Blog 1561 – 12.26.2019

Happy Boxing Day

Boxing Day, celebrated mostly across the former British Empire but not as widely in the U.S., was a favorite of my dearly beloved and departed daughter Emily Elaine White. I think of her most days, especially Christmas, all the Christmases I got to share with her, but especially on Boxing Day. I think the first meaning of Boxing Day stemmed from a customs of well-to-do British families boxing up the remains of their Christmas feasts to be shared with the less fortunate the day after Christmas. But an added meaning in later years became the custom of putting the Christmas tree ornaments and decorations away in boxes to be secured and saved till the next Christmas.

From a child Emily was taught to put her things away. And as her first Mom, Sandra, kept other children in the home when Emily was a girl Emily learned early not only to help with the younger children but also to help keep all the toys picked up and put away and to help clean up in general. Emily was not a perfect child but near enough in this loving father’s estimation. There is a large Emily-sized hole in my heart that can never be filled by anyone else. But, every Boxing Day, I store a new Emily Christmas memory there.

On Christmas Eve along with one viewing of the classic BB Gun Xmas Tale, Christmas Story, I watch the new Hulu FX version of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. I watched it again with Emily on Christmas Day. One of Emily’s favorite movies was L.A. Confidential where we first saw the actor who plays Scrooge, Guy Pearce, in this wonderful new version of the story that takes many liberties with Dickens’ original.

For those who care to know more about, my Emily, I have published on this blog thirty-two episodes from her life that I wrote in a book that I call, “Emily, The Little Girl Who Sang Her Song To Anyone Who Came Along.” “My First Walk With Emily” with a picture of a baby doll that Sandra swears looks like Emily did as a baby is the featured article if you search http://www.theencouragingword.co

If you wish to read another episode or all of them just scroll down the blog pictures and titles till you find one of the first couple of July(s) that I posted this blog, 2015 or 2016. There you will find all thirty-two episodes. Happy hunting. You might even find other pictures and pieces that catch your eye and interest along the way. I am not silly or simple-minded enough to think that everything that I write will be read and appreciated by all. But after over fifteen hundred attempts and counting I am confident that most everyone will find something to their liking here. Especially those who are looking for an encouraging word or a slightly skewed view of life and this world.

I like to think that Emily, perhaps well into a new adventure of her own, Will one day discover my odd little blog and read me daily. In the words of Rick of Rick’s Cafe in another movie classic, Casablanca, also one of Em’s favorites, “Here’s looking at you kid.” And Happy Boxing Day.

Your friend and fellow traveler,

David White

Another take on Boxing Day.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BFz6W2iyeXw0tQ2_v3GNWWu7bwXIti3v/view?usp=drivesdk

The Boxer