America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking
2013 JOURNEY TO CHRISTMAS
LETTER TO SANTA
Did you write a Letter to Santa?
Do your children write letters to Santa?
Here's a letter my daughter, Faith,
wrote to Santa in 2011.
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| Marcia's Daughter: Faith Fu Ju. Copyright 2011 Marcia Norwood |
Letter
to Santa
Christmas
2011
Dear
Santa,
Do
you remember the Christmas of 1944?
That year a teacher named Donald
Yetter Gardner wrote the silly song: “All I Want For Christmas Is
My Two Front Teeth,” after he asked his 2nd grade class what they
wanted for Christmas.
Almost all of his students answered him with a
lisp, because they had at least one tooth missing. (My mom, Marcia Norwood, sang the song when she was a kid in the 1950’s.)
I
lived in China in an orphanage until I was eight years old. We never
celebrated Christmas. I heard the song for the first time in 2002 - my
first Christmas in America - when you, Santa, put a little toy mouse in my
stocking that was missing one tooth. When I pushed on his tummy he
sang: “All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth!”
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| Fu Ju at the Orphanage, Liaoning Province, China. Copyright 2002 Marcia Norwood |
I
asked for more than just my two front teeth my first Christmas. I hoped
and dreamed and prayed for a pretty smile. Most of my teeth were in
the wrong places because I was born with a cleft lip and palate. It
must have been too much for my Chinese birth parents to handle, because I was
found at a train station in Benxi City, Liaoning Province, when I was two days
old.
Someone took me to an orphanage in northern China, and gave me the
name: Fu Ju…which means blessing or great reward after much hard
work.
My Forever Family adopted me in October 2002. My American
parents kept my Chinese name as my middle name, and also gave me a new American
name: Faith. My mom says both names fit me perfectly.
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| Shriners Hospital Chicago. Copyright 2007 M. Norwood |
My
wish for a pretty smile is almost complete. I had two surgeries in China, more
surgeries at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, and multiple surgeries
at the Shriners Hospital in Chicago.
The Shriners even helped pay
for my braces.
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| Faith Fu Ju. Shriners Hospital Chicago. Copyright 2007 Marcia Norwood |
This
Christmas 2011 – I’m not asking for something for me.
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| Faith Fu Ju. Shriners Hospital Chicago. Copyright 2007 Marcia Norwood |
I’m asking
you to bring a new mini-van to the Shriners at Ararat Shrine Center in Kansas
City, Missouri. You can drive it right up to their door at 5100 Ararat
Drive, Kansas City, Missouri, 64129.
Shriners
help many children like me, regardless of their ability to pay, and whether
they have insurance or not. They also provide free
transportation to children and their families to Shriners Hospitals in the
USA.
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| We've made friends with staff at Shriners Hospital Chicago over the years Faith has received treatments and surgeries there. Copyright 2009 Marcia Norwood |
The
Kansas City Center has about 40 Shriners screened to be drivers. They alternate driving one van that was donated
by the Warsaw, Missouri Shrine Club. The Warsaw Shriners saved the
proceeds from Bingo games to purchase the van for the Kansas City Center.
That van is 11 months old and already has 68,000 miles. It makes four or
five trips each week to Shriners hospitals in Chicago, Cincinnati, and St.
Louis. Sometimes the trips overlap, and they have to rent another van.
Santa,
I know you have lots of helpers. Maybe one of them could donate a
mini-van…or maybe 25 of your helpers could give $1,000 each…or 50
helpers could donate $500… or 100 helpers could donate $250…or 250
helpers could give $100. Just think how many children and
families your donation will help!
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| Faith, Sarah and Megan. Copyright 2008 Marcia Norwood |
I’ve
waited for 17 years to have a pretty smile.
Some people stop and stare at me – just like in the lyrics to the
song: “Everybody
stops and stares at me…These two teeth are gone as you can see…”
My next procedure is a facial
reconstruction/jaw realignment surgery at the Shriners
Hospital Chicago.
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| Shriners helped pay for Faith's braces. Copyright 2012 Marcia Norwood |
SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN
CHANGING THE WORLD.
CARING FOR KIDS.
CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:
http://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/
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| Faith at Dykhouse Orthodontics. Copyright 2012 Marcia Norwood |
I
hope that your helpers, Santa, will give the Shriners a Christmas present they
will never forget: a new mini-van, so they can help other kids like
me.
Merry
Christmas!
Faith
Fu Ju Norwood, 17 years old
SONG:
All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:
http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?p=all+i+want+for+christmas+is+my+two+front+teeth+song
Lyrics
“All
I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth”
By Donald Yetter Gardner
Everybody stops
And stares at me
These two teeth are
Gone as you can see.
And stares at me
These two teeth are
Gone as you can see.
I don't know just who
To blame for this catastrophe!
But my one wish on Christmas Eve
Is as plain as it can be!
All I want for Christmas
Is my two front teeth,
My two front teeth,
See my two front teeth!
Gee, if I could only
Have my two front teeth,
Then I could wish you
"Merry Christmas."
It seems so long since I could say,
"Sister Susie sitting on a thistle!"
Gosh oh gee, how happy I'd be,
If I could only whistle (thhhh)
All I want for Christmas
Is my two front teeth,
My two front teeth,
See my two front teeth.
Gee, if I could only
Have my two front teeth,
Then I could wish you
"Merry Christmas!"
Thanks for stopping by!
Come back often, and invite a friend!
Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking
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| CHICAGO Skyline. Faith and Marcia. Copyright 2011 Marcia Norwood |
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| Faith and Marcia. Copyright 2011 Marcia Norwood |
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| CHINATOWN CHICAGO. Faith and Marcia. Copyright 2011 Marcia Norwood |
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