Page 11 - Publishing Inspiration Christmas Card 2022

Cupcakes
l
Mary and Sally were neighbors and best friends. But
sometimes, Mary shook her head at things Sally did. It was, as Mary
described her friend, that Sally thought with her heart and not always
with her head. Sally would get caught up in something and not think
it through.
For example, one day, a radio D. J. talked about how
someone had suggested that the signs for animal crossing should be
moved away from the interstate since the interstate was a dangerous
place for animals to cross. Sally heard this and didn’t realize he was
expressing it as humor. She was working on a letter to her
congressional representative to get the signs moved when Mary came
calling. Sally explained what she was doing, and it took Mary a good
week to convince her that it was all in fun because animals can’t
read.
One day, Sally was busy trying to find a way to have braille
put on the dashboard of cars so blind people could tell what speed
they were going. Mary sighed at the thought of it. She wasn’t even
sure where Sally came up with that idea. She had probably heard
someone lamenting they couldn’t drive because of their failing
eyesight, and she had thought it was because the person couldn’t read
the dashboard.
But even though Mary often shook her head at the things
Sally came up with, she knew it was because Sally had such a big
heart and wanted to help everyone. Though Sally often didn’t think
everything through, she was always first to take something to a sick
neighbor or help a stray animal. Sally was always there for her own
five children, but she didn’t forget friends and neighbors either.
Mary couldn’t count the number of times Sally had brought
over cupcakes for one of Mary’s children’s birthdays. There was
always an extra big bunch for Mary’s birthday. Cupcakes were
Sally’s specialty, and she seemed to get a girlish delight in decorating
them. And there were always lots of sprinkles.
That’s why, when Mary was put in charge of the Parents'
Baked Food Sale to raise money for new books at the grade school,
she wasn’t surprised to have Sally immediately volunteer to bring

8