BEEN GONE TOoOo LONG......

Between the Jingle Bell Junction happening and now a dang sore throat, I've been out of commission here. I miss all my blog friends.....
Still dealing with the raw throat and headache, but I wanted to post something I think is a great start to the season of Christmas. This story belongs to someone else...passed down through time. But still as important now as it was then. Grab some extra time for this as it's like most of my posts....l-o-n-g!
Ready?............

Pa never had such compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means

and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely

in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the

greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving. 

It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had

caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle

that I'd wanted for Christmas. We did the chores early that night for some reason.

I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible.
After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace

and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself and,

to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read Scriptures, but Pa didn't get the

Bible, instead he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because

we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though, I was too busy

wallowing in self-pity. 

Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard.

"Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight." I was really upset then.

Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold,

and for no earthly reason that I could see. We'd already done all the chores, and I

couldn't thnk of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this but

I knew Pa was not very patient about one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to

do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens.

Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something

was up, but I didn't know what. 

Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team,

already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to

be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up this sled unless we were
going to haul a big load. 

Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him.

The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy. When I was on, Pa pulled the

sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed.

"I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me." The high

sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards

on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high
sideboards on. 

After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came out

with an armload of wood---the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the

mountain, and then all Fall sawing into blocks and splitting.
What was he doing? Finally I said something. "Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?"

You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked. The Widow Jensen lived about

two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with

three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what? "Yeah," I said,

"Why?" "I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt." 

That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another

armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder

if the horses would be able to pull it.  Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading, then we

went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He
handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. 

When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller

sack of something in his left hand. "What's in the little sack?" I asked. "Shoes. They're

out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was

out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be

Christmas without a little candy." 

We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through

what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have

a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would

have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour,
so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying

them shoes and candy? 

Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us;

it shouldn't have been our concern. We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house

and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible, then we took the meat and flour and

shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said,

"Who is it?" "Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt. Could we come in for a bit?"
Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her

shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace

by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp. 

"We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the

meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it.
She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for

her and one for each of the children---sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I

watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out. 

"We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said. He turned to me and said, "Matt,

go bring in enough to last awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up."

I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump

in my throat and as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too.
In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother

standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart

that she couldn't speak. My heart swelled within me and a joy that I'd never known
before, filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it

had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these

people. 

I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling

when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a

smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us.

"God bless you," she said. "I know the Lord has sent you. The children and I have

been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us." 

In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes

again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen

mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.
Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they

all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes. 

Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave.  

Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him

and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their Pa, and I was glad that

I still had mine. 

At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite

you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more

than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat

turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have

some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was

the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away.
Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to say,

"'May the Lord bless you,' I know for certain that He will." 

Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice

the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said,"Matt, I want you to

know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and

there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough.
Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to

make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we

could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that. But on

the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in

those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand." 

I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well,

and I was so glad Pa had done it. Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of

priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow

Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children. 

For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood,

I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home

beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life.

 

 May you have a wonderful month of being with your family, giving gifts, and most importantly, remembering what it's really all about....

 

I'll be back again soon....