[crazyhorse]

Merry Christmas to my FRIENDS here.
To celebrate I'll give you a good story, that I heard. My gift to you...

Paraphrased from Paul Harvey,

In our modern world we like complex explanations to things. To this end some people can't grasp the simple explanation of God, born as a man, to save us.

There was such a man, who couldn't grasp the simple concept of God, on earth. Now he wasn't a Scrooge, but rather a very good, and decent man.
One Christmas, he felt he couldn't go to the midnight mass with his family, as it made him feel like a hypocrite.
After his family had left it began to snow, very hard. While reading he heard a thump on the picture window, then another. He got up & went to the door to investigate, assuming some kids were throwing snowballs. To his suprise there was a flock of birds, stranded by the heavy snow. They'd been trying to get inside, where it was warm.
This man went out to the barn, opened the door, and turned on the light so the poor birds could find thier way. These birds remained on the front lawn, unable to find the comfort of the warm barn. The man got some bread, and left a trail of crumbs. Even this left the birds unable to find the refuge he'd made for them. The man then tried to capture them, to take them into the place he'd made for them. He could not. Shooing them with arms wide, and making noise, just scattered them to the four winds.
It was then that the man realized the birds were scared of him, and because of that fear they would not follow him. He thiought then, that if he could somehow become one of them, get down on thier level, and speak thier language, then he could get them to follow him into the comfortable place he'd made for them.
At that moment he heard the bells of the church tolling across the landscape. In that moment all became clear, and the man fell to his knees, praying to God

May the holidays bring you the joy & peace promised by the season.