Hey... Satch!

Do you remember me??

Im the awesome bass player from Melbourne Australia... the guy with the hat...

We still have to jam sometime!!

Cya
- Chris

also... forgot to mention... if you dont remember.. we met in Allans music in the city... you had a signing with G3...

What a wonderful way to teach your kids the TRUE MEANING of Christmas!!! It's just a small white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so. It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas -- oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it -- the overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma -- the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else. Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties, and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way. Our son Kevin, who was 12 th at year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended. Shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford.Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat. Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them." Mike loved kids -- all kids -- and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball, and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition -- one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on. The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning, and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents. As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn't end there. You see, we lost Mike last year due to cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning it was joined by three more. Each of our children, unbeknowns t to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope. Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us. May we all remember Christ, who is the reason for the season, and the true Christmas spirit this year and always. God Bless! -- pass this along to those friends and loved ones who you know are....the givers who understand the true meaning of Christmas. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Beautiful Mark....*sniff*.....

Waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh...*sniff sniff*.....

It helps to remember the reason for the season :)

Oh....waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh *sniff*

LOVE is for everyday not just for christmas!

njbeast - no no you explained great thanks I get it now.

Big Bunny - Wow that is a great Vai picture...You are such a talented artist! i can't seem to get him to come our right...should have another go really....Zakk is fab too! I think if someone gave me a load of acrylics I would give it a go. Awww kitty seemed to like them....mmmm tasty!

Zinc Master - I just swam 34 and a half miles....

took me 9 months of swimming every weekday morning for half an hour mind you....lol

Yeah I would definitely start training now...little by little...you certainly do see how much fitter you are getting as you go along, even if you do the same amount every day, you will notice that you dont get out of puff as quickly etc.

Cosmic-Ape - Awww thanks ...I will get a list of questions ready for when you come back...lol...have a great time!

Kayla - date as in boy girl date!

Guitarmeister - Simple but effective...great work on the guitar

Guitar Cube K - Can you see me?......blink a few times.....oh you cant.....hmm sorry cant do brail posting...ah well....good to see you back on the board even if you can't see us!

Get Well Soon mate! (what are you allergic too?)

scooba - if you are old and wrinkly what does that make Joe? (or me for that matter! or half the people on here!)

lol

chris_funk_bass - Welcome....hmmm the guy with the hat....that narrows it down a bit! lol The green one or the black one....cool Bass by the way....just been listening to some cool bass playing on a Rancid Track!

Hugs to all Satriella xx