lilhave
12-04-2006, 12:58 PM
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 on his lap, holding
>> a picture of a little girl. "Who is this?"
>> asked Santa, smiling.
>> "Your friend?" Your sister?
>>
>> "Yes, Santa," he replied. "My sister, Sarah,
>> who is very sick," he
>> said sadly.
>>
>> 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 added
>> softly.
>>
>> Santa tried to be cheerful and encouraged a
>> smile to the boy's face,
>> asking him what he wanted Santa to bring him
>> for Christmas.
>> When they finished their visit, the Grandmother
>> came over to help the
>> child off his lap, and started to say something
>> to Santa, but halted.
>>
>> "What is it?" Santa asked warmly.
>>
>> "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 gave all
>> his young visitors.
>> "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 Christmas, is to see Santa."
>>
>> Santa blinked and swallowed hard and told the
>> woman to leave
>> information with his elves as to where Sarah
>> was, and he would see
>> what he could do. Santa thought of little else
>> the rest of that afternoon.
>> He knew what he had to do. "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
>> hospital where Sarah was
>> staying.
>> He asked the assistant location manager how to
>> get to Children's Hospital.
>>
>> "Why?" Rick asked, with a puzzled look on his
>> face.
>>
>> Santa relayed to him the conversation with
>> Sarah's grandmother earlier
>> that day.
>> "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 bed. 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,
>> and their love and concern for Sarah. 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 in tact.
>>
>> 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
>> excitement. 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
>> had 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 room. 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 sincerely at him
>> with shining eyes. Santa and Sarah talked and
>> talked, and she told him
>> excitedly all the toys she wanted for
>> Christmas, assuring him she'd
>> been a very good girl that year. 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 circled around Sarah's bed,
>> holding hands. 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 hands in his own.
>>
>> "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 next year!" 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 -- but the gift of HOPE.
>>
>> "Yes, Santa!" Sarah exclaimed, her eyes bright.
>>
>> He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead
>> and left the room.
>> Out in the hall, the minute Santa's eyes met
>> Rick's, a look passed
>> between them and they wept unashamed. Sarah's
>> mother and
>> grandmother slipped out of the room quickly and
>> rushed to Santa's
>> side to thank him.
>>
>> "My only child is the same age as Sarah," he
>> explained quietly.
>> "This is the least I could do." They nodded
>> with understanding
>> and hugged him.
>>
>> 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 came up to sit on
>> his lap.
>> "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 that moment.
>>
>> "You came to see me in the hospital last year!"
>> 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
>> before. 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,
>> Father. ' Tis a very, Merry Christmas!"
>>
>> Three years ago, a little boy and his
>> grandmother came to see Santa
>> at Mayfair Mall in Wisconsin . The child
>> climbed up on his lap, holding
>> a picture of a little girl. "Who is this?"
>> asked Santa, smiling.
>> "Your friend?" Your sister?
>>
>> "Yes, Santa," he replied. "My sister, Sarah,
>> who is very sick," he
>> said sadly.
>>
>> 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 added
>> softly.
>>
>> Santa tried to be cheerful and encouraged a
>> smile to the boy's face,
>> asking him what he wanted Santa to bring him
>> for Christmas.
>> When they finished their visit, the Grandmother
>> came over to help the
>> child off his lap, and started to say something
>> to Santa, but halted.
>>
>> "What is it?" Santa asked warmly.
>>
>> "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 gave all
>> his young visitors.
>> "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 Christmas, is to see Santa."
>>
>> Santa blinked and swallowed hard and told the
>> woman to leave
>> information with his elves as to where Sarah
>> was, and he would see
>> what he could do. Santa thought of little else
>> the rest of that afternoon.
>> He knew what he had to do. "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
>> hospital where Sarah was
>> staying.
>> He asked the assistant location manager how to
>> get to Children's Hospital.
>>
>> "Why?" Rick asked, with a puzzled look on his
>> face.
>>
>> Santa relayed to him the conversation with
>> Sarah's grandmother earlier
>> that day.
>> "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 bed. 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,
>> and their love and concern for Sarah. 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 in tact.
>>
>> 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
>> excitement. 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
>> had 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 room. 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 sincerely at him
>> with shining eyes. Santa and Sarah talked and
>> talked, and she told him
>> excitedly all the toys she wanted for
>> Christmas, assuring him she'd
>> been a very good girl that year. 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 circled around Sarah's bed,
>> holding hands. 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 hands in his own.
>>
>> "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 next year!" 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 -- but the gift of HOPE.
>>
>> "Yes, Santa!" Sarah exclaimed, her eyes bright.
>>
>> He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead
>> and left the room.
>> Out in the hall, the minute Santa's eyes met
>> Rick's, a look passed
>> between them and they wept unashamed. Sarah's
>> mother and
>> grandmother slipped out of the room quickly and
>> rushed to Santa's
>> side to thank him.
>>
>> "My only child is the same age as Sarah," he
>> explained quietly.
>> "This is the least I could do." They nodded
>> with understanding
>> and hugged him.
>>
>> 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 came up to sit on
>> his lap.
>> "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 that moment.
>>
>> "You came to see me in the hospital last year!"
>> 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
>> before. 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,
>> Father. ' Tis a very, Merry Christmas!"