Thankfulness

Hello Believers....

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to all the magical American people out there... we are busy, busy preparing a huge feast for everyone in the North Pole... (we don't get to eat this much at Christmas because we just don't have time to... so, we love this holiday)....

Last night, I helped a family put up their Christmas tree.. it was so much fun going through all of the ornaments and deciding exactly where they would hang so they could be seen by everyone.. this family has most of their ornaments labeled with dates and places and names of family members.. one would think that the older kids never saw their ornaments as they dug through the boxes to find their "first Christmas" ones... the parents had many ornaments that they had purchased on vacations prior to having children... and they reminisced about them as they put them up...

They invited their neighbors to join them in their celebration and bring their special ornaments, too (since they are not putting up a tree this year... they are sad because a beloved family member passed away so they think they will be traveling during Christmas time to lessen the heartache)... 

I could feel the love that all of these people felt for one another.. though they are only friends, they have created a "family".. their children call one another "cousin" and they all get along as such... the 2 older boys have a very special bond as both of them are the 2nd children in each family, however, when their older brothers left at the same time (at 14 years old), one to a boarding school in New Hampshire and the other to a school in Milan, Italy, they had to step up and become the "older" brothers... and they became one another's brother and best friend... the mothers, of course, felt the same emptiness at having their young sons away.. the little ones are both "special".. one with downs syndrome and the other with aspergers.. and the only girl, is treated like a princess by the 4 boys... she is the sweetest thing and has the patience of a Saint really .... 

These people understand the "magic" of what Christmas is about... they are people of faith, hope and love... they are true believers that, with love, all things are possible... 

After the tree was beautifully decorated, we ate a wonderful lasagna supper... the mothers drank wine and told stories about their mothers and the traditions each family had... and I played "Life" with the kids... 

It was a lovely evening and a wonderful way to prepare for today... they have a lot to be thankful for... and they really are thankful to God for all their blessings.... I am so happy I got to be a part of their "love" fest....

Be nice.. Be good.. Be loving.. Be thankful ....... Be-lieve!

I love you,
Laney

p.s. keep those emails coming... I love them ... little.laney.elf@gmail.com 

What we ask for....

Hello Magical People….. 

Woo hoo!!!  I received my first email of the season last night from "Lar"…

However, it broke my heart… this lovely girl’s mother is very, very sick and is dying… all she is asking for is that Santa and the elves pray for her and the whole family… they are going to put up their Christmas tree today because they do not think she will live until Christmas Day… I haven’t been able to stop crying about this because I know how much pain is in her heart since my elf daddy went to heaven just this past June… As terribly sad as her email was to read, her request for “prayers” is what the spirit of Christmas is all about… being unselfish and loving with other people… and rather than asking for things for oneself, we wish for things that will make other people feel happy and loved..

 A long, long time ago, no one wrote lists for Santa… Santa simply delivered gifts to everyone according to what he thought would make them happy… Of course, as the world became more and more populated, it was easier for Santa and the elves to organize the gifts according to the lists that people sent him… but we all know that, as hard as Santa tries, he can’t always give us what we want and sometimes, he delivers surprise gifts…

In the email she says she knows that Santa cannot grant her Christmas wish of having her mother live free of illness, but because she wrote me, at least she will have 9 billion elves praying for her and her family… (yes, there are 9 billion elves right now.. you can google it if you don’t believe me) …

Prayer is a very powerful thing and I think that this girl knows that...hence, the reason why she asked for that one thing… she has a lot of faith, hope and love in her heart.. and even though she says she has to find strength to get through it, I believe she is one of the strongest and bravest girls I know.. she has shown that LOVE is the purest gift that one person can give to another… the unselfishness and  humbleness with which she asks for prayer, by pouring out her heart to me, is the greatest gift that she could ever give her mother...

Though this first email is so heart-wrenching, I think it says so much about the importance of what we ask for... Christmas can be a wonderful time of giving and receiving... I learned a lot about that thanks to Lar ... petitions of the heart is what keeps Christmas alive and true to what is celebrated on December 25th.. 

So, this morning, during morning prayers, we said this prayer…

“Infinite Spirit of God, please hear our heartfelt prayers for Lar and her family… please extend Your healing touch to Lar’s mother so that she does not suffer needlessly from the cancer that consumes her… If it is Your Will, please allow her to witness the magic of Christmas with her loving family, but if it is not, then please fill the hearts of those she will leave behind with the peace and love that only You can comfort us with… Lar believes in prayer… and we believe in You … Amen.”

I hope that you all will find it in your hearts to pray for Lar … 

May you all be mindful of what you ask for... Be of a humble heart … Be good .. Be nice .. Be-lieve …

I love you,

Laney