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Some of my clients are seriously crazy people.  Now let me reassure you that if you are reading this you are NOT one of these people, but I have found that every patient comes in with a person on the end of the leash and that's when it can really get nutty.  One of these clients was in recently, a client that I can identify by smell (literally).   It is not an "I just mowed the lawn on a humid August day" or "I just worked out at the gym" kind of smell.  It is an overwhelming sour odor that I now know is the smell of dirt, poverty, hoarding, and mental illness.  It is a smell that lingers in the exam room and we can't put anyone else in it for 30 minutes while we air it out.  This client brought in her dog that thankfully I was able to put right for her because she loves her dog, and more importantly her dog loves her with total devotion.  She paid her $200 vet bill (which is probably the equivalent of me spending $20,000) and gave me a giant hug and kiss.   I tried not to cringe as the palpable smell engulfed me, and then it struck me.   She is one of God's children.  He delights in her and loves her and watches over her as carefully as He watches over me.  Her simple joy and generosity in spending all she has on a creature she loves puts me to shame.  My sin stinks every bit as much as hers.  And yet, God sent his only son into this fallen world full of hatred, illness, cruelty, and poverty of both mind and body, to be the Light of the World.  "For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given . . . and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isiah 9:6).  I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.   Kathy Bates