The Four Coins

I wrote this story many moons ago.  I don’t remember exactly when, but I know it was when I was a teenager.  Which puts this somewhere between 1983 to 1987.  I am sharing it with you now as a testament to my love for the true meaning of Christmas.  It is a poorly written story, with some obvious inspiration from “The Little Drummer Boy” and some other Christmas short stories.

Once upon a time there was a boy named Abraham who was a beggar.  His parents had died when he was only three years old.  He wandered the streets of Bethlehem asking for money or food.  He rarely got anything he asked for.

One time he asked a soldier for some money and the soldier whipped him, and he had the scar when he was much older. 

One evening he saw a man and a woman who looked like they might be traveling, and the woman was shivering on the donkey she was on.  The boy gave her the blanket he was using to keep him warm and the man gave the boy four coins for his good deed.  Abraham left thinking what he could do with the coins.

An hour or so later the boy was still walking and he looked up to the sky to see a beautiful star.  Shepherds passed by him heading to the shining star.  He saw the city lights as he followed the shepherds.  He came upon a stable and inside it was the man and woman  he had helped a while ago.  He also saw a baby wrapped in swaddling clothing, and saw the gifts around him.  The boy still had the gifts in his mind when he was about to leave, when he remembered that the coins were still in his hand.  The boy started crying and went to the stable and put the coins next to the baby.

 

Merry Christmas From Exceptional Delaware!

Just wanted to take a few minutes this sunny yet chilly Christmas morning to give holiday greetings to my readers.  To say this year was a bit crazy would be the understatement of the year.  While I am not in the same place I was at the beginning of the year, I must say I am in a better place.  Sometimes I used this blog to vent some of my feelings about those changes in ye olde personal life.

I would be remiss if I didn’t thank those who helped me along that journey.  There are so many.  And my gratitude knows no bounds for that.  I can honestly say I may not have made it through the past year without some of you.  You were my rocks keeping my two feet on the ground when I thought I was lost in a desert.

I can only hope for a better year in 2018.  But the important thing is having that hope.  I was talking to someone about that yesterday.  It is very easy to think things will never get better, to get swallowed up in that darkness.  For some, they live with that every single day.  There can never be hope unless you believe in that hope.  That isn’t just a Christmas thing, it is an every single day thing.  It is the tether to life.  There will never be anything close to perfect.  There are always going to be fires to put out and rivers to cross.  It is the way of things.  But it is how we handle it that determines who we ultimately are as a person.

While I don’t have much to physically give others this year, I do offer some kernels of wisdom.  Give all that you are.  Be what you want to be.  And never be afraid of the darkness because the light is so much stronger.  If you’re at the end of your rope, give a shout.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  You might be surprised who helps you out!  And when you get your strength back and get back up again, return the favor a hundred fold.  Be the light in the darkness for someone else!  Love each other with all that you are.  That is the true message of Christmas.

Merry Christmas fair readers!  May your days be merry and bright.  Love the ones your with.  Celebrate the bonds that connect us all.