Did I ever show you this handmade gift from Benjamin this year? Talk about a gift that went straight to my heart. I have never cried more over a present in my life. That he knew my deepest desire, and created something to represent me getting that artistic need fulfilled… If you look closely, there are tubes up on the stage to put each of the sitting people into to help them stand. And there is an open seat in the audience. This is a working model of an Open-Mic night. You can move various audience members up onto the stage for their moment in the spotlight.

Ben has been to an Open-Mic night with me and knows how one works. That time, he read one of his poems.

Christmastime at our house was a bit dramatic this last year – with lots of snow and ice and freezing pipes and pregnant animals to care for in the middle of all that. Ben started making things for each of us because we just weren’t getting the tree up or presents under it quick enough. He ended up making our tree – out of a tall lamp and lampshade, and everything to go with it – out of paper.