I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate all the precious
family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas..
My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting
season for a 6-year-old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's
"Winter Pageant."
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.
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. Nicholas 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 would finally present 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. For when the last letter was
held high, the message read loud and clear:
CHRISTWASLOVE
And, I know, He still is.
Amazed in His presence... Humbled by His love.
May each of you have a Merry Christmas as you reflect on His
Amazing Love For us...
Have a blessed day!
Happy Birthday, Jesus !!!!!!!!
__._,_.___
