The Old Man is still reveling from his weekend visit with the Tennessee Brooks. Sometimes you do not realize how much you are enjoying an event until you look back on it. The blessing of a family that loves you and you them is priceless.

The sandstone rocks and cliffs in the Woods were unchanged this morning. Time works its magic slowly for their kind. Not so with we humans, though. We change yearly. The changes are subtle but cumulative. If we do not often gaze at our reflection, we are a bit suprised at the person looking back at us. I admire the Hollywood stars who refuse plastic surgery. They want to look natural with all of the lines of life.

The Old Man’s Guardian Angel noted that someone was following them in the Winter Woods, and it was not Santa Claus. Behind them strode a sure-footed man of 40 with big steps and a surety of stride and purpose.

So, is there an alternate universe? Marcy and I discussed it over the weekend. How do we explain the Mandela Effect? Millions of people believe that things have occurred that did not, such as the Disney character Tinker Bell using her magic wand to spread pixie dust over the Disney Logo. I have seen this happen countless times. Yet it never happened. How could this be? Many remember Nelson Mandela dying in prison. He was released from prison and ruled South Africa for a time. Many believe that they watched the funeral of Billy Graham years before he died. Are we living in our chapter of a many-chaptered book?

Our Christmas memories run deep. I remember Christmases of my youth, and I am transported there. Are those life events still occurring while we grow old?

So we walk by faith and not by sight. What we see is not all there is. You may have noticed the image looking around the corner that disappears when discovered. Or when I visited Oxford University and had the distinct impression that I had been there before. We are working with limited knowledge. Perhaps if we were not so prejudiced and positive about our way being the right way, we could learn from others with a different perspective.

‘Santa said he remembered me,’ Jane said with a laugh. ‘He recalled when I requested a Thumbelina, and he had to look all over the North Pole to find one,’ Jane giggled. ‘I felt like I was five years old as he spoke with me while the pipe in his mouth emanated smoke like a wreath around his head,’ Jane winked. ‘Santa told me that I had not changed and that I would not,’ Jane smiled.

‘Santa told me that this year I would receive a Big Swinger for Christmas as I did when I was in sixth grade,’ Billy B chuckled. Santa said he knew I was looking for one, and although I thought that they were no longer manufactured, he had some in stock at the North Pole. Billy B danced on one foot and then the other. ‘He told me that I am forever young and I would understand what he said soon,’ Billy B said as he sang Santa Claus is Coming to Town.