Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Penrose Christmas Chronicles
When I was six or seven, I told Mother I would like a book about Jesus for Christmas. So on Christmas morning here was my wondrous book. The book was a cheap one, marked 29 cents inside the front cover and I am sure even the 29 cents was hard to come by in those troubled days. I was so proud of this book. I took it to Sunday School in Byron and showed it to my teacher. She looked at it and told me "These are such poor pictures of Jesus. He doesn't look kind." My day was crushed and my heart sank. Forever after, I have never forgotten my sad feelings when my precious new book that came from Santa Claus was destroyed by an unthinking and careless Sunday School Teacher. So ever after I have thought, "Be very careful what you tell a child." And I have never forgotten this incident, seared permanently in my heart. But I know that Mother loved me enough to honor my humble Christmas request with the best that she could do, and my heart goes out to her even now for this treasured gift after so many, many years.
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3 comments:
This story is one I never knew. I often wonder if I have said some thoughtless thing that has caused someone sadness or pain. Unfortunately, probably so even if not intended.
I do know that Ben and JoLin were a little confused when the kids kept talking about monkey fuzz in the clothes drier. I'd better be careful.
But getting back to the sacrifices made especially by mother that we might have a Christmas surprise, are enough to cause a tear or two to drop off one's chin.
I think that monkey fuzz is very creative! The Christmas story is very poignant. Mother always tried to have some sort of Christmas for us. When Dad and I worked out in the garage together in Olympia, he told me that Mother was the motivation behind the wonderful (to us) Christmas surprises that we loved so much.
I suspect there are a number of great Christmas memories from our growing up years. Dwight, your book is another example of the magic that was created in our Penrose Christmas world. And the fact that you received the book hopefully eventually overshadowed an unthinkingly expressed comment.
Christmas was magic - the fun of putting up the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve and waking up the next morning to find a surprise tucked under the tree with the letter from Santa Claus cleverly written and an orange in our stockings - it was perfect. And the cold Wyoming winter's night when we would look up at the sky filled with stars from the east to the west and wonder which star might have been the special one is warm memory for me.
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