a long but very neat Christmas Story

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I received this from Suzi-Q today and thought it was such a wonderful

story so I wanted to share it with you all..

Subject: Fw: What Christmas is all about.... long but worth reading

Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered

their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for

those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all

outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life

comes from giving, not from receiving.

It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like

the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough

money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas. We did the

chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a

little extra time so we could read in the Bible.

After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front

of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was

still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of

a mood to read Scriptures. But Pa didn't get the Bible, instead he

bundled up again and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because

we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long

though, I was too busy wallowing in self-pity. Soon Pa came back in.

It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. " Come

on, Matt, " he said. " Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight. " I was

really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas,

now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason

that I could see. We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't

think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night

like this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's

feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up and put my

boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a

mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something

was up, but I didn't know what..

Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was

the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we

were going to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job. I

could tell. We never hitched up this sled unl ess we were going to

haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I

reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me.

I wasn't happy. When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house

and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. " I

think we'll put on the high sideboards, " he said. " Here, help me. "

The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do

with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to

do would be a lot bigger with the high side boards on.

After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and

came out with an armload of wood - the wood I'd spent all summer

hauling down from the mountain, and then all Fall sawing into blocks

and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something. " Pa, " I

asked, " what are you doing? " You been by the Widow Jensen's lately? "

he asked. The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her

husband had died a year or so before and left her with three

children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what?

Yeah, " I said, " Why? "

" I rode by just today, " Pa said. " Little Jakey was out digging around

in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood,

Matt. " That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the

woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the

sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to

pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading, then we went to

the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He

handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When

he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his r ight shoulder

and a smaller sack of something in his left hand. " What's in the

little sack? " I asked. Shoes, they're out of shoes. Little Jakey just

had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the

woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just

wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy. "

We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I

tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by

worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most

of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have

to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat

and flour, sonwe could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any

money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he

doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it

shouldn't have been our concern.

We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the

wood as quietly as possible, then we took the meat and flour and

shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid

voice said, " Who is it? " " Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt, could

we come in for a bit? "

Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped

around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were

sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly

gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and

finally lit the lamp.

" We brought you a few things, Ma'am, " Pa said and set down the sack

of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack

that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes

out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of

the children - sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I

watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from

trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her

cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it

wouldn't come out.

" We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am, " Pa said. He turned to me and

said, " Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let's get that fire

up to size and heat this place up. " I wasn't the same person when I

went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and

as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my

mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and

their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with

so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak.

My heart swelled within me and a joy that I'd never known before,

filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never

when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally

saving the lives of these people.

I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids

started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow

Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face

for a long time. She finally turned to us. " God bless you, " she

said. " I know the Lord has sent you. The children and I have been

praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us. "

In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears

welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact

terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it

was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never

walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out

of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as

I thought on it.

Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was

amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes

to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that

the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.

Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to

leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug.

They clung to him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they

missed their Pa, and I was glad that I still had mine.

At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, " The Mrs. wanted me

to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow.

The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can

get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be

by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones

around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell. " I

was the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and

had moved away.

Widow Jensen nodded and said, " Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have

to say, May the Lord bless you, I know for certain that He will. " Out

on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't

even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and

said, " Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been

tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy

that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday a

man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things

square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could

get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just

that, but on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the

woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I

had to do. Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for

those children. I hope you understand. "

I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood

very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Now the rifle seemed

very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had

given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of

her three children.

For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split

a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same

joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much

more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of

my life.

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