CHRISTMAS LOVE

This story came to me by way of Glenn, a Buddhist friend. Enjoy.

CHRISTMAS LOVE

I remember the first year I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I remember trying to cut back on nonessential obligations -- extensive card writing, endless gift buying, decorating, and even overspending.

Yet still, I remember finding myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas. My daughter, Jennifer, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a five-year-old. For weeks, she'd been memorizing songs for her school's "Winter Pageant."I didn't have the heart to tell her I'd be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss her shining moment, I spoke with her teacher, who assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation, and all parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Jennifer seemed happy with the compromise.

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 daughter's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback by its bold title.

Jennifer was aglow, as were all of her 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 theletter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his or her portion had presented the complete message, Christmas Love."

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed him; a small, quiet, boy in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down -- totally unaware his letter "M" appeared as a "W."The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But he had no idea they were laughing at him, so he stood tall, proudly holding his "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:

"C H R I S T W A S L O V E"

And He still is. May each of you have a merry Christmas, and regardless of your thoughts about Jesus, your belief or religion, we can all celebrate LOVE during this wonderful season.May your Christmas not only be merry but may you be blessed beyond all expectations.

Love and Light,

RevLockard