December 9, 2012. Jackson, Mississippi. Chriatmas.

Christmas is an important time in my life.  It is the first time I noticed Ken.   We have been together for every Christmas since, so it is an important anniversary for us.

Ken was working for a year at a glass factory, to save money to attend university.   He won a scholarship but it did not cover his room and board, so he worked for a year and stayed with friends of his Mother in Toronto.  In retrospect, it was foolish but as he had no one to advise him about student loans, he worked the year, then went to The University of Toronto the next year.  The folks he stayed with, Cliff and Jean,  attended my church so Ken came too, playing in the band and singing in the Songster Brigade.  But I did not notice him at first.

I had organizing the young people to go caroling on Christmas Eve, to visit the old folks who were mostly house bound members of the church.   There were eight or nine cars full of energetic young people.  In my effort to be inclusive, I asked Don to invite "the skinny young man from Parry Sound", and he did.   We did not start out in the same car but after one or two homes, Ken ended up in my car.  We have been driving in the same car ever since.  And that was many Christmases ago.