Merry Christmas!

I was looking for a Christmas story to share today. As I went back to the archives of the things I had written, I found this one. I am so glad I wrote it down. I thought I would share it with you again.
I hope you have a lovely Christmas. From my heart to yours.

We watched Scrooge on Sunday night and as I watched it
I noticed that stories we love, are a bit bittersweet. Think of
It's A Wonderful Life, George was going to commit suicide
because he thought that would be a way to save his family.
Yet, that movie touches us deeply.

I have a story and it is bittersweet too. It does have a good ending
I will tell you upfront so you don't quit reading.


This Christmas I am going to share with you is one that
still colors my holidays to this day. Every year I work
myself so hard so that my children can have a magic kind
of Christmas.

My story starts at the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
That Sunday morning my Dad was using a old Ford tractor
improperly. Because in those days tractors didn't have roll bars
the tractor turned over pinning my Dad and my brother underneath it.
My brother was not yet three. We had both been riding on it went it went
over, because my brother was holding on the the steering wheel, my Dad threw
me clear, but he couldn't get my brother off in time.

My Dad's arm was crushed and my brother's neck was broken. He was also
paralyzed.
The doctor that was called in told my Mom he wasn't going to do anything because
it was no life for a kid to be in a wheel chair, so it was better to let him die.
But as always in stories sometimes, there was a young doctor, fresh out of
medical school who asked my Mom if he could try some things.
My Mom said yes.
So my Mom had her husband in surgery trying to pin his arm together and my
brother having a new kind of surgery that no one had tried before.

My Dad was self employed. My Mom was a stay at home mom. Christmas
was coming. My Mom told me and my tiny sister not to expect any Christmas
that year because there was no money.

I had wanted a Barbie doll because they were all the rage and a sewing machine
so I could make her clothes. I didn't tell her though. I was afraid I was being
greedy. I prayed though.

We had no money and no food. I know we must have eaten at my grand mothers house.
Because we were there so much because my Mom was at the hospital all of the time.
On a Saturday before Christmas the man who leased the produce department to my
Dad came to our house. He came in the door and he brought bag after bag of food.
More food than I have ever seen in my life. My Mom stood there weeping. Then
he gave her a huge stack of money.
She said" I can't take that, Bill" and she said"I have no way to pay you back." Then he looked at
me sitting there and said," don't take it for me take it for these kids. They need Christmas."

My Dad was able to come home just a bit before Christmas Day. His arm in a sling and
a cast. We had no Christmas tree and I don't know how but one showed up the next morning.
It was so tiny, we put it on a box and Mom put a white sheet around it to cover it.
Dad told me to pretend it was snow.
Then he said, " Next year Kim, you can pick out the biggest tree of all."

I really didn't expect Christmas packages that year. But Christmas morning,
I went in and under the tree were three packages for me and some for my
sister. I didn't get a Barbie, I got Midge, that was okay No one had Midge. :)
I got a box with a dress in it for her and a sewing machine. I was so happy.
Someone knew what I had wanted.

Now of course as Paul Harvey said, "Here is the rest
of the story."
My brother came home from the hospital, he walked
again, who is going to tell a 3 year old he can't walk.
I did get to pick out the biggest Christmas tree the next
year, so big they had to cut off lots from the top and bottom.
To this day, I still always get the biggest tree I can find.
And you know, that man who gave us the food and money.
He was known as a modern day Scrooge. But not that
year, the year I watched I saw a Jesus.

I just thought I would share this today,
it always reminds me of what Christmas is about.
Just making one person's day a bit brighter.

Just a P.S. to this story. Its been eight years since I wrote that down. There are 10 children added and so many changes have happened. But today, Christmas is just as lovely as then. Its only in the looking back do I see the miracles God so lovingly provides.