[Fwd: The Real Meaning of Christmas]
Lorie McGraw (llmcgraw@WORLDNET.ATT.NET)
Sat, 6 Dec 1997 22:24:54 +0000
This wasn't me, but a good message.
> A CHRISTMAS STORY
>
> It was only five days before Christmas. The spirit of the season
> hadn't yet caught up with me, even though cars packed the parking lot
> of our Houston area Target Shopping Center. Inside the store, it was
> worse. Shopping carts and last minute shoppers jammed the aisles.
> Why did I come today? I wondered. My feet ached almost as much as my
> head. My list contained names of several people who claimed they
> wanted nothing,
> but I knew their feelings would be hurt if I didn't buy them anything.
>
> Buying for someone who had everything and deploring the high cost of
> items, I considered gift-buying anything but fun. Hurriedly, I filled
> my shopping cart with last minute items and proceeded to the long
> checkout lines. I picked the shortest but it looked as if it would
> mean at least a 20 minute wait.
>
> In front of me were two small children - a boy of about 10 and a
> younger girl about 5. The boy wore a ragged coat. Enormously large,
> tattered tennis shoes jutted far out in front of his much too short
> jeans. He clutched several crumpled dollar bills in his grimy hands.
> The girl's clothing resembled her brother's. Her head was a matted
> mass of curly hair. Remainders of an evening meal showed on her small
> face. She carried a beautiful pair of shiny, gold house slippers.
>
> As the Christmas music sounded in the store's stereo system, the girl
> hummed along off-key but happily. When we finally approached the
> checkout register, the girl carefully placed the shoes on the counter.
> She treated them as though they were a treasure. The clerk rang up
> the bill. "That will be $6.09," she said. The boy laid his crumpled
> dollars atop the stand while he searched his pockets. He finally came
> up with $3.12. "I guess we will have to put them back, " he bravely
> said. "We will come back some other time, maybe tomorrow." With that
> statement, a soft sob broke from the little girl. "But Jesus would
> have loved these shoes," she cried. "Well, we'll go home and work
> some more.
> Don't cry. We'll come back," he said. Quickly I handed $3.00 to the
> cashier. These children had waited in line for a long time. And,
> after all, it was Christmas. Suddenly a pair of arms came around me
> and a small voice said, "Thank you Sir."
>
> "What did you mean when you said Jesus would like the shoes?"
> I asked. The small boy answered, "Our mommy is sick and going to
> heaven. Daddy said she might go before Christmas to be with Jesus."
> The girl spoke, "My Sunday school teacher said the streets in heaven
> are shiny gold, just like these shoes. Won't
> mommy be beautiful walking on those streets to match these shoes?"
> My eyes flooded as I looked into her tear streaked face. "Yes," I
> answered, "I am sure she will." Silently I thanked God for using
> these children to remind me of the true spirit of giving. Christmas
> is not about the amount of money paid, nor the amount of gifts
> purchased, nor trying to impress friends and relatives. Christmas is
> about the love in your heart to share with those as Jesus Christ has
> shared with each of us. Christmas is about the Birth of Jesus whom
> God sent to show the world how much he really loves us.
>
> Please show this love as we think of the upcoming season. Please
> Share!!!
>
Lorie McGraw <llmcgraw@worldnet.att.net>
WebMaster Etowah Creek District Site
http://home.att.net/~llmcgraw/etowah/ecd-indx.htm
Bear Leader Den 4 Pack 410 Etowah Creek District
Indian Waters Council, Columbia, SC
Murphy's Corollary: It is impossible to make anything foolproof because
fools are so ingenious.
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
