THE CHRISTMAS GIFT OF GIVING!

Donating is something that Michelle and I have talked about, but never had the opportunity to find a family to help for Christmas until November 28th. We were given the chance to make a family happy this Christmas by one of her good girlfriends. This is the same day that I had fallen off of the couch if you read my previous Blog, but this story is not about me or Epilepsy, it’s about others who are Struggling during this Holiday Season!

We were given family Number 35 from her friend who is battling Multiple Sclerosis, (MS), but she is not in bad shape, which makes me most happy to know. Only 10 years ago she was diagnosed and today she is engaged and a mother of two with her third child on the way. Nothing is stopping her. It is truly nice to know that a woman with (MS) is having healthy children, and is fairly healthy herself, which is The Greatest Gift of All!

I have never met a woman with (MS), but am happy to know one now.     

So after my latest incident, my head quite disturbed, I chose to not worry about myself and head out with Michelle to buy gifts for four children in a family of 6 that I didn’t even know. These children - two boys, one 3 and one 5 who needed clothes and asked for toy cars as well. At The Children’s Place we bought outfits for them along with some nice and rather large cars to enjoy from another store. There were two older sisters, one 7 and the eldest 14. The 7 year old needed clothes and wanted a doll, like the Barbie I handed Michelle when she chose a baby doll off of the rack. I didn’t think a 7 year old wanted a baby’s toy I told her. The 14 year old just asked for clothes so we headed over to The Gap and found some nice things that she could use, pretty professional I’d say as well. It is not too cold out yet, but surely something that any family could use this coming winter.      

It made Michelle and I happy when we were asking questions about their sizes back and forth to each other, and running over to every shelf picking out clothes and toys. We have no problem doing it again next year, but the way we looked we could have had done it all over again the very next day. Sure it wasn’t much, but when you do things for families in need it makes you feel all happy inside because it is The Season of Giving, not just of receiving.

Does it not feel better to hand gifts out to others then to receive them!?

Michelle said it herself on her Facebook page to her friend - “Thank you for allowing Bruno and I to be part of this amazing cause that gives families a Beautiful Christmas. If any of my friends and family have the means, please give to those less fortunate this year. Anything helps make their season brighter too!”

But when did Christmas become a sole holiday of gifts, gifts and more gifts? Doing something special for someone is a wonderful thing in itself! But why and how did it become a Holiday of Gift Giving? Toys mostly.

 ”Wait till Christmas, and you’ll get it then”. Am I wrong? We’ve all heard it thousands of times from our parents and grandparents and now all of us say it as adults. Most people only care about receiving gifts for themselves and that’s really it.

When was the true meaning of Christmas lost?

Those living well off all year really don’t Need a thing. They may say that they do, but you know that it’s not true. You may want something, but it is not something that is necessary, otherwise you would have already purchased it during the year. All of us ask for things like electronics, games, cell phones, clothes, shoes and other such items and the fact is that we already own a number of these things, but just older models and we want the NEWEST version!

So what is The True Meaning of Christmas?

If you are a family desperately in need then I am sorry for your troubles. You are the ones that NEED warm winter clothes, boots and even toys for your children that you cannot afford. The sad thing is that there are more people in NEED than we realize and we all take what we have for granted.

Jesus Christ was obviously born, as it is written in the Bible, although there is no actual date. So December 25th was decided upon by the Romans Empire in the late second century as well as in the mid-fourth from a Roman almanac. I’m sure it was not supposed to be a day celebrated by the loudness of wrapping paper and such being torn apart into thousands of pieces on the floor to see what new gifts people have received. Of which most presents are not even used - EVER.

Now after all the donated items were collected to be delivered to the families in need for Christmas, Michelle’s friend posted something very special for all of those able to help one of the families in need –

“Just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to my wonderful family and friends that ‘adopted’ a family this Christmas! With all of your help we were able to give 133 children an amazing Christmas!!!! Words cannot even begin to express all of the emotions I’m feeling <3 You guys are all amazing for opening up your hearts to complete strangers!”

Yes, they may be strangers to you and I, but during the Holiday Season, no family in need is a stranger in the Eyes of God! We should all do what we can to make someone elses' Christmas better, if not all through the year!

SO MAKE THIS THE CHRISTMAS GIFT OF GIVING!

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE EPILEPTIC

On Saturday, November 14th after a late brunch in Bayside, we took a 4:28pm LIRR for 20 minutes to Penn Station and went to some places that Michelle wanted to show me like Bryant Park, which during this month and next for Christmas has about 30 to 40 booths, lots of sellers of ornaments mostly for tourists and an ice skating rink with a line of children wrapped around it. There is no Christmas tree yet there or in Rockefeller Center which made it easier to walk around without the over-crowded sidewalks and streets for a tree that is decorated the same every year. We walked around the Park and then to Lord & Taylor’s Christmas window displays under their gold lights which was beautiful.

