Since it's Christmas,

I thought I'd pass something on to you that I received from my daughter.

I confess it came from the Internet, but it was just too good to let it

get by.

With all the trials and tribulations

I've had lately (broken foot, knee surgery, almost the flu), it's

been hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit. Shopping is a chore.

Walking for long periods is difficult, if not impossible at times. I will

be glad when it's all over - or, so I thought - until this

came in my mailbox Tuesday. I hope you get as much out of it as I did.

The author is unknown.

"Each December, I vowed

to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential

obligations -- extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating,

and even over-spending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to

appreciate 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 six year old.

For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's 'Winter

Pageant.' I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working

the night of the production.

"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. Fortunately, Nicholas

seemed happy with the compromise.

"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 the 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 had presented 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 first

through sixth graders snickered at the 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. In that instant, we understood why 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, we believe, He still

is."

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