By ,
The old man with a white beard sat out on a rock and looked at the children around his feet. His story began:
"My name is Samuel. I was born many years ago when my father and his two brothers raised sheep on this hillside. I had four cousins who helped with the sheep. When I was a boy, I could not walk. I was born with a withered leg.
One day my father brought me a crutch. It was made from the fork of a tree limb. I could raise myself and follow my cousins as they tended the flock of sheep. I was always behind because I could not go as fast as they could. So it became my job to watch after the sheep when they bedded down at night.
There was a full moon that night as I sat on a rock watching the sheep. My father and the others were sleeping near the campfire. It was cold. We had blankets made from the wool of the sheep we raised.
The tinkle of the bell was less frequent now. That meant that the old ewe who was the flock leader was settling down for the night.
A baby lamb-only one day old-was going `Baa-Baa.` It had lost its mother. The sound stopped as it found her and nuzzled the soft nipple and felt the warm milk in its mouth. Its tail-almost twelve inches long-wiggled, signaling, `All is well.`
A strange looking lamb nuzzled its mother. He had the skin of a dead lamb on his body. His mother had died giving birth to this orphan lamb. A ewe whose baby died in childbirth accepted the orphan lamb with the skin her dead lamb draped across the back of the orphan lamb.
During the night a bright star appeared. My father and uncles were awakened by a voice. An angel said: `Tonight there is born in the city of Bethlehem a Savior which is Christ the Lord.`
The shepherds said one to another, `Let us go into the city of Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass which the Lord has made known to us.`
`But who will take care of the sheep?` `Leave Samuel, he can`t keep up with us anyway.`
As the glow of the sun began to lighten the sky, I heard the voices of my uncles and cousins returning from Bethlehem.
The shepherds were excited. They had found a baby in a manger in Bethlehem. He was tucked in a bed of straw with his mother who was peacefully allowing him to nurse.
`Go home, Samuel, you have been up all night with the sheep.`
I pulled up on my crutch and started for home. The star was still there and I followed it instead of going home.
Just as I turned a corner I was amazed to see three large animals in front of a barn. They were camels. I watched as three men dressed in colorful robes and headbands dismounted and went into the barn. Each placed a beautifully wrapped gift in front of the feed trough where the baby lay.
I waited and then hobbled through the door being very quiet. I got to where I could see the baby and his mother. It was just as my cousins had described it.
These fancy dressed men presented their gifts to the Christ Child and turned to leave. I wanted so badly to have a gift to give to him. Then I said to myself, `I do have a gift. I will give him my most precious possession.`
I dropped to my knees and placed my crutch beside the manger bed. My heart was filled with joy. I stayed and looked at the sweet baby for a long time.
Finally I turned and began to crawl away from the baby.
Something happened! Something very wonderful!
My leg-the one that had been twisted since I was born-was straight like my other leg. Slowly I rose to my feet and took a step. Then I took another one.
I was walking for the first time in my life."
© 2005 This Christmas story is original with the author; any similarity to others is coincidental.
