One memorable holiday happened to our family more than 30 years ago. The turkey was in the oven when the phone rang, and a police officer was on the line. He was looking for our pastor, who was out of town. My husband, John, was covering for him that holiday.
The policeman said a young family had been in a car accident in the snowy mountains between Mount Lassen and our home in Red Bluff, Calif. The parents and two young daughters were all right, but their baby was hospitalized. John went to the hospital to see how he could help. He invited the family to stay in our home so they could be close to their baby and not have added expense.
Our daughters enjoyed playing with their little girls and entertaining them that day. Evening came, and we learned that the grandparents had arrived. We invited all of them to have dinner with us.
You have to understand, that I have never felt confident in my cooking skills — usually none of the food turns out to be ready at the same time.
