DEAR MS. BLOG,

IT'S BEEN TOO LONG A TIME SINCE I HAVE BLOG..

I WANTED TO SHARE A "CHRISTMAS STORY WITH YOU ABOUT MY SISTER CATHY.

I WANTED TO TAKE THIS TIME AND TALK ABOUT MY SISTER CATHY, MANY OF YOU AT THIS SITE KNOWS ABOUT CATHY AND HER DAILY CROSS SHE CARRIES IN HER LIFE. FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW ABOUT HER, LET ME TELL YOU.

CATHY IS SPECIAL, SHE HAS CEREBRAL PALSY AND IS MENTALLY RETARDED.

MUSIC IS THE JOY OF MY SISTER'S LIFE.

AND CLAY, IS HER PRECIOUS GIFT OF SONG. SHE LOVES HIM SO..

EVERYTIME I WOULD TAPE SOMETHING FOR CATHY, SHE WOULD LAUGH AND SMILE SEEING CLAY.

THIS YEAR, I WAS ABLE TO GIVE HER THE "GIFT"OF CLAY SINGING LIVE RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER. BUT, INSTEAD CATHY GAVE ME A PRECIOUS GIFT. I SAW CLAY THROUGH HER EYES.

WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE THAT THE CAMDEN CONCERT WAS ON THE DAY OF HER SCHEDULED VISIT HOME FROM SCHOOL ( CATHY LIVES AT A FACILITY THAT SPECIALIZES IN HER NEEDS) WE ALSO DECIDED TO KEEP HER HOME UNTIL THE NEXT DAY.

WE BROUGHT PRESENTS FOR CLAY.. CATHY PICKED OUT A TEDDY BEAR IN A SANTA SUIT AND I PICKED OUT A SNOW GLOBE ORNAMENT FOR HIM, A CHRISTMAS CARD, WE HAD THEM IN A "MERRY CHRISTMAS TO #1 TEACHER" CHRISTMAS BAG FOR HIM. TO US, HE IS OUR VOICE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SOMEONE SPECIAL WITH ANY DISABILITY. I WAS ABLE TO DELIVER THE BAG TO AN EVENT STAFF THAT ASSURED ME IT WOULD BE DELIVER TO CLAY.

THE TWEETER CENTER IS A DELIGHTFUL PLACE. AS WE WALKED TO THE VENUE, CATHY WAS VERY EXCITED HOLDING MY HAND TIGHT. SHE KEPT SAYING "TOMMY, TOMMY, TOMMY!' ( ALTHOUGH SHE HAS CEREBRAL PALSY, CATHY CAN WALK AND THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, CATHY CAN'T PRONOUCED CLAY'S NAME, SHE CALLS HIM TOMMY. WHICH, IS A GREAT COINDENCE SINCE ONE OF THE CHARACTER'S NAME IS TOMMY!)

WE GOT IN AND BRIEFLY SAID "HI TO AMY, CHRISTIE, DEANNA, SUSAN AND MICKI" AND CATHY GAVE HER HUGS TOO..

AT THE TIME WHEN I GOT THE TICKETS, I WASN'T ABLE TO GET HANDICAPPED SEATING. BUT, THROUGH A VERY SWEET USHER BY THE NAME OF "JAIME" WE WERE ABLE TO OBTAIN HANDICAP SEATING FOR WHEN CLAY CAME ON, WE NEEDED TO BE SEATED AT OUR ORGINAL SEATS FOR WILLIAM JOSEPH. AND JAIME TOLD US THAT SHE WAS A SPECIAL ED TEACHER BY DAY AND WORKED AT THE TWEETER AT NIGHT.

CATHY WAS NEVER AT A CONCERT BEFORE. SO WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT DARK, CATHY SAID "NITE NITE" BECAUSE SHE WOULD BE ACCUSTOMED TO GO TO BED WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DIM.

