Merry Christmas to all

[kadianne]

Give us faith in ourselves and faith in our fellow man...then, the treasures and Beauties of life that make man happy will spring from an inexhaustible source.

And at Christmas, when the hearts of the world swell in joyous celebration, Let us cast aside the pretense of sturdy men and live if only for a day in

The hope and joy we knew as children.

A Christmas Prayer by an unknown author.

[bamagirl]

Merry Christmas kadianne!

[BradyBear]

MERRY CHRISTMAS one and all and may we remember the True cause of this Happy Time and sure is not commercialism! Thank God for the Lord Jesus.

[vietnam1969]

Give us faith in ourselves and faith in our fellow man...then, the treasures and Beauties of life that make man happy will spring from an inexhaustible source.

And at Christmas, when the hearts of the world swell in joyous celebration, Let us cast aside the pretense of sturdy men and live if only for a day in

The hope and joy we knew as children.

A Christmas Prayer by an unknown author.

[quote

If only we could have the world be that way this time of year. Very well put in the prayer.

[smee2]

The family of the little boy in this story had taught their son that praying is talking to God. We don't hear the answer but there always is one. When I babysat this youngster I always listened to his prayers. It was always enlightening. This is a true story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Overheard many years ago while babysitting, on Christmas Eve. This came from a little boy, 6 years old, whose parents had gone to the hospital and were going to bring home a baby brother or sister ...

"Dear God ... I know that tomorrow is your son's birthday and you must be very excited. And you'll be pretty busy I guess. But I was hoping you have a couple of minutes.

'Member just before Christmas two years ago? The year I got new snow boots that were red? It was really snowy and it took my dad almost the whole day to get the car out and we didn't get to church. Sorry about that. It was sort of a sad Christmas and mommy cried. 'Member?

"Daddy said she was being sad because she missed the little boy, the one you wanted to keep ... 'member? ... She went to the hospital to pick him up and bring him home but you decided you wanted to keep him. I understand. You must get lonely in heaven sometimes. And Jesus, your little boy must have needed a friend, That is what Grandma told me.

"Well God, daddy took mommy to town again and she wants to bring home a little boy, or even a little girl, but I hope you are all out of girls so we can get a boy, please.

"Grandma told mommy that she just had to trust you, 'cause it was all in your hands now, and all up to you. So, please God, if you can take a couple of minutes, could you pick out one that maybe you don't want to keep and let us have him?

"All the grown ups say anything is okay so long as it is healthy. I would like a boy but I would even take a girl. "Cause God, I get lonely too, and a sister would be better than nothing.

"If you are afraid you will be lonely I could let you have one of Muffy's new puppies. He'd be a really good friend. But you have to be careful where you step before they are trained. You might want to keep your shoes on until he grows up; when they are little they pee everywhere.

"Well God, that is it. Bless all the people I know, and the ones I don't know, and baby you kept with you in heaven before. I love you. Goodnight!"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I tried to relate this "prayer" to Jimmy's parents I had trouble getting through it without crying. He was the most precious and precocious little boy I had ever met to that point in my life. He was so sweet. As it turned out a few days after Christmas, and before New Years, they brought home one of the ... sorry I have to say it but honestly it was the ugliest baby I had ever seen in my life.

The day they brought Willy home, Jimmy sat in the rocking chair, and they put the baby in his arms and showed him how to hold on tight, but not too tight. Jimmy sat there for the longest while just staring at his little brother while the grandparents and neighbours and parents all chattered about them, basically lying about what a gorgeous baby he was. Finally Jimmy asked, "Is it okay if I talk to him? Can I give him a kiss too?" Mom and dad exchanged a look that almost made me cry. They nodded to Jimmy and he leaned over and gave William a very gentle kiss on his forehead, and then he started talking to him. He told him how he was going to take him to camp, and to school, and teach him to play ball and swim. He muttered on while all the grown ups in the room settled like hens on furniture and table edges and sipped coffee and tea while mom kept a safe watch on Jimmy with his little brother.

And then there was one of those silences that happens every so often in a room full of conversation ... everything just sort of stops as if no one has anything else to say. But little Jimmy was still holding his baby brother and talking to him and in this pristine silence you could hear this clear little voice say, "And of course I will love you lots, and you will love me and we will love each other forever."

Tears ...

One day Jimmy was being teased by a neighbour kid about his little brother being ugly, which, in truth, he still was. But Jimmy's answer, and I loved it, was, "He was God's choice. He knew no one else would keep him so he gave him to us."

Again ... tears ...

By the time both boys had grown and were young men, it was Jimmy who was nice looking but rather plain. It was William who grew to manhood with the wavy hair, long eyelashes, perfect teeth, bluest of blue eyes, and dimples. He was gorgeous.

In all the time I knew these boys, as they were growing up, I came to realize that both of them were gifted with the kind of beauty you do not see with the eye first but with the heart first. They were beautiful inside. I credit a lot of that to the parents who had taught their first little boy, a child they had tried to have for 12 years, that his first little brother couldn't come home from the hospital with them because God was lonely and kept him. Jimmy believed that so strongly that on the eve of his William's birth, he prayed to God who had kept his first little brother, and asked for a baby, even a sister would do, if it had to be.

A lot of parents would, after trying for so long to have a baby (12 years), and then having another just to lose it (6 years) would be bitter and perhaps pass that bitterness on to their child. But Jimmy was never bitter. He never begrudged God his litte brother. He loved God and if God was lonely then it was okay for Him to keep his little brother. I overheard him refer once to William as his second little brother. When asked where the other one was, Jimmy replied that he still lived in heaven with God to keep God from being lonely.

I don't know how or what kind of deal Jimmy and God worked out about Muffy's puppies.

[429]

Absolutely beautiful smee.

Merry Christmas to you.

[DiveDeepSix]

Merry Christmas gang and have a Happy New Year as well!

[norvtoday]

yes it's nice to see people wishing a merry christmas instead of happy holidays. so with that being said a very merry christmas to all.

[FlintNPebbles]

That is the most beautiful story. Thank you so much for reminding us of the importance of God in our lives. He teaches us tolerance and acceptance.

Merry Christmas to you.