Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Christmas Love ~






This sweet story from an email my niece sent me says it all.....



The "W" in Christmas

Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience.

I had cut back on nonessential obligations - extensive card writing,
endless baking, decorating, and even overspending.

Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the
precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.

My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year.
It was an exciting season for a six year old.

For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant."

I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production.

Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher.
She assured me there would be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation.

All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then.

Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.

So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early,
found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down.
Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats.

As I waited, the students were led into the room.
Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor.
Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song.

Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the
holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun,
commercial entertainment songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer.

So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love,"
I was slightly taken aback by its bold title.

Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens,
red sweaters, and bright snow caps upon their heads.

Those in the front row- center stage - held up large letters,
one by one, to spell out the title of the song.

As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up the letter C.
Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his portion
had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love."

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her;
a small, quiet girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down -
totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W".

The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mistake.
But she had no idea they were laughing at her,
so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W".

Although many teachers tried to shush the children,
the laughter continued until the last letter was raised,
and we all saw it together.

A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen.

In that instant, we understood the reason we were there,
why we celebrated the holiday in the first place,
why even in the chaos,
there was a purpose for our festivities.

For when the last letter was held high,
the message read loud and clear:

"C H R I S T W A S L O V E"

And, I believe, He still is.

Amazed in His presence....humbled by His love.

HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS SEASON!




Have a wonderful Wednesday precious friends,
hugs and love,
Dawn





17 comments:

Dorthe said...

Sweet Dawn, the most wonderful story,-- that little girl said it all, without knowing-I believe-
THANKYOU and a very happy day to you my precious friend.
Love you, Dorthe

BumbleBeeLane said...

Beautiful post! Helps put the meaning back into Christmas.Warm Blessings!~Amy

Roberta said...

Wonderful way to begin this day by reading your beautiful post. Thanks for this wonderful insightful story! ~Roberta

Vee said...

What a sweet story. I love it. He was and still is love.

Brenda Evans said...

Thanks for sharing this Dawn. It's beautiful. And so it was, and is, and will be forever more.

Blessings from Cindy said...

That story gives me goosebumps! I love it & your images are so lovely! Thank you for such a beautiful post! Merry Christmas!
Blessings,
Cindy

Laura @ 52 FLEA said...

Such a beautiful story! So glad you shared this with us this morning...I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas with your family! :)

FrenchgardenHouse said...

Love this, Dawn! xo Lidy

Shirley Hatfield said...

That sweet memory brought a tear to my eyes. I miss the Christmas programs from when my children were young. What an inspired and happy accident. Merry Christmas!

Diane said...

I love those kinds of stories...we need to keep Christ in Christmas.

Merry Christmas, Diane

marie said...

Just beautiful Dawn!

Patti P. said...

What a wonderful story to share! Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas and thank you for all your lovely pictures and everything that you write about!

just me... jan said...

Dawn...

Awwww...such a sweet Christmas tale...I'm swiping away several tears from my cheek right now...thanks for sharing...I'll bet that little one's mother was beaming!

just me...feelin' cozy...jan

Tora´s Vintage Dream said...

Thank you Dawn for sharing this beautiful story, I´ts so sweet.
Have a Happy Holiday, and do take it easy this time:)
hugs from Iceland

Sally L. Smith said...

What a sweet story, Dawn. Yes, Christ was, is and will ever be LOVE. Have a glorious Christmas season, Dawn. Looks like you're doing just that.--Sally

Unknown said...

Sweet post Dawn, Merry Christmas to you with Love! Hugs Marilou

Di@Cottage-Wishes said...

Just love that story, so powerful...Have a lovely Christmas


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