The following story was published on December 25, 1983, in the Eureka Times-Standard newspaper—where the author, Karen Luttrell-Langdon, was a reporter. She has been my dear friend for almost 20 years. I am honored to read her story.

Despite the original newsprint now being yellowed with age, the spirit of the story remains unchanged.

Only minor edits have been made to aid the transition from written text to spoken word.