscionable. Immoral. Unacceptable.

[Seinfeldism @Seinfeldism1]

Jerry, just remember, it's not a lie if you believe it. #Seinfeldism

[Duke's Mayo Classic @DukesMayoBowl]

MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO MAYO

PLZ RT FOR AWARENESS

[SFA Alumni @sfa_alumni]

Merry Christmas, 'Jacks!

Have a good one.

#AxeEm

[Simpsons Quotes @Simpsons_tweets]

So have a Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, Kwazy Kwanza, a tip-top Tet, and a solemn, dignified Ramadan.

[michelle @chelle1471]

@TheRayFlowers Merry Christmas 🎄

[Old School 80s @OldSchool80s]

Merry Christmas to you & yours! #80s #Christmas

[Super 70s Sports @Super70sSports]

Apparently we aren’t counting the ones before he died ...

[Traces of Texas @TracesofTexas]

The best thing about doing this page, other than actually meeting y'all in person, is the stories y'all tell me. When I posted this Christmas story, sent in by Traces of Texas reader Steve Eberhart a few years ago, it became of my most viewed/liked/commented-on posts ever. If you read it, you'll see why. Talk about the true meaning of Christmas!

"In November 1957, my Dad was killed in the line of duty in the U.S. Army in Hawaii.

At the time, our family was living in my Mom's hometown of Macon, Georgia.

My Mom, Annie Ruth, gathered everyone and traveled to Texas to bury my Dad in his hometown of Muenster, Texas.

As she had done on occasions before, sometimes for a year or more at a time, she stayed with my Dad's sister, Elvira Flusche and her family in Lindsay, Texas.
There was a wait for the body to arrive from Hawaii and the funeral was finally held in early December. In the days and weeks after his death, my Mom dealt not only with his death, relocation to Texas, the funeral, dealing with the Army over benefits and insurance issues and such.

With the funeral behind them and 2 weeks to go until Christmas, Annie Ruth and Elvira realized the insurance and benefits would not likely arrive before Christmas and with essentially no money left after traveling and the funeral, they did not know how they were going to make Christmas happen for the 7 children of Annie Ruth and Bill's.

Elvira convinced Annie Ruth to go to the local bank, The First State Bank in nearby Gainesville, and get a small, short term loan which she could pay back once the benefits arrived hopefully in a few weeks.
She agreed and they drove to the bank.

Annie Ruth went in to see the local banker, Claude Jones. She explained the situation of having just lost her husband, an Army man, their shortage of funds, the insurance and benefits which should be forthcoming and their immediate need to provide for Christmas for her 7 children.

Mr. Jones listened and finally said, "Let me look at this a little further and we will get back to you".

With that, Annie Ruth left the office and joined Elvira in the lobby of the bank. As they walked out of the bank, Annie Ruth was in tears telling Elvira that he said he would get back to her, which she apparently assumed was a "no" to her request.

Upset, the two of them returned to Elvira's farm home north of Lindsay where they agreed they would just have to do the best they could and things would be better next Christmas.

For Annie Ruth it was almost too much to handle, she had lost her husband, she had no job, no income or money, she had 7 children to raise ranging from age 3 months (me) to 10 years and now had literally nothing for them for Christmas.

A few hours later that afternoon, a large station wagon car pulled up to the farmhouse yard. Annie Ruth and Elvira went out to the front porch to see who arrived.
The man stepped out of the car and they noticed it was the man from the bank, Mr. Claude Jones. The back of the car was full of toys, clothes, food items, essentially everything needed for Christmas. Unsure of what was going on, Annie Ruth asked him,
"Mr. Jones, what is this?"

He stepped over to her, hugged her and said, "Mrs. Eberhart, you're not going to need a loan and you're not going to need to worry about Christmas, it's all taken care of."

This is a true story, and THAT, was our first Christmas in Texas in December, 1957.

I never knew of this story as a child but was told of it a few years ago. I checked it out and it is all true.

I also found out Mr. Jones was as generous to many others around the Cooke County community over the years.

I never met Mr. Jones, but I sure wish I had."

I have read and reread this story about 100 times since Steve sent it in. It still, even now, brings tears to my eyes. The fact that there was this man, Claude Jones, doing these kinds of things in a little ol' town like Gainesville (back then it was little) not because he was going to get publicity for it or for any other reason other than it was the right thing to do ... it's just the best thing ever. The world is made a better place because of Texans like him. If the universe is just, karma-wise, Claude Jones knows that this one act of kindness has echoed and reverberated such that now, 67 years later, folks are still reading about it. I wonder what he'd say if you could have somehow sat him down in 1957 and told him what it would mean to Steve's family and to this silly man on the internet (me), who wasn't even born when he did it.

Thank you, Steve. Merry Christmas Mr. Jones, wherever you are!

[Old School 80s @OldSchool80s]

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Thankful for the #80s and all you folks who are, too.

[michelle @chelle1471]

@thehauntedvcr I was so disappointed when I found out that the lifesavers in the storybook are all the same flavor now 😒

[Alison Cook @alisoncook]

😻😻😻

[Steve @Stevepleshe]

@fourfingerpod

[Your Christmas Countdown @christmas_clock]

👉 https://t.co/08kJVAWqc2 🎄🎅