Mohamad Al Karbi

by Carolyn Dennis-Willingham

This past weekend I attended Austin’s 29th Annual Children Giving to Children Parade – a collaborative event with the Operation Blue Santa Program.

Their goal? To collect toys for the children whose parents can’t afford to buy them.

Since 1987, the concept of a parade grew. This weekend, thousands of spectators arrived to view the giant balloons, holiday floats, mariachi bands, jugglers and more.

Spastically spaced were the “Toy’ pickup trucks. When they stopped along the parade route, children plunked new toys into the cab bringing “a smile to the child who gives and to the child who otherwise might not see anything under the tree Christmas Morning.”

To date, they have raised hundreds of thousands of toys for the children of Central Texas.

When the world seems like a tough place, a parade of joy and giving can lift a spirit. It did mine …

(and my granddaughter’s!)

Whatever holidays you celebrate in the upcoming months, I hope they are filled with love, blessings and peace.

About the contributor:

Carolyn Dennis-Willingham is the author of two published books – No Hill for a Stepper, 2001, and The Last Bordello, 2016. Her third novel, The Moonshine Thicket, is set in 1928 and is currently enduring a professional edit. When not on her laptop, she serves as a lap top for her grandchildren. She is also a fitness boxer, artist, and ball thrower for her ever-persistent mini Aussie. In addition to her blogging website (carolyndenniswillingham.com), you may find her on Facebook and Twitter.