As Sonya and I go through our Christmas pictures, I realized that I never fulfilled my promise to post some pics of the golden fez after being elected Supreme Vizier to the Alhambra's international executive this past summer.  My apologies, and I suppose better late than never:

The Golden Fez

Working away at the next issue of the Alhambran

Which also reminds me, I haven't blogged an Alhambra update since the Terri Schindler-Schiavo situation this past fall.  As a number of you have inquired how the Alhambra is coming along, here's an excerpt from my recent Christmas editorial for the Wanderer: 

One of my favorite activities each year is the Christmas party organized by our local Alhambra caravan. For those who have never come across it, we are a hundred-year old Catholic family organization dedicated to serving the needs of the mentally and cognitively challenged. These are God’s special children. They possess a simplicity of spirit that truly reflects the humility of Our Lord’s incarnation. Our family always finds Christmas with God’s special children uplifting to our spirits.

My first Christmas with our special brothers and sisters in Christ took place when I was a child. My Polish grandmother taught arts and crafts at the local Catholic school for the mentally and cognitively challenged. My siblings and I often visited our grandparents during the Christmas holidays.

While my grandfather snapped pictures of us with Santa Claus at the local department store, grandma carefully chose a gift for each of her students.  I once asked my grandfather why he gave God’s special children presents when they gave him and my grandmother nothing in return.

"Look at their smiles and listen to their laughter," he replied. "These are the gifts God put them on this earth to share." Admittedly his response seemed suspicious at the time. Now that Sonya and I have children of our own, however, we better understand and appreciate the gifts of children’s laughter, delight on their faces and unconditional love in their hugs. Whereas our own children will soon grow up, leave home and either pursue a religious vocation or begin families of their own, our special brothers and sisters in Christ forever retain the hearts of children.

Thus twenty years later, through the work of the International Order of Alhambra, I still enjoy spending Christmas with God’s special children. The faces have changed - I no longer recognize any as my grandmother’s students. Additionally, Santa now bears a striking resemblance to our Grand Commander rather than to my grandfather. Yet the smiles on their faces, the laughter from their lips, and the twinkle of the eyes remain the same. As we celebrate the birth of the Christ child, may God forever bless His special children.