Christmas Spirit

I am sorry that I didn't write a post yesterday. I was in a lot of pain, and so I stayed low most of the day. When my pain is really bad, it hurts to even write so... thanks for understanding. I was able to go to church today for a little while, and how grateful I am. Going to church renews and uplifts me. So even though I couldn't stay the whole time, I was thankful for being there for at least, a little while. Plus, I love singing the Christmas songs in church, that was a great memory from the time I was a little girl sitting in church with my family and grandma.
Here is  your Christmas story for tonight, it's good.

Christmas Spirit

The line of disgruntled customers snaked around the counter and disappeared somewhere in the men's ware department. There were just two more shopping days before Christmas, and most of the shoppers in line were in panic mode, coiling to strike. One of those customers was my husband, Dale.
Dale is one of those people who shop better under pressure. They are the no-nonsense shoppers who depend on fast service because every minute counts as the countdown before Christmas continues. But the service here was anything but fast.
The problem was the elderly lady at the front of the line, who was twittering happily to the lone salesgirl manning the cash register.
"This sweater is for my granddaughter," the lady explained. " She's going to be a teacher, you know. And she's doing very well. She has a nice boyfriend who is an architectural technician. He's just started a job with a good company, but you know, we  haven't  seen any sign of a ring yet. Young people  seem to wait so long these days. They've been going out for quite a while now. Why, I was married with one child and another one on the way when I was her age."
On and on she rattled as she painstakingly counted out her change, oblivious to the writhing serpent of customers behind her. When she finally zipped her purse shut and picked up her parcel, the clerk motioned to the man next in line.
"Thank you, dearie," said the lady as she started to move slowly away, checking the contents of her shopping bag. She was almost to the end of the counter when suddenly she turned back. "Opps! Excuse me," she cried. A collective hiss went down the line. Several fangs were bared. An ominous rattle of keys began in someone's pocket.
"What's this for?" she asked, holding up a piece of paper
"It's a discount coupon that will give you a 15 percent off your next purchase here at the store, from now until the end of January," replied the weary salesgirl.
"Well, thank you, my dear, but I won't be needing this," she beamed. "Here, you can use it right now!" she said, handing it to the man next in line. The man's eyes widened, and he mumbled a word of thanks as she shuffled to the door.
Then an amazing thing happened. The man stepped up to the counter and used the coupon that the elderly lady had given him. When the clerk handed him another coupon for his next visit to the store, he promptly turned around and gave it to the woman in line behind him. After she had used that coupon toward her purchase and the clerk gave her another one, the woman then passed it back to the shopper behind her. By the time it was Dale's turn, the salesclerk had a smile on her face, and so did Dale as he turned around to give his coupon to the lady behind him. And so it went, on down the line until there  was nothing left of that disgruntled snake, not even a rattle. One small act of kindness had snowballed into a mountain of goodwill.
Dale says it was one of the best gifts he got that Christmas---when he discovered that the Christmas spirit is still alive and well in our world.   ~ Lisa Beringer ( Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas )

"The only blind person at Christmastime is he who has not Christmas in his heart"  ~ Helen Keller

"Selfishness makes Christmas a burden, love makes it a delight."   ~Unknown

"He who has no Christmas in his heart will never find Christmas under a tree."   ~ ( Sunshine Magazine )