NadaTall
12-13-2003, 01:56 AM
On a lonely and a quiet night,
In the snowy glow of Christmas lights,
The wind blew hard and gusted at the door,
Where a cold and frightened little boy
Who knew nothing of the season’s joy
Pulled tight the thin and ragged clothes he wore.
As he climbed the steps and rang the bell he thought he’d like to run,
But a voice inside reminded him what needed to be done.
So he stood up straight and reached inside
The pocket of his coat,
And he tried to plan what he would say
If the lump would leave his throat:
“Sir, I found your wallet on the ground
And I meant to bring it back around,
But I had to get a present for someone.
“Now, my daddy taught me not to steal,
And I hope you know how bad I feel,
But I took ten dollars out before I came.
’Cause my daddy died a month ago;
Now I’m the man, and Sir, I know
My mama’s Christmas just won’t be the same.
“We never had much money, but he always bought a rose,
Which she put into a special vase with two big velvet bows.
And tonight I gave my mom a rose
To fill that empty vase.
For the first time since my daddy died
I saw a smile on Mama’s face.
And I’ll pay the money back to you;
But please don’t tell, ’cause if she knew,
She’d be sad and disappointed, I suppose.”
The man said nothing for awhile.
Then he took the wallet, with a smile,
And he said, “Don’t worry, son, it’s Christmas Eve.
I have a mother, just like you,
And she likes Christmas roses, too.
Come in and meet her, quick, before you leave.”
The woman smiled and graciously extended her right hand
To shake the cold and dirty palm of a frightened little man.
She said, “I’m glad to have you here
To share our holiday.
Sit down and warm yourself a bit;
You’re welcome, dear, to stay.”
And the boy learned on that Christmas night
That honesty can make things right.
And he made two friends because he took a stand.
Carol Scott
In the snowy glow of Christmas lights,
The wind blew hard and gusted at the door,
Where a cold and frightened little boy
Who knew nothing of the season’s joy
Pulled tight the thin and ragged clothes he wore.
As he climbed the steps and rang the bell he thought he’d like to run,
But a voice inside reminded him what needed to be done.
So he stood up straight and reached inside
The pocket of his coat,
And he tried to plan what he would say
If the lump would leave his throat:
“Sir, I found your wallet on the ground
And I meant to bring it back around,
But I had to get a present for someone.
“Now, my daddy taught me not to steal,
And I hope you know how bad I feel,
But I took ten dollars out before I came.
’Cause my daddy died a month ago;
Now I’m the man, and Sir, I know
My mama’s Christmas just won’t be the same.
“We never had much money, but he always bought a rose,
Which she put into a special vase with two big velvet bows.
And tonight I gave my mom a rose
To fill that empty vase.
For the first time since my daddy died
I saw a smile on Mama’s face.
And I’ll pay the money back to you;
But please don’t tell, ’cause if she knew,
She’d be sad and disappointed, I suppose.”
The man said nothing for awhile.
Then he took the wallet, with a smile,
And he said, “Don’t worry, son, it’s Christmas Eve.
I have a mother, just like you,
And she likes Christmas roses, too.
Come in and meet her, quick, before you leave.”
The woman smiled and graciously extended her right hand
To shake the cold and dirty palm of a frightened little man.
She said, “I’m glad to have you here
To share our holiday.
Sit down and warm yourself a bit;
You’re welcome, dear, to stay.”
And the boy learned on that Christmas night
That honesty can make things right.
And he made two friends because he took a stand.
Carol Scott