Christmas mistake

[Guest guest]

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, , 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'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the >presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to >come then.>>Fortunately, 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. was aglow, as were all of his >classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps >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: >"CHRISTWAS LOVE">>And, I believe, He still is