Christmas Wishes: A slingshot and a wonky-eyed angel
![Image](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPIZvZdcvE_WGd0lbiVpFgjBoZD88wJ5C5w58w7xHGMfQK6x6t3ftKzKLRRy1D4pY87LD0To86TW4Ep1OVKHSKjbXBhp1M-WXUU8jr9owiGZsj9i8N-emI2ky2RbLdKBH1wY62jfsyXs/s320/Leah+With+Santa.jpg)
Grace Murphy was a latchkey kid. The protagonist of Finding Colin was the only child of a single, working mother, which means she grew up spending a lot of time alone and learning how to fend for herself. Now, grown-up and truly on her own, Grace dreads the Holidays. I was also a latchkey kid. I grew up in the 1970s as the only child of a single, working mother. I wore second-hand clothes and an itchy piece of yarn with my housekey attached to it around my neck. In other words, I feel Grace’s pain. I was more fortunate than Grace, though. My mother worked her slender fingers to the bones to make my Christmases special, to fill them with traditions and memories I now cherish. (Click to finish article)