I had every intention of writing about my New Year’s resolutions. The more I think about what to say, the more I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m still pondering last year’s resolutions, the ones that fell to the wayside after just a few days. So, since I’m still grinning about delivering gifts with the Reserve Angels in Hennessey, I’d rather reminisce.
I know you’ve heard the stories about the pork butt sale, Bryon and Shelley Burch starting the Reserve Angels, and all the wonderful volunteers. This year, I got to check a mark off my bucket list. You see, I’ve ridden in the passenger seat of a highway patrol car and a local police car. In case you’re wondering, both were for positive reasons. This year, though, I rode in the passenger seat of a fire truck.
Logan Macy was our driver. I was loaded down with bags of gifts, but it was well worth it to have the front seat, sitting up high and witnessing the deliveries. As the afternoon wore on, I noticed the fire truck horn sounding periodically. Logan probably had enough and politely explained that my foot kept hitting the button in the floorboard, setting off the horn. It probably didn’t help that once I realized I had access to such a loud noise, I found every excuse to hit it.
We had so many deliveries that Matthew Streck was riding in the back to make sure we didn’t lose any precious cargo. I did ask Logan if we still had Matthew, and he always answered that Matthew hadn’t “dropped and rolled.” I think I may have taken Matthew’s spot in the front seat. Matthew, if you’re reading this, just note that Shelley and I have been plotting for next year. It involves you sitting in the front seat wearing a red suit and a beard!
Back to this year, the Angels always strike out to the Hennessey Nursing Center. There were various requests for treats, and one of my favorites was a dozen donuts. One of Santa’s elves even traveled to Enid earlier that morning to accommodate the request.
After the controlled chaos at the nursing home, the elves headed back to Santa headquarters to load bags of gifts, bikes, soccer goals, and vanities. Most of all, everyone was loaded with the spirit of giving.
I didn’t get out at each house, partly because I was loaded down with gifts. Instead, I had a front-row seat to witnessing the joy of giving and receiving. Let me just say, it was better than Saturday morning cartoons!
We’ve mentioned the many volunteers, but I want to give a special shout-out to the young volunteers who showed up. They witnessed gifts being opened and experienced the contagious excitement. One of my favorite parts of the afternoon came afterward, when everyone shared heartfelt emotions and stories from the day.
I want to thank Logan for being our driver and Melissa Macy for taking a few pictures. I will be adding them to my album. And thank you to Matthew for letting me steal his spot this year. The little girl in me is still grinning.
Now that I’ve gotten all of this written, I’ll try to move forward into 2026 New Year’s resolutions. And don’t forget to eat your black-eyed peas!!
