The Four Winds of Christmas

narrative Old Rinzburger was dead, only his wife has doubts. Death certificate had been signed. by the banker, his best friend, He will soon take bids on his property. An ancient once busy windmill dominates the old Rinzburger place as a memory that comes and goes in the mind of great-grandma. Her dementia is getting worse. Her only child and his wife, the last of the Rinzburgers, have five grown daughters. Sixteen grands smile, recalling Gram's special Christmas feasts. Like the old family mill grandma is one of a kind; she was driven by the wind to serve her family and friends especially during the holidays. This Christmas may be their last Grandma has come as a guest. Someone brought fried chicken, deep-fried from KFC, with lots of biscuits and gravy and sides. The younger male cousins brought sacks of White Castles, and mom picked up a couple of salads from Kroger-deli and Haagen-Dazs for dessert. The winds of Christmas blow, winds of the past, winds of the almost gone, winds of the present, and future winds. Will the Rinzburger fortune be lost; will the family will drift apart? Grandpa died last Christmas season and the old windmill may succumb but both memories will survive being torn down, demolished. Thoughtfully, a grandson asked: "Why just tear it down? It would make a fantastic museum? Folks could visit and learn so much about their ancestors' way of life. And another spoke up: "We could remodel or modernize it. Maybe build an addition with electric power. We could provide jobs for people at a new plant. Still another grandchild said: "My vote is to sell it, and donate the funds to support medical research on Alzheimer's. Gran-daddy would have done that for Gram." Then Gram herself waved a fragile hand. In one of her more lucid moments she commended all their ideas "The Rinzburger name may die but your Grandpa's spirit lives strong." He would be proud of all of you. Two years down the road, Rinzburgers gather; Gram left them on last Christmas Day. Building and hiring for a new mill - well-underway. The old windmill stands in front - a museum. AFA is slated to receive a generous yearly check for the Rinzburger Winds of Christmas Fund. PS: this is a merging of two of my poems: The Old Rinzberger Place and Four Winds of Christmas