I like this one. Sort of reminds me of the movy It's a wonderful life. Thanks for sharing. Original message: > The Christmas Wish > It was Christmas Eve and the lord looked down from above at all His > children. It had been nearly two thousand years since the birth of His > son and turning to His youngest angel the Lord said: "Go down to the > earth and bring back to me the one thing that best represents > everything good that has been done in the name of this day." The angel > bowed to the Lord and spreading his wings, descended from heaven to the > world of man, all the while contemplating his mission. So much had been > done in the name of honoring the birth of the Christ Child. For this > day, wars had temporarily ceased, cathedrals had been built and great > novels had been written. With so little time, what could he possibly > find to represent all this? > As he soared above the earth, he suddenly heard the sound of church > bells below. > Their tone was so beautiful that it reminded him of the voice of God. > Looking down, he saw a small church whose bells were ringing out the > carol, Silent Night. As the final note died away, it was replaced by > one lone voice singing inside the church. > It was shortly joined by a second voice that embraced the first in > perfect harmony, and then another until a choir of voices rose through > the night. Enchanted by the magic of what he was hearing, the angel > found himself listening until the song was finished. As he resumed his > flight through the night, he was delighted to hear these sounds > everywhere, from the largest cities to the smallest villages. He heard > melodies from massive orchestras and in the voices of single soldiers > alone at their post. > And any place where he heard these songs, he found hope in the hearts of men. > Grasping a song out of the air, he held it in his hand, angels are able > to do this, and thought that maybe, these songs could be the one thing > that best represented Christmas. They seemed to give voice to man's > greatest joys as well as hope to those deepest in despair. But, though > at first glance it appeared to be the answer he sought, his heart told > him that this music alone was not enough. There had to be something > more. So, he continued his flight through the night until he suddenly > felt the touch of a father's prayer on its way to heaven. Once again > looking downward, he saw a man who was praying for his child whom he > had not heard from in a long time and who would not be home that > Christmas. Seizing upon the prayer, the angel followed it until it > reached the lost child. > She was standing on a corner, in a quiet snowfall, looking very small > in a very large city. Across from her was an old city bar, the kind > that only the lost seemed to know how to find. The patrons of this > establishment rarely looked up from their drinks and so seemed not to > notice the young woman. Now, the bartender in this bar had been working > in there longer than anyone could remember. He believed in nothing > except his bar and his cash register. He had never married, never took > a vacation and as matter of fact, had never been seen out from behind > his counter by most of his patrons. > He was there when they arrived and he was still there when they left. > He gave no credit and for seventy-five cents, served shots of > un-watered whiskey to people who used their drinks like a moat around > their lives. For them, he provided a safe, unchanging world. > Suddenly, the door opened wide and into this world walked a small > child. The bartender could not remember the last time that a child had > been in this place, but before he could ask the child what he was doing > there, the child asked him if he knew that there was a girl outside > their door who could not get home. Glancing out the window, he saw the > girl standing across the street. Turning back to the child, the > bartender asked him how he knew this. The child replied "That on this > night of all nights, if one could be home, they'd be already there." > The bartender looked back toward the young woman as he reflected on > what the child had said. After several seconds of thought, he slowly > went over to the cash register and removing most of the money, came out > from behind the bar and followed the child across the street. Everyone > in the bar watched as he spoke with the girl. After a few moments, he > called over a cab, put the girl inside and told the driver: "J.F.K. > Airport." As the cab pulled away, he looked around for the child, but > the child was > gone. And what was stranger still, even though his own tracks leading > from the bar > were still clearly marked in the snow, the child's were nowhere to be > found. Returning > back inside, he asked if anyone had seen where the child had gone, but > like himself, > no one had, for they also had been watching the departing cab. And > then, some would > later say that the most miraculous thing of all happened, when for the > rest of the > night, no one paid for a drink. > Later that night, the angel returned back to heaven and placed in the > Lord's hand > the wish of a soul for the happiness of another. And as the heavenly > host looked > on, the Lord smiled. > -- > Access the Recipes And More list archives at:
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