[Nfb-krafters-korner] Christmas 1881

[Blindhands at aol.com]

Pa never had much 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
think of  anything else that needed doing, especially not on a
night like this.  But I knew Pa was not very patient at 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  side boards 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 alright... 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. 
Don't be too busy today...  share this inspiring message.  Merry Christmas 
and God bless you!
 
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
 
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