Merry Christmas

Wow! What a Christmas it has been around the Ross tribe. The blessings keep pouring in for us.

When Garrett wrote his "Santa letter" about a month ago, the first thing on his list was a "Chris Thomas" jersey. Chris is a remarkable young man who plays Strong Safety on the Air Force Academy football team. He is one of the best safeties in the conference! Garrett has never met Chris, but is really a fan of the player. I can't think of a more positive roll model than an Air Force Cadet. Our military have thousands of great people who stand for the right things in life.

I made a simple phone call to a great friend, Mike Simler, looking for a replica jersey. Mike's father was an Air Force General, Air Force Academy A.D., and started the Commander In Chief's Trophy. Well, that started a firestorm when Mike pushed buttons. Now a simple search for a Christmas gift has developed into a gift he'll never forget. The Air Force Academy football team, Chris Thomas' family, the Simlers and others, are sponsoring Garrett to join the team at the Armed Forces Bowl in Ft. Worth, TX on New Year's Eve! He will stay at the team hotel, ride over to the game on the team bus and get to spend time with the team and their families. What an incredible gift! We are humbled beyond comprehension. This truly will be a gift he never will forget. How many kids ever get to see a bowl game, with their favorite team and college player?

The kids gave me the best gift I could have received this year. They knew funds were tight so they didn't ask to buy each other a gift. Instead, they each on their own, decided to give the other an item of theirs that is very special. To watch that interaction and see them hug each other Christmas morning without being influenced by mom or dad is truly a gift I will never receive. Those two are best of friends and the love they share makes me proud. They've been through a lot together, and their bond is extraordinary. They showed this, too, during a recent filming event to promote research for heart disease.

We have been asked to represent the American Heart Association as an "ambassador family" of sorts, for a large event and fundraiser in Denver next year. We've always said that if Garrett's story can help another child, we'll share it. They are producing a short film on Garrett's journey, and just hearing what the kids said about each other, family, friends and God.....again, warms the heart of a daddy.

Jessi has been amazing throughout all of the challenges and highlights. There's been so much done and said about Garrett, and Jessi has quietly stayed in the background being supportive, loving and unselfish. Even when Garrett was so sick she would go around to me, Garrett or mommy and make sure we were all ok. She's much more mature than her 8 years. Kathy and I have decided that an "anonymous" donor is going to sponsor her for a trip with one of us for being such a great sister through all of this. She is more eaten-up with rodeo than even her brother, so we're going to take her to an out of state rodeo for a few days and really make over her. Garrett is a very special boy, but he's just a boy and we want to balance how much attention he gets while Jessi sits back and watches in silence. There needs to be a reward for that kind of courage, too.

Well, it's winter again. The cold keeps us inside more than we like, but it gives me fewer excuses not to drop you all a note and let you know how the little warrior is doing. He's taken to basketball now and is doing well. He likes the game and his coach plays him a lot. He continues to have nightmares but we've finally gotten a few leads on someone who may be able to help him move past that.

As I sign off, I ask you all to pray for a family I know who lost their son to heart disease just a few days ago. While we were able to celebrate the magic of Christmas with our son, another family is planning a funeral for theirs. The gifts we have been given are not wasted because we will continue to use these gifts to glorify God and help find a way to cure this terrible disease.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and may you all share in the blessings of the Christ Child, the warmth of His love, and the magic of the season seen through the eyes of a child who for a while, can forget about fear and pain. If we learn from them, we can too.

God Bless,

JD