Dec 06 2008
A CHRISTMAS WISH GRANTED
It was one of those things I’ve always wanted to do and finally I got my wish. There it was in full colour in front of me a poster saying free horse and carriage rides for the next three Saturdays. The St Catharines Downtown Association was sponsoring it. Today I lived my dream of being on a carriage ride.
The best part was standing in line with a woman and her two young daughters. They had been playing in the snow and jumping up and down and she constantly had to remind them to settle down and not get wet and cold from the snow and ice lying on the ground.
I joked about it not being mud pies and she said, “They like to make those in the summer time.” I responded with “ yeah, I used to do that when I was four. I would make a mud pie for my Dad and then bake it in my easy bake oven then I would put it out on this fancy plate with a fork. Dad was reading the paper and put the fork in the pie and was almost about to eat it when he stopped and looked at it closely as I was in a fit of giggles. He said, “Thanks for the pie honey.” Then I blurted out, “It’s a mud pie daddy! It’s make believe!” He laughed and sheepishly said, “ I really need to learn to pay attention don’t I?”” The lady chuckled at my little memory.
Two young guys walked up with a camera and a microphone and the one guy asked who would be willing to be interviewed for two simple questions about Christmas? I stepped forward and volunteered. His first question was, “What does family mean to you at Christmas?” I had to hold back for a minute and gulp down the lump in my throat. I had to think fast what to say? Then I said calmly, “Christmas with the family meant a whole lot to me when I would celebrate it with my parents and grandparents and loved ones. I’ve learned to appreciate it even more now that they are all gone and I’m all alone. I now celebrate with other people’s families.” He never got to the second question, I could see a small tear in his eye and a lump gathering in his throat then he hurriedly said they had to move along to the next group of people. I just stood there and wondered if I had said the wrong thing or was it too much of a reality check for him?
I listened carefully to the other two interviews and it was nice to hear what Christmas and family meant to them. They were lucky and older then me. They still had everyone in their family around them. Then the horse and carriage came around the corner. I asked the woman with the two young girls if they would mind it if I joined them. I said I didn’t fancy going for a ride all by myself especially when there was a small crowd of people waiting to go for a ride and it was pretty windy and cold out.
Just then a women and a young girl came walking up and placed a sign at the curb. It read free horse and carriage rides today courtesy of the St Catharines Downtown Association. Then they handed out coupons to everyone. It was pretty funny because moments before I was saying to the woman with the two little girls that it was a perfect day to have some hot chocolate. I used to go tobogganing with a bunch of adults. It was a late night party and we would all go to the fourth Welland canal hills and go tobogganing for about two hours then everyone would come back to my place for some hot chocolate with marshmallows and freshly baked short bread cookies. I never told them I bought the cookies from the bakery. I just would say they were freshly baked that day and they were none the wiser. Just as the woman replied, “ I would love to pop over to Tim Horton’s right now and grab a cup of hot chocolate I’m freezing out here.” Then the two ladies handed us each some coupons. A complimentary cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate at the coffee culture café at 196-198 St Paul St here in downtown St Catharines! I couldn’t believe my eyes. First I get my free horse and carriage ride and now this!
I’ve had a few little miracles before but really someone is working hard in the universe to make sure I have a wonderful Christmas! I believe it’s my mother! I was complaining to her the other day (she died just before the Christmas of 2006) and saying that I really missed her gifts and Christmas cheer and all the neat little things she did to surprise me. Ever since then it’s like I’ve been guided to places and finding things I never knew existed. I call them Christmas treats but in my case my greatest wish was to have a nice, fun Christmas again.
I’ve been pretty miserable for the past two years and I wasn’t looking forward to having to do it all over again. I just wanted to be able to enjoy Christmas again and this time I will. The carriage had pulled up and the two little girls got up into it then their mother was about to take a picture. I suggested that she get up inside with them and that I would take a picture of the three of them together. She was delighted and I was kicking myself for not bringing my camera with me today. I wanted to cherish this moment and have a permanent memory of it but oh well. I took a few pictures then hoisted myself up into the carriage. The man introduced himself and I can’t remember if his name was Dan or not? I think the horses name was Poe but not quite sure, it was an odd name and supposedly after something famous.
