Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, December 24, 2022

Mountain View News Saturday, December 24, 2022 2 'TIS THE SEASON! Mountain View News Saturday, December 24, 2022 2 'TIS THE SEASON! 
2022 SIERRA MADRE BEST DECORATED HOUSE WINNERS ARE: Photos by Dirk Bolle 

2022 Best Decorated 
& 
People's Choice 
2022 Best Decorated 
1st Runner-Up 
2022 Best 
Decorated 
Runner-Up 
265 N. Mountain Trail 
235 S. Baldwin 
662 W. Fairview 
CITY OF ANGELS (continued from page 1) 

the other car took a small lead. Our industrial horse race sped 
past the houses, lights and buildings of the city. There was 
one section at the end of this drive that I feared. It is a poorly 
lit section of homes and the cross traffic would be traveling 
between 35-60 MPH, depending upon the driver. One morning, 
I arrived to see the hedges were destroyed, fully knowing 
what had happened. Massive rocks were placed around that 
house on that corner a few weeks later and about a year after, 
as I passed this intersection, a fresh accident, with two cars 
resting against the boulders. I told myself, if I should die in 
my car, it would be in this place on some quiet morning. 

I was also very intrigued by this place because I felt a great 
sense of pain or pleasure depending on the color of the light. 
This particular morning, I arrived at the top of a small hill 
where the road gracefully bent and straightened before me. 
I was not far from work now -- it was the home stretch. A 
quarter mile into the distance, the intersection’s light towered 
over the trees of the sidewalk. If it was already green, with 
the length of road I had to travel, I could not legally make the 
light. If the light was changing from red to green, however, I 
could catch the light with a second to spare. 

On the mornings I made the light, I had a feeling of euphoric 
victory, having beat “my opponent.” On this morning, I was 
in luck, as the light was just changing from red to green – 
“perfect,” I thought, I would definitely catch it. The other 
driver, still beside me, knew this as well, as he slightly darted 
a bumper ahead of me to make sure he would also catch the 
light. Then, in a flash, a person suddenly appeared in my 

lane. I hit the brakes and stopped. There was still 15 seconds 
left to catch the light, but I would now miss it. 

The homeless person bent down in the street in the full 
brightness of my headlights, and as he rose to his feet, he 
lifted up his hand to his face, and there, between his index 
finger and thumb, as one might hold a precious diamond, I 
could clearly see a shiny new dime. He looked into my window 
with those eyes of an angel, and then he stepped out 
of my way and onto the sidewalk. The next thing I heard in 
the distance was a tremendous crash, and as I looked down 
the street, I could see two cars beside the boulders. With the 
signaling light still showing green in our direction, it should 
have been three cars, had it not been for a precious dime. 

If we allow our eyes to see and our hearts to feel, we shall discover 
a great many things of Heaven and earth. Even in the 
darkest places of this city where others fear to travel, there 
are heroic people who are committed to kindness, and carry 
the healing words of hope to those who have none. The old 
tarnished pennies of Los Angeles are being picked up and 
polished, and with great effort, they are being restored. The 
saviors of the Los Angeles are performing their miracles every 
day of the year, since the homeless have never take a holiday 
off. The people of the streets are being brought back to 
life, and the joyous reunion is shared with family and friends. 

This city loves to celebrate its victories. We immortalize our 
heroes with statues or the retirement of their numbers, but 
we all know that some victories are harder to achieve than 
others, and those victories reign as the most eloquent and 
meaningful of all. To honor some of the noblest of this city, 

we might humble ourselves and take a knee to offer thanks. 
Maybe the use of our time is that which is required to make 
the world a better place. Maybe this is the day we will support 
the heroes of this city with our money. 

As we consider the real meaning of Christmas and the story 
of the world’s greatest gift, let us count our blessings. Let us 
open our eyes and our hearts to the knowledge that it is an 
expensive endeavor to feed and shelter thousands of hungry 
people every day. It takes many dimes and dollars to care for 
the less fortunate of our city. 

The power to change this world and to leave it a better place 
is in our hands and in our hearts. There are many fantastic 
organizations in the Los Angeles area that are worthy of your 
time, talent and money. One of the special ones, the Union 
Rescue Mission – www.urm.org -- is an organization that has 
been making miracles happen in Los Angeles for more than 
100 years. Some of the people on the streets tonight were 
once in the military, fire or police department, sworn with 
a solemn oath to protect its citizens. It has now become our 
duty to protect them. We love to identify this glorious place 
where we live as the City of Angels. 

A true angel is always looking out for others and sharing the 
kindness of Heaven with earth. 

May your Christmas and Holidays be filled with joy! 

Craig Hakola 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 
Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com