A Special Christmas Message

[tjsa]

T'WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HE LIVED ALL ALONE,

IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE, MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY, WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,

AND TO SEE JUST WHO, IN THIS HOME, DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,

NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS, NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY THE MANTLE, JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,

ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES, OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

 

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES, AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,

A SOBER THOUGHT, CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT, IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,

I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER, ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING, SILENT, ALONE,

CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR, IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE, THE ROOM IN DISORDER,

NOT HOW I PICTURED, A CANADIAN SOLDIER.

 

WAS THIS THE HERO, OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?

CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES, THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,

OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS, WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD, THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,

AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE, A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM, EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,

BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS, LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

 

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER, HOW MANY LAY ALONE,

ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE, IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT, A TEAR TO MY EYE,

I DROPPED TO MY KNEES, AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED, AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,

"SANTA DON'T CRY, THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,

MY LIFE IS MY GOD, MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."

 

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER, AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,

I COULDN'T CONTROL IT, I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS, SO SILENT AND STILL,

AND WE BOTH SHIVERED, FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE, ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,

THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR, SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER, WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,

WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA, IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."

 

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."

 

 

 

This poem was written by a Canadian Peacekeeping soldier stationed overseas. The following is his request.

 

 

PLEASE. Would you do me the kind favour of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some

 

credit is due to all of the service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities. Let's try in this small way

 

to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.

 

 

 

*******note: I have not seen this one before, and I cannot vouch for the validity of the claim above*************

 

but.............does that really matter????????????

[douG]

I agree, Thomas. Bring em all home to their wives, their kids, and their mothers. Well said, my friend.

[lew]

Thanks Tom, I've read that one before , but it's definetely worth reading again.

[Greencoachdog]

My what a cheerful little diddy that was!

 

My hat goes off to the men and women in the armed forces!

 

... but traveling to foriegn countries, being in harms way and being away from thier homes and families is their job!

 

If they don't like it , they shouldn't re-enlist.

 

If they thought it was going to be a cakewalk when they enlisted the first time they were sadly mistaken.

 

 

Maybe we should bring all the soldiers home of both our countries and just let them sit around and wait for the bad guys to take over the rest of the world and only worry about it when the bad guys decide they want our countries too?

 

Fat and lazy with no combat experience, that would make a good fighting force eh?

[danbo]

Hats off to the Brave

 

(May ALL the World Leaders read this too & re-think their motives of WAR.)

 

Edited December 10, 2008 by danbo