I don't like to have negative stories on Christmas so I have waited to share this post with you. The weeks leading up to Christmas this year have not been held with tidings of joy. I have had very upsetting news from the recurrence of cancer with my brother in-law, to the diagnosis of cancer in my Roxy (Yes she is a dog but she is my baby. I became one of those crazy dog people) to experiencing the first Christmas after my father-in-law has passed away, and missing my daughter so far away. It seems that life tends to give me overwhelming situations at Christmas quite regularly.

I had to push myself to do the usual arrangements for Christmas. I actually only put up 1/3 of my usual decorations this season. I didn't finish my baking, and I was wrapping presents on Christmas Eve. This is very out of character for me.

I agreed to work the entire week before Christmas at the Elementary School. This was time that I would usually take to finish off the last minute Christmas details. I ended up going home absolutely exhausted every day. I would sit on the couch and vegge out except on the wonderful Wednesday night I drove to Calgary to pick up Kaeleigh. I did not get a single thing done. Now it sounds like maybe I would be better off not working the week before Christmas but nothing could be further from the truth.

There is definitely magic to being with children before Christmas. They are the reminder that I needed that really it didn't matter that I only had one batch of shortbreads made rather than the usual seven or that I hadn't made homemade buns or that instead of the usual homemade gifts my neighbours got from me I ended up sending flowers. Children hold a special wonder of the holidays and in that wonder they held my heart. One special young girl holds my heart just a little more than the rest.

When I was working one Thursday there was a backpack left in the foyer of the school. I picked it up and opened it to see if the child's name was inside of it so I could return it. There was no name but what I found was sadness to my soul. The backpack was FILTHY. I don't mean a little dirty it was completely soiled. There was rotten food, crumbs, stickiness and the smell of cigarette smoke permeated every pore of the material. There was however no name. I took the backpack to the lost and found.

During the morning I looked up from my desk and a little urchin was staring at me. There was the dirtiest little girl looking at me. She nervously asked me if there had been a backpack turned in. I told her I found one earlier and put it in the lost and found. She ran out of the office in search of it. A few minutes later she returned looking desperate. No backpack! I assured her it would be there and went down the hall to look with her.

On the way down the hall I explained to the young child that she needed to clean out her backpack of all the gross food that was in it. She told me she does every time she makes her lunch but she forgot to make it that day so she didn’t clean it out. ENTER HERE MY BREAKING HEART! We found her backpack and she was so relieved and thankful.

I took her with me to the school kitchen and made her a lunch. When I passed it to her and wished her a Merry Christmas she was too busy looking in her backpack to grab her lunch. Finally she pulled a new Christmas pencil out of her pack. The same type of pencil a multitude of young children received from their teachers throughout the week. She passed the pencil to me and said, “Merry Christmas and thank you for helping me.” This was one of the most heartwarming things that had ever happened to me. I nearly cried. This small child gave me the most precious gift she had at that moment and did it with a loving heart. This child lived the meaning of Christmas. She had so little but gave so enormously!

God gave his most precious gift to us. He asked nothing in return and if we accept Him we will be eternally blessed. I was blessed by the generosity of this child. Yes, I got a free pencil out of the deal but what I really received was a Christmas blessing. Yes, I still have the stress of some very sad situations but I also have the blessing of love. It put into perspective that it really didn’t matter that not all my baking was done or that not all my decorations were up, what really matters was my daughter was home from Ottawa, my children were safely under my roof celebrating the season, there is food on my table, hear in my home, my husband has a job, I have a wonderful extended family, and I live in a country of freedom.

We need to open our hearts to the lessons that God teaches us. “Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14 If the children are to come forward to the greatest man to walk this Earth they must be allowed to come forward to us. And, in them we may learn lessons of love.

GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU!