While rummaging through the old sea-chest of life, in search of some seasonal pearl of wisdom to share with you I found, once again, the following gem, staring up at me in all its poignant beauty. As I read it I was moved once more, as it first moved me ages ago. It kind of puts a hectic world in some sort of perspective. It causes me to pause for a moment and reflect. You may have read it before or perhaps you haven’t. Either way it’s Christmas and I want to share it with you … “God bless us, everyone!”
The Gold Box
The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 5-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of expensive gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became even more upset when the child pasted the gold paper so as to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift box to her father the next morning and said, “This is for you, Daddy.” The father was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found the box was empty. He spoke to her in a harsh manner:
“Don’t you know, young lady, when you give someone a present there’s supposed to be something inside the package? The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said: “Daddy, it’s not empty. I blew kisses into it until it was full.” The father was crushed. He fell on his knees and put his arms around his little girl, and he begged her to forgive him for his unnecessary anger.
An accident took the life of the child only a short time later and it is told that the father kept that gold box by his bed for all the years of his life. And whenever he was discouraged or faced difficult problems he would open the box and take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.
In a very real sense, each of us as human beings have been given a golden box filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family, friends and God. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.
In a hectic work-a-day world we sometimes lose our way as we run to keep up. And sometimes as we run too fast we miss the signposts along life’s highway, signposts that point the direction to a balanced life. And sometimes in our haste we might stumble and we learn who our friends really are.
Friends are like angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.
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From Captain and Mrs. Canada, and all of us and ours here on The Maindeck, to all of you and yours wherever you are, a very, very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and every other wonderful ethnic term you wish to apply to this most gloriously introspective time of the year.
Oh, yes, lest we forget the spiritual origins of the season, this is also a birthday. Jesus of Nazareth’s, so allow me to say:
Happy Birthday, Jesus!
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Thoughts for those in harm’s way…
As we enjoy the closeness of family and friends over this Christmas season, let us never forget our fellow citizens, those brave men and women who don our Nation’s uniforms to do our Nation’s bidding in far off corners of the world.
There is a story behind the photo here of Master Corporal Fred Kimberley, of the British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught’s Own) wearing a Santa hat deployed in the Khandahar region of Afghanistan. The origin of that story traces back to a buddy back home named John Fritz, proprietor of an establishment in North Vancouver, B.C. called Churchill’s, but I will save it for another time. In the meanwhile as M/CPL Kimberley wishes everyone here at home a Merry Christmas may we fervently wish him and his comrades the same.
To all our military personnel everywhere, God bless you, be safe, and come home soon.
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Click on photos