WILLIAM JOSEPH PLAYED THE PIANO, AND CATHY DID SOMETHING WITH HER HANDS, ME AND MY MOTHER NEVER EVER SAW.. CATHY DANCED WITH HER HANDS.. HER HANDS KEPT TO THE BEAT OF EACH SONG WILLIAM JOSEPH PLAYED.. SHE GIGGLED AT "KASHMIR" DON'T KNOW WHY... SHE SMILED AND CLAPPED.

AFTER HE PLAYED THERE WAS THE FIRST INTERMISSION AND WE WERE TAKEN BY JAIME TO OUR NEW SEATS TO SEE THE REST OF THE SHOW.

THERE WERE TWO BIG SCREENS THAT ACCOMPANIED THE STAGE, I WAS GRATEFUL FOR THIS BECAUSE CATHY COULD REALLY ENJOY THE SHOW.

AS SOON AS THE CURTAINS WERE RAISED. CATHY WAS MERMERIZED, SHE KEPT QUIET TAKING EVERYTHING IN. HER SMILE WAS SO WIDE WHEN SHE SAW CLAY TAKE TO THE STAGE! HER EYES WERE GLUED TO THE BIG SCREEN, MY MOM TRIED TO SHOW HER THAT CLAY WAS RIGHT HERE ON STAGE, BUT, SHE WAS MORE INTERESTED WITH CLAY ON THE SCREEN, IT WAS BETTER FOR HER TO SEE HIM THAT WAY.

AND EVERYTIME CLAY FINISHED A VERSE OF A SONG, CATHY CLAPPED WITH GREAT HAPPINESS.

NOW, THERE WERE TIMES CATHY WAS GETTING FRUSTATED ESPECIALLY WHEN THE SCENES WERE PLAYED OUT. SHE GOT OUT HER SEAT A COUPLE OF TIMES, AND I QUICKLY GOT HER BACK AND SHE SAID " I SEE TOMMY" AND THEN WHEN CLAY SANG AGAIN, HOW QUIET SHE WAS, HER EYES WIDEN WITH EXCITEMENT! HOW MUCH CATHY LOVED SEEING HIM SING!

SHE CLAP WHEN "CELEBRATE ME HOME" WAS SUNG...

DURING THE 2ND INTERMISSON, JAIME THE USHER CAME BACK TO OUR SEATS AND ASKED "HOW'S MY FRIEND CATHY? DO YOU LIKE THE SHOW?" CATHY NODDED "YES"

THE 2ND ACT STARTED AND CATHY AGAIN WAS QUIET EVER WATCHING CLAY, THEN CATHY TURN TO ME, AND CLASPED HER HANDS AND SAID "GOD, GOD" SHE KNEW CLAY WAS SINGING HYMNS.

SHE SMILED SO SWEETLY, IT WAS SUCH A PRECIOUS GIFT TO ME! SEEING HER JOY, FILLED MY HEART WITH SUCH LOVE FOR GOD AND CLAY, I GET A LITTLE "TEARY" TAKING ABOUT IT..

THE BEST PART CAME WHEN CLAY CAME OUT AGAIN FOR "DON'T SAVE IT ALL FOR CHRISTMAS DAY", WHEN CLAY ASK US TO GIVE HUG TO THE ONE NEXT TO US, CATHY GAVE US KISSES INSTEAD! HOW HAPPY SHE WAS! AND HOW SHE GIGGLED WHEN SHE HEAR THAT SONG!

AND GOOD NEWS, WAS BEAUTIFULLY SUNG AND AGAIN CATHY SMILED SO SWEETLY!

AFTER IT WAS OVER, I ASKED HER " DID YOU LIKE IT?" SHE NODDED "YES"

BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, WE WERE BACK ON THE ROAD AGAIN, WE WERE PLAYING MUSIC AND CATHY WAS IN THE BACK OF CAR, DANCING WITH HER HANDS AGAIN RELIVING HER SPECIAL NIGHT WITH CLAY.

THROUGH MY SISTER'S EYES, I SAW CLAY, AS GIFT OF SONG FROM GOD.

LOVE YA

THERESA