Robert
Fulghum went to the doctor one day in February. As he sat in the waiting
room, he noticed an elderly couple waiting. The woman wore holly berries and
poinsettia leaves in her hair. The elderly man leaned forward and announced,
“Merry Christmas!”
Fulghum replied, “Merry Christmas,” even though it was February. Suddenly the man started singing Christmas carols. The receptionist addressed the old man as Uncle Ed, bidding him Merry Christmas, and asking him to come back for his appointment.
After the old man left, the elderly wife explained his strange behavior. He had a couple of strokes some years back, and her husband’s behavior was changing. Then one March morning quite unexpectedly, he came downstairs announcing he had forgotten that it was Christmas. He urged his wife to help him put up the decorations and wrap gifts. The woman called her daughters and the whole family got together and celebrated Christmas that day.
After their daughters left, the man asked his wife to tell him about his childhood Christmases. Maybe it was merciful that he didn’t remember his abusive childhood, or that his family never celebrated Christmas. So, his wife spun tales of wonderful holidays, full of love, family traditions, and wonderful gifts. Her husband smiled.
Every few months, her husband will announce that it’s Christmas, and the family will once again gather together to celebrate. The daughters think of those celebrations as Father’s Day, their time to make him happy.
Maybe the old man was right. Christmas should be something we think about more than once a year. After all, Jesus came to earth to bring us eternal life, and that’s a gift that will last forever. Shouldn’t we should be thanking God and rejoicing every day? www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com www.makinglifecount.net
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