Always believe in MIRACLES!!
Three years ago, a little boy and his grandmother came
to
see Santa at Mayfair Mall in Wisconsin. The child
climbed up
"Who is this?" asked Santa, smiling. "Your friend?
Your
"Yes, Santa," he replied. "My sister, Sarah, who is
very
Santa glanced over at the grandmother who was
waiting
nearby, and saw her dabbing her eyes with a
tissue.
"She wanted to come with me to see you, oh, so
very
much, Santa!" the child exclaimed. "She misses you,"
he
Santa tried to be cheerful and encouraged a smile to
the
boy's face, asking him what he wanted Santa to bring
him
When they finished their visit, the Grandmother came
over
to help the child off his lap, and started to say
something to
"Well, I know it's really too much to ask you,
Santa,
but ...." the old woman began, shooing her grandson
over
to one of Santa's elves to collect the little gift
which Santa
"...The girl in the photograph .. my granddaughter .
well,
you see she has leukemia and isn't expected to make
it
even through the holidays," she said through
tear-filled
eyes. "Is there any way, Santa, any possible way that
you
could come see Sarah? That's all she's asked for
for
Santa blinked and swallowed hard and told the woman
to
leave information with his elves as to where Sarah was,
and
Santa thought of little else the rest of that
afternoon. He
"What if it were MY child lying in that hospital bed,
dying,"
he thought with a sinking heart, "this is the least I
can do."
When Santa finished visiting with all the boys and
girls that
evening, he retrieved from his helper the name of
the
He asked the assistant location manager how to get
to
Children's Hospital. "Why?" Rick asked, with a puzzled
look
Santa relayed to him the conversation with
Sarah's
"C'mon .... I'll take you there," Rick said
softly.
Rick drove them to the hospital and came inside with
Santa.
They found out which room Sarah was in. A pale Rick
said
he would wait out in the hall. Santa quietly peeked
into the
room through the half-closed door and saw little Sarah
on
The room was full of what appeared to be her family;
there
was the Grandmother and the girl's brother he had
met
earlier that day. A woman whom he guessed was
Sarah's
mother stood by the bed, gently pushing Sarah's thin
hair
off her forehead. And another woman who he
discovered
later was Sarah's aunt, sat in a chair near the bed
with
weary, sad look on her face. They were talking quietly,
and
Santa could sense the warmth and closeness of the
family,
Taking a deep breath, and forcing a smile on his face,
Santa
entered the room, bellowing a hearty, "Ho, ho,
ho!"
"Santa!" shrieked little Sarah weakly, as she tried to
escape
her bed to run to him, IV tubes intact. Santa rushed to
her
side and gave her a warm hug. A child the tender age of
his
own son - 9 years old - gazed up at him with wonder
and
Her skin was pale and her short tresses bore telltale
bald
patches from the effects of chemotherapy. But all he
saw
when he looked at her was a pair of huge, blue eyes.
His
heart melted, and he ad to force himself to choke
back
tears. Though his eyes were riveted upon Sarah's face,
he
could hear the gasps and quiet sobbing of the women in
the
As he and Sarah began talking, the family crept quietly
to
the bedside one by one, squeezing Santa's shoulder or
his
hand gratefully, whispering " thank you" as they
gazed
Santa and Sarah talked and talked, and she told
him
excitedly all the toys she wanted for Christmas,
assuring
As their time together dwindled, Santa felt led in his
spirit
to pray for Sarah, and asked for permission from the
girl's
mother. She nodded in agreement and the entire
family
Santa looked intensely at Sarah and asked her if
she
believed in angels. "Oh, yes, Santa. I do!" she
exclaimed.
"Well, I'm going to ask that angels watch over you,"
he
said. Laying one hand on the child's head, Santa closed
his
eyes and prayed. He asked that God touch little Sarah,
and
heal her body from this disease. He asked that
angels
minister to her, watch and keep her. And when he
finished
praying, still with eyes closed, he started singing
softly,
"Silent Night, Holy Night .... all is calm, all is
bright."
The family joined in, still holding hands, smiling at
Sarah,
and crying tears of hope, tears of joy for this moment,
as
Sarah beamed at them all. When the song ended, Santa
sat
on the side of the bed again and held Sarah's frail,
small
"Now, Sarah," he said authoritatively, "you have a job
to
do, and that is to concentrate on getting well. I want
you to
have fun playing with your friends this summer, and
I
expect to see you at my house at Mayfair Mall this
time
He knew it was risky proclaiming that, to this little
girl who
had terminal cancer, but he "had" to. He had to give
her
the greatest gift he could - not dolls or games or
toys
He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and left
the
Out in the hall, the minute Santa's eyes met Rick's, a
look
Sarah's mother and grandmother slipped out of the
room
"My only child is the same age as Sarah," he
explained
One year later, Santa Mark was again back on the set
in
Milwaukee for his six-week, seasonal job which he so
loves
to do. Several weeks went by and then one day a
child
"Hi, Santa! Remember me?!" "Of course, I do,"
Santa
proclaimed (as he always does), smiling down at her.
After
all, the secret to being a "good" Santa is to always
make
each child feel as if they are the "only" child in the
world at
Santa's jaw dropped. Tears immediately sprang in his
eyes,
and he grabbed this little miracle and held her to his
chest.
"Sarah!" he exclaimed. He scarcely recognized her, for
her
hair was long and silky and her cheeks were rosy -
much
different from the little girl he had visited just a
year
He looked over and saw Sarah's mother and
grandmother
in the sidelines smiling and waving and wiping their
eyes.
That was the best Christmas ever for Santa Claus. He
had
witnessed - and been blessed to be instrumental
in
bringing about - this miracle of hope. This precious
little
child was healed. Cancer-free. Alive and well. He
silently
looked up to Heaven and humbly whispered, "Thank
you,
This was beautiful!!! I say this as tears run down my cheeks - HOPE is just sooooooo wonderful. Thanks. Hugs and good vibes.
Okay, I'm sitting here at my desk just bawling. How beautiful and hopeful this story is!
Thanks so much for sharing it!
This thread made me remember this poem, that I always hang on my fridge during the holiday season....
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Got me all choked up. I love Christmas when it is about kindness and not greed. Thanks.
You're welcome. Christmas is so much more joyous when we focus on Jesus, isn't it?
Thank you for the post. that is so touching. is that a true story? it totally hit home especially because i live right by this mall and work next to thie childrens hospital. that is for real the true meaning of christmas right there
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