Little Pi <strong>Dec</strong>ember 23rd not too many years ago the TV weatherman was promisin snow. I was tuckin my angle in after bedtime prayers. We’d bumped into Santa just a couple days before ringin a bell outside the hardware store. He wasn’t takin orders, but little hearts don’t care. She climbed right up on old Saint Nick’s knee smiling back at her momma and me and told him the treasures she’d be lookin for Christmas morn. That night in her bed, she was goin down her list, when out popped something her mom and I missed, our baby girl’s holiday wish we hadn’t heard before. “He’s bringin me a little pink kitty and he’ll bring it right here, with pretty green eyes, and soft furry ears. I know he’ll remember me. I’ve been a very good girl. I want a little pink kitty, more than anything in the world!” O’Dark Hundred, me and Poppy had a mission. I didn’t have to work and we weren’t going fishin, just tryin to help Santa make a Christmas wish come true. We put a hundred miles on my old truck. A couple rusty elves runnin low on luck with one more chore to check off before we were through. Spent the whole day… every store in town… not a single toy aisle I didn’t walk down. I was out of options, and losing my Yule Tide cheer. With daylight fadin, Poppy said “Boy, no big deal just buy another toy.” So I shook my head and said “Maybe I haven’t been clear! I need a little pink kitty, and I need it right here to keep Santa Clause in business for just another year… keep those reindeer flyin in her pretty little world. I need a little pink kitty for my pretty little girl.” One last stop at the grocery store, I was kicking myself… thought I could have done more to fill that empty wish waitin under our tree. Then across the street, peakin through the trees twinklin lights just as pretty as you please caught my eye, and I felt my spirit soar. There in the window, starin at me, the cutest little Kitty Cat you ever did see. But the lights were going out, so I made a beeline for the door. The kind old lady, on hearing my tale, said “Son you’re in luck, that kitty’s on sale,” then hugged my neck and said “On second thought, it’s on me!” I had a little pink kitty for my girl the next morn. I thought about that little barn where Grace was born. I realized then the lesson we’re meant to share. It’s not about the toys or the things we’re given. It’s all about the stuff that makes life worth livin, If you’ve got love your rich beyond compare! A few days later, thought I’d try to repay that sweet little shop keep who saved the day and invite her to help my family ring in the new year. I went back to that very same spot. There was nothing but a “pay-to-stay” parking lot. So I asked the attendant “Man! What’s going on here?” He said “There hasn’t been a toy store here…. for 20 years.” Click here to listen... This song, which still gets me all misty when I sing it, tells a story about a modern-day holiday wish that the parent of any child who celebrates Christmas has inevitably made in desperation at one time or another: A youngster asks Santa for a present, but by the time mom and dad learn about it it’s not available anywhere. They desperately want to help Santa make that eleventh-hour wish come true, and to keep the magic of Christmas alive in their little girl’s heart, but after a daylong search… no luck. Late in the day, with the sun setting, when it seems unavoidable that disappointment will be lurking among the gifts under the tree Christmas morning, dad finds it! The song, “Little Pink Kitty,” which should be available on all major retail and streaming sites on November 25, is based on a completely true story from my own life. You can read a little more about at: https://www.thisislifesong.com/little-pink-kitty Whenever I feel stress creeping into my holiday season, I think back on that story, and it reminds me that just best because you grow up doesn’t mean you have to leave behind the awe and magic of Christmas. Spotify playlist link... Our website link... You Tube Video/lyrics link..... 74 www.writeawaymagazine.co.uk
nk Kitty Pete Marksteiner www.writeawaymagazine.co.uk 75