>
> Get the kleenex out....this is a great story....the true meaning of
> giving....Merry Christmas everyone!! j
>
>
> 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.
> Reminders 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 her bill. "That will be $6.09" the clerk said, as the boy laid his
> crumpled dollars atop the stand while he searched his pockets
> finally coming 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.
>
Happy Holidays and God Bless you all..............
Gene
attached mail follows:
Get the kleenex out....this is a great story....the true meaning of
giving....Merry Christmas everyone!! j
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.
Reminders 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 her bill. "That will be $6.09" the clerk said, as the boy laid his
crumpled dollars atop the stand while he searched his pockets
finally coming 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.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:11:25 EDT