I wanted to share a story of a little girl who was 6 years old, she was the youngest of 3 children, she had an older brother and sister. Her sister fell very ill to a kidney disease that took the family by surprise, and changed there everyday living. With running to and from doctor’s appointments, and many hospital visits. The fear was always there, but the little girl still hung on to hope, that maybe, just maybe God would make things better someday and they could live a more normal life.
The little girl never really knew that her family was poor, she had a warm home they lived in, clothes on her back, and many were hand me downs or goodwill purchases but still she didn’t realize or see this as being poor. She knew she had family love, and that was all that mattered to her. Her sister got so sick that she was placed in San Francisco Hospital for almost a year, so the family was torn apart by her parents wanting to be there for her sister but her father knowing that the medical bills were soaring, so he had to keep working, so they would go to visit the little girl’s sister on the weekends. In those days siblings weren’t able to go into the rooms, so the little girl and her brother would stay behind with family or a family friend. Life was never easy for the little girl, and she hoped that one-day things would get better.
Christmas rolled around and the little girl overheard her parents talking that Santa was coming to a nearby Town, and she was going to be able to visit Santa! The excitement this little girl felt inside was beyond anything she ever dreamed of, she was really going to get to see Santa! Oh, how wonderful would that be to visit Santa Clause! To tell Santa her Christmas Wishes!
The Little Girl was so excited when the day arrived, as she got into the car and her parents drove to the town nearby, her heart was racing, she had a smile from ear to ear, which felt so good as she felt she had enough sadness going on in her life that it was time for a little happiness, but somehow, she still felt a little guilty too, her sister was sick and all she wanted was for the family to get back to the way things were.
As the car pulled up to this hall where Santa was going to be handing out Christmas Gifts, the little girls heart began to race with happiness yet nervousness too. How will Santa know that the little girl was there, Will Santa call her name, the little girl thought? She sat there as each child was called one by one to the stage where Santa was handing out beautifully wrapped presents for all the children. Finally, Santa called the little girl up on stage by name, as she walked up to see Santa, her brown eyes got bigger and bigger, what will Santa choose? As Santa reached down for a package, that she thought was huge, after all kids always think the bigger the present, the better the gift! She thanked Santa, and slowly walked back to where her parents were sitting. She sat there wondering, “What can this be?”
On Christmas morning the little girl couldn’t wait to see what Santa had given her, as she pulled back the Christmas wrap there was this beautiful Bride doll, the little girl thought that the doll was too nice to play with, she didn’t want anything to happen to it, as it truly was a Special gift from Santa. So, the little girl, kept it close by the bed, she put the doll on a shelf so that nobody could mess with her doll.
As the little girl grew up, the doll became more special to her, she learned a powerful lesson that day. Little did she know that the only children who got to attend events such as this Santa give away, were those who were underprivileged those whose parents were struggling to give their children a Christmas. So, the little girl grew up with learning a lesson that giving is a much greater gift than receiving. To see a child’s eyes, light up where it would not otherwise. To open her eyes and look around, and do something special whenever humanly possible all year long.
To let you in on the story, that Little Girl was me. And Yes, I still have that doll many years later. It’s only one story of a Christmas lesson I have learn and needed to share. The world has gotten so materialistic over the years, but the most important gift you can give anyone is the gift of your time, your love, and look around to see who you can help in their time of need. The other day the Police were standing outside of a Target Department store collecting toys for underprivileged children, and as I placed a couple of toys in the cart, one being a brand-new doll the tears fell down my cheeks as I walked to the car, that my only hope is I made someone’s Christmas this year…
“May God Bless you all this Christmas”
With Love, Sheri Lynn