I have a tear in my boat...a Christmas story

[Lives_to_fish]

I’m posting this because no one should miss it. If you can read it and not have a tear well up, you are stronger than I am. Marry Christmas!

Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and, then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned, the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving.
It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn’t been enough money to buy me the rifle that I’d wanted so bad that year for Christmas.
We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa
wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible. So after
supper was over, I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the
fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still
feeling sorry for
myself and, to be honest, I wasn’t in much of a mood to read scriptures.
But Pa didn’t get the Bible. Instead he bundled up and went outside. I
couldn’t figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I
didn’t worry about it long though; I was too busy wallowing in
self-pity. Pa came
back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard.
“Come on, Matt,” he said. “Bundle up good, it’s cold out tonight.”
Now I was really upset. Not only wasn’t I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We’d already done all the chores, and I couldn’t think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one’s feet when he’d told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn’t know what.
Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn’t going to be a short, quick little job. I could tell. We never hitched up the big sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn’t happy. When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. “I think we’ll put on the high sideboards,” he said. “Here, help me.” The high sideboards!
It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high sideboards on. When we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood---the wood I’d spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something. “Pa,” I asked, “what are you doing?”
“You been by the Widow Jensen’s lately?” he asked. The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight.
Sure, I’d been by, but so what? “Yeah,” I said, “why?”
“I rode by just today,” Pa said. “Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They’re out of wood, Matt.” That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading. We went to the smokehouse and took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and smaller sack of something in his left hand.
“What’s in the little sack?” I asked.
“Shoes. They’re out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunnysacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without a little candy.”
We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen’s pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn’t have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the from of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that. But I knew we didn’t have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy?
Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us. It shouldn’t have been our concern.
We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible. Then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, “Who is it?”
“Lucas Miles, Ma’am, and my son, Matt. Could we come in for a bit?”
Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp.
“We brought you a few things, Ma’am,” Pa said and set down the sack of
flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had
the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one
pair at a
time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children---sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last.
I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn’t come out.
“We brought a load of wood too, Ma’am,” Pa said, then he turned to me and said, “Matt, go bring enough in to last for awhile. Let’s get that fire up to size and heat this place up.”
I wasn’t the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I
had a big lump in my throat and, much as I hate to admit it, there were
tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled
around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running
down her cheeks and so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn’t
speak. My heart swelled within me and a joy filled my soul that I’d
never known before. I had given at Christmas many times before, but
never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally
saving the lives of this
family.
I soon had the fire blazing and everyone’s spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn’t crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us. “God bless you,” she said. “I know the Lord himself has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his children to spare us.” In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again.
I’d never thought of Pa in those
exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it, I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth, save One.
I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it. Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get.
Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord, that the Lord
would make
sure he got the right sizes.
Tears were running down Widow Jensen’s face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn’t want us to go. I could see that they missed their pa, and I was glad that I still had mine.
At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, “The Mrs. Wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We’ll be by to get you about eleven. It’ll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt here, hasn’t been little for quite a spell.” I was the youngest. My two older brothers and two older sisters were all married and had moved away.
Widow Jensen nodded and said, “Thank you, Brother Miles. I don’t have to say, ‘May the Lord bless you,’ I know for certain that He will.”
Out on the sled I felt warmth that came from deep within and I didn’t
even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said,
“Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a
little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for
you, but we didn’t have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from year’s back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that. But on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunnysacks and I knew what I had to do. So, Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand.”
I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Just then the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen’s face and the radiant smiles of her three children.
For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered. And remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night. He had given me the best Christmas of my life.

[ 12-19-2003, 10:16 AM: Message edited by: crabbait ]

[fatfish]

Wow, very heart touching story. Thanks for the reminder of what the true Christmas spirit is about.

Happy Holidays to you.

Cheers, Fatfish.....

[Wreckless]

Thank you

[RIPPLE]

Thank you for sharing that. It really brings home the spirit of Christmas, just a great story to remember as I fly around in my busy holiday "mode" Happy holidays to all!
:grin: RIPPLE :grin:

[pu-rvr-fishr]

I am planning on reading this story to my kids tonight. Thanks for sharing.

[Artwo]

I to am going to read this to my family tonight around the Christmas tree. I also sent it on to some of my closest friends.

Thank You for passing it on to us.

[SHOUGALNITE]

:smile:

[rustyl]

Oh man... This should come with a warning:

WARNING!!! DO NOT READ WHILE AT WORK!! WARNING!!

Now if someone comes to talk to me then I have to pretend like I have a cold.

[fishbait]

So I eating lunch at my deak and off to I fish I go while I'm eating. This was the first post.... Now as I dry my eyes and finish my lunch I think I will pass this story on......... Great timing as far as I am concerned as I take possession of 300 pounds of used hospital blankets today and will be delevering them to the local battered womans shelter this weekend to be given away to the kids when they leave the shelter. Probably get all misty eyed then too.......

thanks for sharing............ Steve

[ 12-18-2003, 01:25 PM: Message edited by: fishbait ]

[Small Fry]

I havent been able to find my Christmas sprit this year until I read this. THANK YOU! [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] Now I feel better.

[Kentucky Hog Hunter]

Truly a heart warming story...

It makes you feel good to understand what this is all about...

God Bless everyone and merry christmas.

[Lives_to_fish]

I also plan on sharing this with the youth group my wife and I lead, at our Christmas party. I just don’t know how well I would do reading it out loud.
I am glad that you all enjoyed it as much as I did.
Marry Christmas & God Bless!

[crabbait]

We mods discussed this and decided that, yes, it is not fishing related (NFR), should be moved to LIG, and that we would leave it on the ifish community board for awhile anyway onacounta.

We know this is inconsistent and completely wrong. Merry Christmas.

[ 12-18-2003, 04:20 PM: Message edited by: crabbait ]

[Thumper]

Cool, Steve. Very cool.

[CATCH AND EAT]

Thanks Mods for letting this one ride. I'm fighting back the tears right now as this story touched me this evening. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.

[Cosmic Lazy Susan]

Got me misty,

Thanks!

[Get Bit]

Thank You Rob!!! Serious lump in my throat. Makes me think of this verse:

"Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

Sure is tough to keep the world from getting a hold of you sometimes.What an example of the true Christmas spirit. Merry Christmas to you and your family!!!

Get Bit

[skein]

Times have changed a little since the 1880's, but seems I remember a wagon just recently that needed the high sideboards - headed to Emmanual Hospital.

The spirit lives, and the Ifish Community just proved it. [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img]

Merry Christmas everybody. (now I'll go wipe my eyes)

Skein

[DownTime]

definitely the true spirit of Christmas.Thanks and Merry Christmas

[Jennie@ifish]

Someone whistled this to go to LIG.

We almost moved it, and then we read it.

I think it got to all of us.

Merry Christmas from the inconsistent moderating team at ifish. I don't know what it is, but some threads just have to stay. :smile:

I love it, and really, to all of you-- Merry Christmas!!

Jen

[salmurai]

Thanks for sharing. The true spirit of Christmas. Happy Holidays to all......

[adfluvial angler]

Wonderful story, thank you.

[jokester]

Now that's the REAL meaning of Christmas! Thanks for reminding us all! [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

-jokester

[crabbait]

This thread was nearing the bottom of the page on the community board so it looks like time to move to LIG.

Thanks for your patience with the inconsistent mods.

[DAB]

Quick! somebody bring me a towl.
DAB

[ 12-19-2003, 11:18 PM: Message edited by: DAB ]