Merry Christmas from 2TheHeart!
"It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you... every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand." ~Mother Theresa
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This is your last issue of 2TheHeart for the year 2002! Also, TODAY is our 3rd anniversary!!!!!!!! A HUGE thank you to all our writers and readers who have made 2TheHeart the inspiration it is and the closeknit family community that I love so much. God bless you!
I have selected two stories to send you into the holidays with - have a beautiful Christmas and a safe and blessed New Year. We'll be back January 7th.
"Caroling"
By Susan Farr Fahncke
Nothing warms the heart quite like Christmas caroling. The holidays can be hectic and the spirit of Christmas can easily become lost in the rush and worry of getting everything 'just right'. Eight of us decided to take a much-needed break and spend an evening Christmas caroling with our children. Setting out with the intention of lifting the spirits of our neighbors, we spread Christmas cheer until we were tired, cranky and felt like popsicles.
One more house, we decided, and piling into our cars again, spotted the perfect target. The lonely-looking elderly man sitting alone in his kitchen window seemed like he needed us. Pulling over, we parked our cars in front of his house and argued about which songs to sing. Half of the children were either whining or crying about the cold and the Utah snow seemed to have lost its sparkle despite our good intentions.
Finally settling on four songs for the man, we rang the bell and waited for him to open his door. Already thinking about getting the kids to bed and the work I had yet to do, I automatically started in on "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" with the others. But as the man stood in the doorway, his eyes filling with tears, my side-tracked thoughts came to a screeching halt. As we sang, I could hear the tears in many of my friends' voices and my own voice caught and my singing grew softer as I fought the tears myself.
The elderly gentleman stood in his doorway, the kitchen light behind him lighting his soft silver hair like a gentle halo. He clapped with delight as we finished the first song and glided right into the next. Warmth spilled from his home and out the door. He didn?t seem to care, so happy he was with our visit. He seemed to personify the Spirit of Christmas and I felt a guilty twinge at my grouchiness. True joy began to fill my soul as I sang my heart out for this man. No one had greeted us with such enthusiasm and joy all night. No one had made us feel so welcome and so loved. Gratitude filled me like hot cocoa and I was so thankful we were guided to this man.
Finishing up with "Silent Night", we sang as sweetly and lovingly as we could, and I heard the sweet man's own shaky voice join in with us. Tears streamed down my cold cheeks and I knew not one of us would forget this man. Our song ended and we all stood on his porch, no one willing to break the spell of this glorious moment. The man stood grinning through his tears as we grinned right back through our own.
Thanking us profusely and wishing us a merry Christmas, he went back inside his warm home, his big grin and the tears on his cheeks the last things I saw. We slowly and regrettably left the man, whose spirit and tears made all the difference in our night, all the difference in our Christmas. Although he had sat alone in his window, looking as if he needed us, we had no idea how much we needed him, and what a gift to eight Christmas carolers (plus a few children) that man would be. In him we found the true spirit of Christmas.
Susan Farr Fahncke
editor@2theheart.com
To see more of my writing, visit my own page on 2TheHeart: http://www.2theheart.com/susan_fahncke
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WRITING WORKSHOP: Get Published! Learn how to get your work published and hone your skills to create flawless manuscripts! Whether you are now a writer, dream of being one, or just want to improve your writing for a web site or other work, 2TheHeart's Writing Workshops are for you! Our next session begins January 6th! More more info: www.2theheart.com/WritingWorkshops
**DEADLINE TO REGISTER IS JANUARY 3rd!
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"A Cherished Gift from God"
by Karen Harper DeLoach as told by Donna Williams
The numbers on the face of my radio clock flipped to 7:00, and a woman?s voice penetrated my sleep. She announced her plans to deliver teddy bears to children in the hospital for Christmas.
Memories flooded my mind of holidays when I was a child...fruit at Thanksgiving - candy at Christmas. I remember those days well, I mused.
As a little girl, I spent most of my pre-holiday time in the children's ward at Bethesda Naval Hospital. By enduring procedures right before a holiday, my little body had time to recuperate while school was out for vacation. Having been born with a congenital heart defect, I spent a lot of time in different hospitals, but holidays were reserved for Bethesda.
Christmas time was made special because of visitors like the lady on the radio, and because anyone who could "make it" through the holidays was allowed to go home. As Christmas Day neared, children left one by one, rolled out on beds or in wheel chairs. I often wondered what happened to the children who had to stay. They wouldn't be there the next Christmas.
Except for Cathy. I met Cathy the first time I went to Bethesda. We were both in the first grade. Cathy was extraordinary! A beautiful little girl with long, coal black hair and the brightest blue eyes I'd ever seen, she was assigned the third bed on the right side of the ward, and I had the bed across from her.
Cathy was a ray of sunshine, forever smiling. Her laugh was light and airy, and often her clear, high voice could be heard throughout the ward as she sang her favorite songs. She overflowed with a sweet spirit of love which endeared her to patients and caregivers alike.
