The Old Man walked in the cold woods. The wind cut like a knife. He indulged in warm thoughts on a blustery December day. The Old Man thought of the excitement of the Eiffel Tower with his friends Margo and Jeff. He laughed when he recalled the Tower attendant asking to see inside MJ’s backpack, only to find a four-pack of toilet tissue. He laughed with a crooked-tooth grin and called his colleagues to see the contents.

Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is a great Christmas Vacation. The beautifully decorated town with the Smoky Mountains as a backdrop is a holiday treat. The Moonshine is to be sipped slowly. I found my leather hat there and have worn it for 30 years. We attended a Christmas Play at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge that was a heartwarming experience. The chestnuts roasting on an open fire were mesmerizing.

We live in a technicolor dream. Often, what our minds believe we can achieve. I grew up an only child. I am going to see my brother and his family now. They are a delight, and my sister-in-law seems like my sister.

‘It is good to be old,’ Guardian Angel said. ‘We learn by experience, I hope,’ GA continued. ‘We do not accumulate life’s knowledge and wisdom to bury it in the grave,’ GA explained. ‘It is of great use beyond the Veil,’ GA promised. ‘Your friends add to who you are,’ GA said. ‘They have a place in the story,’ GA smiled. ‘Experiences fit together like a 1,000-piece puzzle. You can not see the full image until it is completed, Guardian Angel laughed.

‘Who is following us?’ Old Man asked? ‘When I look over my shoulder, they stop and laugh and wave,’ Old Man observed. ‘They appear to know me, and they look familiar like Deja vu,’ Old Man noted. ‘I feel I know them and we have visited on many occassions, yet their following us seems etheral and a bit frightening,’ Old Man pondered. ‘In some of my dreams, I wonder if the dream is my reality more than my waking state,’ Old Man mused.

‘That is your fan club, dear friend,’ Guardian Angel said with a laugh. ‘They know you well,’ GA winked. ‘Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.),’ Walt Whitman said. ‘You sat at the Ale House with C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, and you walked the halls and rooms of Oxford,’ GA smiled. ‘You are a manifestation of destiny and the result of a colorful past,’ GA chuckled. ‘It is Yuletide and time to rejoice,’ GA danced on one foot and then the other. ‘The Dream continues,’ Guardian Angel said as he disappeared…