Five Golden Rings (Child's Play)

For today's verse of the LONGEST CHRISTMAS SONG EVER…

I sat here all day, stumped about what to write. So many worthy causes, almost too many to choose from. I had complete and total writer's block. This is my favorite verse of the song, cuz I can sing it long and loud. And I like loud. But 5 Golden Rings, huh? What on earth… the Olympics have rings for a symbol… Gold is lovely… Symbolically they could… ummm....ugh. I got nothin'. All I can think of is my golden wedding ring. Beautiful and meaningful to me, but how can I work it in to the blog and contribute to a cause I believe in? Completely befuddled!

As the ultimate nerds, "Brad & Janet"
in the Rocky Horror Show, FMCT, Feb '03.

Then, as my hubby emerged from his man-cave tonight to get a glass of iced tea, it suddenly hit me: this will be HIS day. We don't really exchange gifts at Christmas anymore, but this could be my little 'gift' to him. He means the world to me, so why not give to a charity that means something to him? Besides, he often complains about how my blogs are "a little light on the Jordan", so I figured why not sprinkle some "Jordan" into a post! So I asked him cause he really believes in, and before I had even finished my sentence, he got all excited and blurted out, "Child's Play!"

"Child's Play? Never heard of it. Tell me about it."

So he went on to explain what the organization does, and how he found out about it. He visits a website quite regularly, called "Penny Arcade", where he finds some dork-tastic comics and blog posts and other things that make absolutely no sense to me. But on this site is also something created by its founders that is really quite incredible. It's a video game charity. Created by gamers. Just some regular dudes who happen to love video gaming decided one day that they were tired of getting a bum rap and about how they kept hearing how video games were the root of all evil and blah blah blah. So they set out to make a difference, partly to prove folks wrong, but mostly because they truly believed in a cause and wanted to help. So they got together with (their local) Seattle Children's Hospital and Amazon.com to help some really sick children who had the misfortune of spending their Christmas in the hospital, have a very special Christmas.

Several years later, these same dudes are the authors of an increasingly popular gaming site (Penny Arcade - that's Jordan's favorite site and how he came to find out about their project) and their charitable idea has since become a huge non-profit organization called Child's Play that raises money and gift donations to sick kids in hospitals around the country. It's a little like "Toys for Tots", but while some of the items donated are given to the children to take home, other gifts stay at the hospitals for all the kids to use (things like game consoles) so that being sick doesn't also have to mean missing out on being a kid.  Their charity proves that you don't have to be large in number or rich and famous or even "cool" to drive change.  You can do a whole lot with very little.  I greatly admire that.

The day I became his Mrs. - June 7, 2003.  As another
'5 Golden Rings' reference our vows stated, "This ring
is round and hath no end, so is my love unto my friend."

While I usually scoff at his gaming nerdery, and I certainly don't cut him any slack about his hobbies, I actually think this is a pretty darn amazing cause. Recommended by a pretty darn amazing guy. So my gift today is on behalf of my husband: a video-gamin' guy who is hard-n'-crunchy-on-the-outside but soft-n'-chewy-on the-inside. He is compassionate and thoughtful and giving in ways that take my breath away every day. He is a kind and honorable man. I totally get his completely inappropriate humor, and he gets my doofy cornball humor and we have both learned that the key to happiness is keeping a sense of humor at all times. Laughing holds us up through the low points in life and gives us so much more joy through the high points. We couldn't be more different, but we work because we complement each other so perfectly.

Besides all that, he gave me the two greatest gifts I could have ever imagined: my children. I thank God every day for these two healthy Jordan-Mini-Me's who make our lives so much richer and so very worthwhile.  When I rocked my booger-nosed baby with a hacking cough and a cranky attitude to sleep tonight, (as I am feeling completely sleep-deprived from the marathon rocking session we did last night) a thought struck me -- this kiddo has a simple cold and I feel awful for him.  When big sister was about his age, she landed in the hospital with complications from pneumonia, just overnight, but it was purely awful.  What would it be like if they got really sick?  I don't even want to think about a "what if" like that - and I'm glad that I don't have to think about it right now.  It made me marvel at how parents of really sick children survive it.  How do they conquer their own fears and become a pillar of strength so that their children don't become frightened too?  How do they manage those long nights and scary doctors' offices?  How do they handle all the medications and the machines and uncertainty?  My heart goes out to their families and I consider how lucky we are that our kids aren't the ones who are stuck in a hospital on Christmas (or any other time of the year), and I pray for the kids and parents who are.  And how I hope that we never find ourselves in a situation like that.  Again, I count my many blessings.

Some of my many blessings. (Photo courtesy of Milestones Photography)

So although my husband won't be getting any Cosby sweaters or grilling tools or neckties from me this Christmas, I hope he knows how much he is loved and appreciated by me. I don't say it often enough, and certainly take him for granted far more than I care to admit. But this Christmas he will get something given in his honor, and with more love than he will ever know…

My 5th day of Christmas gift goes to:

PENNY ARCADE CHILD'S PLAY

http://www.childsplaycharity.org/

How's that for "light on the Jordan"? (Careful what you wish for, my love…)