Although she was bubbly during the day, at night the oxygen tent went up. Cathy was in the early stages of a respiratory disease. I lay awake at night listening as she struggled to breathe.
That first year, before leaving the hospital, I asked Cathy's mother, "Is Cathy going home for Christmas, too?"
"Not this time," she answered. "Maybe next year we'll have a good Christmas."
But that day never came. As time passed, Cathy grew worse every time I saw her. Eventually, she had to spend most of her days in the oxygen tent, too. But she kept her smile. Her favorite game was checkers, and we played it together as she lay inside her tent.
One Christmas, Cathy didn't come out of the oxygen tent at all. She didn?t laugh or talk. The joy her family had exuded was gone, replaced by a cloak of heavy sadness. I overheard a nurse say, "I wonder if the poor little thing will make it to Christmas."
I strained to hear Cathy's familiar struggle for breath. I only heard the steady hum of machines. I didn't want to go home. I was afraid to leave Cathy. The night before I was scheduled to leave, I developed a fever. "Thank you, Lord! Now, I can stay!"
On Christmas Eve night, I awoke and sat up in bed. Everyone had gone home except Cathy and me. The hospital was quiet with only a dim light shining softly in the hall. I went to the bathroom and as I walked back into our room, Cathy suddenly stood before me, looking as beautiful as ever. It was as if she had just popped out of the oxygen tent. She giggled, and I was so startled, I almost fainted!
She held up the checker board. "You want to play?"
We played all night long! We giggled, danced, held hands, and sang. Now and then, Cathy ran to the door and peeked out at the nurse's station. "Sh-h-h," I said, "they'll hear us." Once, she went out into the middle of the hall, threw her arms into the air, and twirled round and round.
That night was the happiest time of all my childhood days. We were surrounded by peace and joy and love.
I don't remember when I went to bed, but the next morning I jumped up, eager to see Cathy. I just knew she was well. Her mother sat next to her bed as Cathy slept. I ran over and said, "I'm sure she's just tired this morning. We played all night long."
Cathy's mother put her hand on my shoulder. "Honey," she said softly, "it was just a dream. Cathy couldn?t have played with you."
No one believed me. I didn't completely understand it, but I knew it hadn't been a dream.
I left Bethesda that day, never to return. My father was transferred to San Antonio, so I went to another hospital. Several years later, my mom and I ran into Cathy's mother at a store in San Antonio. No, Cathy was not with her. She died shortly after that Christmas Eve night when we played together for the last time. Now, every time I hear of holiday gifts being collected for children in the hospital, I think of the special gift God gave to Cathy and me.
Eventually, as I grew spiritually in Christ, He showed me the scripture in Matthew 13:16-17, But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears for they hear. For assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see and did not see it, and to hear what you hear and did not hear it.
I believe that verse was His assurance to me that, indeed, it had not been a dream. The Lord allowed Cathy's spirit and my spirit to play together. For me, it was a glimpse into the spiritual world, a cherished gift from God. For Cathy, He filled her life with His presence from the day she was born.
And, in the end, He gave her the most precious gift of all - He took her home!
(A note about Donna: Donna may have had a "defective" heart --- but it was HUGE. She was a kind, giving person who loved to help other people in spite of her life-long battle with heart problems, as well as a struggle with cancer, including a mastectomy. She worked with her husband in their business and was the mother of two teen-age sons. Although strong spiritually, her heart finally gave in, and she went to be with the Lord two years ago. I'm sure she looked for Cathy as soon as she arrived in heaven!)
Karen DeLoach copyright 2002
kdeloach@frontiernet.net
Karen is the author of a book entitled "Thirty-one Years and a Stumble". Her stories have been published in God Allows U-Turns: American Moments, Women Alive! Magazine, Pentecostal Evangel, and several church publications. You can read several of her stories in the 2theHeart archives. She is the mother of three sons and helps her husband at their business in Statesboro, Georgia. http://karendeloach.tripod.com .
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The Letter Box:
Susan
What a wonderful story Leona shared with us today! Oh, the faith of a child! We need to take lessons from these little ones and trust our Father more. Her little boys faith says much for her Christian Mothering skills. Our Heavenly Father said it all when He said we needed the faith of a child!
Betty King baking2@charter.net
Dear Sue just want to take the time to thank you for all the wonderful stories that you publish. Each writer is unique and special. I know that it is a lot of work to do this type of work and so I wanted to thank you for all that you do to bring such pleasure in life. Also would like to wish all of you a wonderful Christmas and a very very Happy New Year.
Love Francine Pucillo
"Only the Heart Can Give" was truly great. What a nice idea in that email. Love is the greatest gift that we can give to mankind. And Jesus did just that when he gave his life on the cross for us...Praise God
Love you sis sistersatpeace1@charter.net
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