My friend Nancy Whisenant and I were inspired in September of 2007 to make Christmas stockings for all 100 children then living at HCYR. Having lived at the Ranch as a child, it was something I wanted to do. Of course, having the idea didn’t mean I knew what I was doing. Nancy knew the technical side, and she could read a pattern, unlike me! We are both creative and artistic, with similar tastes, which was helpful on a project of this magnitude.

This year we started working on the stockings in June, because we wanted to do something a little different (and much cuter, too!) Each kid at each Ranch will get a unique stocking this year. The theme is "Traditional Christmas." We hope that the kids will cherish them, knowing they were made individually, by hand, with love.

Nancy and I make a great team, and it gives us an excuse to get together and chat while we work on a worthy cause. We are still working on them now, so that they will be ready in time for Christmas.

This year we had another helper, Joy Allen. She is helping us cut fabric. Cutting fabric is the most tedious part of this process, so it goes much faster with three than with two. And of course, no married woman can effectively get much done without the moral support of her husband. Nancy and I have both been blessed with very fine, wonderful husbands.

Many other friends have donated to make this gift possible.

"Charity never faileth."