After that Michelle knew a place that is open all year long, Christmas on 5th which is a very wide, long and Holy store with beautiful ornaments small and large as well as Nativity Scenes I do plan on purchasing, but we were short on time. Directly across the street was my favorite store - Barnes & Noble with a lot of movies and music - and vinyl’s on the second floor. I grabbed some books on the way out and onto St. Patrick’s Cathedral which had just been renovated beautifully all around, Michelle and I lit a few candles, said a few prayers and made some donations on its soon to be completion and then I noticed something on the right side of the church near the back - a Pieta’.

  A replica of Michelangelo’s who is widely regarded as the most famous artist of the Italian Renaissance. Among his works are the "David" and "Pieta" statues and the Sistine Chapel. Most of his work was done there in Rome where he passed away at the age of 88 in 1564. This one shone here though in New York is a little different and far less famous.

I purchased four prayer books in the gift shop and left. It was now 7:30 and we were off to our 8 o’clock dinner reservation at Ted’s Montana Grill, we reserved a booth because Michelle and I noticed from the past that there are only 6 booths and a reservation is necessary which I remembered and told her to call earlier. At 7:45 we were there and the booth was ready for us. After all of that walking I had not one problem from early in the day to Ted Turner’s Montana Grill when I noticed a saying from Ted Turner himself on the wall above us which reads: Do something. Either lead, follow or get out of the way. Funny, but true as well.

And then this happened on our way back home in Penn Station...

A problem which has happened 2 times before at different times and days, both in Penn Station. It was about 9:45pm and we were waiting for a 10:18pm train home that Michelle and I were trying to catch with hopes that this time, since the day had gone so well already walking around town – even though we were tired after leaving the restaurant, but not so much that we couldn’t walk back to walk off the food we had just ate.

We reached the station escalator fine, but as soon as we got on with people all around, I had a drop attack seizure and it seemed like I was up against a wall. More of a dream really; rather a nightmare. As I opened my eyes again finally I found 4 people, 2 couples - Good Samaritans - who had pulled me off of the escalator with my 200 pounds of dead weight which then felt like much more (a body soaked in water so to speak). Michelle could not have done it alone.

A woman had asked my wife, “Is he okay, he looks like he’s falling down” she grabbed her husbands’ arm across the escalator and Michelle told them I was having a seizure. I was then grabbed along by his friend/family member and they pulled off and sat me down on the ground. There were at that time people Michelle and I remember walking on by around me, they would have walked on me not caring if I was dead or not, just kicking me aside.

As I finally woke up I started to speak to them, dazed at what had just happened and yet being in Penn Station it was no surprise, more like a curse destined to happen. As I started to say thank you to them the first woman looking down at me, after Michelle had told them that I was ok, "he’s had a seizure, he’s been Epileptic for about 30yrs", said to me that she has family members with seizures too so they understood my problem, no need to explain. They had also called some cops over to help me up, 6 Officers arrived and they wanted to call an ambulance for me, but I told them to hold on and give me a minute.

As I stood up and took off my now dirty leather jacket I handed it over to Michelle and they had a stunned look on their faces, I recall. They looked me over and saw that I was not hurt and I said thank you anyway but I’ll be fine. Although not 100% and still a bit shaken-up an officer asked us where we were headed and walked us over to the seating area about 300ft away and asked the gentleman at the front-desk about our train time and what track we would be on. Michelle and I sat as the officer pointed and we waited for our train to come.

The two times prior this year, the second was after going to a NY Ranger game in Madisen Square Garden as we leaned against a wall away from everybody else that could get hurt from me I still dropped what I was holding and slid down the wall to my right, Michelle was to my left, as I had gotten up there was one cop there asking us if we wanted any help and we both said no. As I probably looked like a drunken fool, which I was not - I was all scuffed up from the dirty floor from my face to shoes, yet nobody this time cared to stop and lend a hand, just stepped away from me.

Not everybody is as generous all the time but there were a few the time before that when Michelle went to get our tickets home as I stayed standing behind her against the giant center pillars near the ticket booths when I slid off of that too. Michelle saw and ran over to me as well as some other people who stayed around me so that I did not get trampled over by a crowd rushing to a train that had been called until I got myself up again. I remember that those ladies that found me there had themselves or family members with the same issues. In Penn Station when a train is called, if you don’t know it is like – All hell breaks loose for a seat and death would have come of it!       

On the train home now that night I found us two seats opposite from each other, didn’t care as long as we had somewhere to sit and put our bags down.

Michelle and I learned something after that last dreadful fall, to never take the LIRR home again because it seems no matter what time of night it is or what great day we had in the city, it will not end well in Penn. So for that matter we will be taking an UBER Car Service home, which is beginning to replace NY Taxi cabs in the city, which I have no problem with. Something tells me that a $40 car/cab service is safer than injuring myself or others because people like the ones that found me lying on the ground will not always be there!

There will be more bad than good in your life - unfortunately. Just try to stay positive about your life and you just might get through the hell you may be living in, if it hasn’t found you yet!