There was a nice black fur blanket there for the four of us to pull up on ourselves. The two little girls started a tug of war with the blanket and I’m thinking will these two ever stop fighting? They were constantly at each other the whole time. I remember when my two boys were small and they used to fight and then this little voice inside my head said, “they do it because it’s fun to bug someone.” Then and there I realized how true those words were. I used to cry and get upset and worry that my two sons wouldn’t be friends when they grew up. I worried that they would grow to hate each other and fight and be mean to one another. Now that they are older they are the best of friends! Unfortunately I was an only child so at the time I didn’t understand the meaning of sibling rivalry. Today for the first time I did. It’s fun to bug someone; I do it all the time. I love to annoy and bug my boyfriend when I’m bored or I just want to giggle and laugh. He gets snappy and annoyed and wishes that I would stop teasing him and do I stop? Definitely not! I’m having too much fun bugging him, but when he did it back to me, it wasn’t as much fun!
Getting a taste of my own medicine didn’t always sit well with me.
Our carriage ride was nice and the horse went around the block in about ten minutes. The cold crisp bitter air kept flying up from under the blanket but at least we were semi warm with it draped across all of our legs. It was sad to see cars flying around us like mad men going to a fire. I sat there and wondered if those people would ever slow down enough to smell the flowers or enjoy the scenery around them. Pretty lights and Christmas decorations, I drive down this street all the time and for once I actually got to look at them. They were nicely laid out and I appreciated the crisp white snow on the grass and the lights and ornaments. I felt at peace with myself and then the semi bumpy dream carriage ride was over. I had commented to the woman beside me,” can you imagine in the old days when they were driving faster? How much more bumpier and uncomfortable it could be.” We were going at a very slow pace and it was bumpy enough for me. She had nodded in agreement. A woman who had been standing in line behind me stood at the side of the carriage and offered a hand to help me down. I took it not out of necessity but because she had been kind enough to offer and I knew by accepting it that she would get a warm fuzzy feeling for lending me a hand.
Walking down the street I headed towards the Coffee Culture Café and stood at the corner trying to find it. No numbers and I had an address printed on the back of the coupon. As I looked carefully up and down the street I couldn’t see it then when I had given up I looked straight ahead and there it was in a large banner! It was in an old building that had been empty for years. I had assumed it was one of the smaller shops where Bean Trees (another coffee shop) had been located in that very area. I walked in and was pleasantly surprised. Warm browns and gold’s greeted me with modern art hung on the red brick walls. I received my creamy milk hot chocolate and noticed that they served chicken crepes there with grilled veggies! I had been looking for the past eight years for a place that would serve crepes! Finally one was in St Catharines. I used to always drive down to London to the White Oaks Mall there at an Italian eatery that had gone out of business a few years ago. This past summer I found some chicken curry crepes at the Irish Café in Niagara on the Lake on Queen St but now I could go somewhere closer and it wasn’t a far walk from the Library either!
I ordered my food then turned around and gasped with delight for there was a large fireplace with a big screen TV with the CNN news on and brown leather couches and chairs and elegant and classy booths. The first thought that came to mind was if I ever have any business meetings with editors or agents I would treat them here! I grabbed a newspaper and headed to the booth. I made a note that I would share this lovely place with the world. My first time being in the café and all I could think of was J K Rowling and how she used to do her writing at a café for her Harry Potter books.
It would be a delightful place to do some writing. I would have to ask if they would mind me being there. It shouldn’t be too much of a problem because I love to eat but I doubt if I could afford to eat several things with each item being around six dollars apiece! The chicken crepe were tasty and nicely grilled with fresh vegetables. It had a flavour that I’ve never had before so it was fun to try something new. I am thankful now for my lovely early afternoon rendezvous it turned out to be a Christmas wish that was granted by the Universe and I’m thankful that my mother is still helping me here on earth from heaven.
