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Santa's Prayer



Three years ago, a little boy and his grandmother came to see Santa at Mayfair Mall in Wisconsin . The child climbed up on his lap, holding a picture of a little girl. "Who is this?" asked Santa, smiling.

"Your friend?" Your sister?

"Yes, Santa," he replied. "My sister, Sarah, who is very sick," he said sadly.

Santa glanced over at the grandmother who was waiting nearby, and saw her dabbing her eyes with a tissue.

"She wanted to come with me to see you, oh, so very much, Santa!" the child exclaimed. "She misses you," he added softly.

Santa tried to be cheerful and encouraged a smile to the boy's face, asking him what he wanted Santa to bring him for Christmas. When they finished their visit, the Grandmother came over to help the child off his lap, and started to say something to Santa, but halted. "What is it?" Santa asked warmly.

"Well, I know it's really too much to ask you, Santa, but ..." the old woman began, shooing her grandson over to one of Santa's elves to collect the little gift which Santa gave all his young visitors. "The girl in the photograph ... my granddaughter .... well, you see .. she has leukemia and isn't expected to make it even through the holidays," she said through tear-filled eyes. "Is there any way, Santa .... any possible way that you could come see Sarah? That's all she's

asked for, for Christmas, is to see Santa."

Santa blinked and swallowed hard and told the woman to leave information with his elves as to where Sarah was, and he would see what he could

do. Santa thought of little else the rest of that afternoon. He knew what he had to do. "What if it were MY child lying in that hospital bed, dying," he thought with a sinking heart, "this is the least I can do."

When Santa finished visiting with all the boys and girls that evening, he retrieved from his helper the name of the hospital where Sarah was staying. He asked the assistant location manager how to get to

Children's Hospital. "Why?" Rick asked, with a puzzled look on his face. Santa relayed to him the conversation with Sarah's grandmother earlier that day. "C'mon .... I'll take you there," Rick said softly.

Rick drove them to the hospital and came inside with Santa. They found out which room Sarah was in. A pale Rick said he would wait out in the hall.

Santa quietly peeked into the room through the half-closed door and saw little Sarah on the bed. The room was full of what appeared to be her family; there was the Grandmother and the girl's brother he had met earlier that day.

A woman whom he guessed was Sarah's mother stood by the bed, gently pushing Sarah's thin hair off her forehead. And another woman who he discovered later was Sarah's aunt, sat in a chair near the bed with weary, sad look on her face. They were talking quietly, and Santa could sense the warmth and closeness of the family, and their love and concern for Sarah. Taking a deep breath, and forcing a smile on his face, Santa entered the room, bellowing a hearty, "Ho, ho, ho!"

"Santa!" shrieked little Sarah weakly, as she tried to escape her bed to run to him, IV tubes intact. Santa rushed to her side and gave her a warm hug. A child the tender age of his own son -- 9 years old -- gazed up at him with wonder and excitement. Her skin was pale and her short tresses bore telltale bald patches from the effects of chemotherapy. But all he saw when he looked at her was a pair of huge, blue eyes. His heart melted, and he had to force himself to choke back tears. Though his eyes were riveted upon Sarah's face, he could hear the gasps and quiet sobbing of the women in the room. As he and Sarah began talking, the family crept quietly to the bedside one by one, squeezing Santa's shoulder or his hand gratefully, whispering "thank you" as they gazed sincerely at him with shining eyes. Santa and Sarah talked and talked, and she told him excitedly all the toys she wanted for Christmas, assuring him she'd been a very good girl that year. As their time together dwindled, Santa felt led in his spirit to pray for Sarah, and asked for permission from the girl's mother. She nodded in agreement and the entire family circled around Sarah's bed, holding hands.

Santa looked intensely at Sarah and asked her if she believed in angels. "Oh, yes, Santa ... I do!" she exclaimed.

"Well, I'm going to ask that angels watch over you, "he said. Laying one hand on the child's head, Santa closed his eyes and prayed. He asked that God touch little Sarah, and heal her body from this disease He asked that angels minister to her, watch and keep her. And when he finished praying, still with eyes closed, he started singing softly, "Silent Night, Holy Night - all is calm, all is bright." The family joined in, still holding hands, smiling at Sarah, and crying tears of hope, tears of joy for this moment, as Sarah beamed at them all. When the song ended, Santa sat on the side of the bed again and held Sarah's frail, small hands

Wow, that is an extremely sad sorry , but the power of a prayer is strong and unites everyone in times of need


happy holidays
merry xmas

and thanks for reminding me what the holidays are about, hope.

Santa is leading prayer? That's hilarious.

Thanks for reminding me what the real meaning of xmas is, the birth of Santa.

posthuman saidSanta is leading prayer? That's hilarious.

Thanks for reminding me what the real meaning of xmas is, the birth of Santa.

Dude, the "Santa" story started out as a generous bishop, Saint Nicholas of Myra (in Turkey). Hmm, a bishop leading prayer... novel idea, huh?

True. Santa Claus is what he is know as today but it all started with with Saint Nicolas, just as red said above. There is meaning behind what he did or else children around the world would not be expecting gifts from santa today.

Yes, our modern day Santa is JUST like that, dude!

Santa is about a secular as it gets, which is probably a good thing.

Rocco, You made me cry with that. Not sure if I should have read it or not. I'm a mess now.

Stories like this are indeed touching regardless of the attachment to religion or otherwise. Christmas, Santa, gift giving, offerings, prayers etc are pieced together from a myriad of rituals and religions dating back some 4000 years prior to 0BC. Ostensibly, some of these practices weren't so palatable to modern mankind since they sometimes included sacrifices

It is always good when people remember how little effort it takes to make amazing moments into reality.

Let's just hope she is asleep when the hospital Santa makes his rounds in the children's ward !!

ha ha ha (or should that be ho ho ho) .. only joking... nice story.

Happy Happy Merry Merry to One & All

Definitely a touching story, whether it's true or not it's a message of giving rather than getting. Nice to read something about being selfless rather than selfish during a time when so much we see is about "us" rather than others. Add a powerful prayer (regardless of your spiritual belief) and your true colors shine...Thanks for sharing it...although I didn't cry, I could have!

Merry Christmas

I cry when i read such trite,cheap , unoriginal writing passing itself off as Dickensian hope. It adds nothing to your humanity cheats us of sincere feeling : because it's the same old homily which only reinenforces more unthinking bathos and cheaper stereotypes which leave us further ingrained with advertising holiday lies. this type of unspiritual reverie passing as spiritual impulse only keeps the world the same. Change comes about from vigorous soul searching agape not this litle soiled cutesy ...Nevermind.

I cry when i read such trite,cheap , unoriginal writing passing itself off as Dickensian hope. It adds nothing to your humanity cheats us of sincere feeling : because it's the same old homily which only reinenforces more unthinking bathos and cheaper stereotypes which leave us further ingrained with advertising holiday lies. this type of unspiritual reverie passing as spiritual impulse only keeps the world the same. Change comes about from vigorous soul searching agape not this litle soiled cutesy ...Nevermind.

HIU IM AN 18 YEAR OLD BOY... IM TALL WHITE BLOND HAIR BLUE EYES AND BUILT.. IM LOOKING 4 A MATURE FRIENDSHIP?? ARE U IN?

This was wonderful. Great story. Thank you for posting.

For more info on this story, its origins, and about the participating Santa (Mark Leonard), go to:

Mayfair Santa @ Snopes.com
Article by Barbara Mikkelson

For someone who would never cry (re: Can you take the guy above you?), you seem to have quite a few vulnerable spots StripperRocco

Thank you Nick for that info. It was nice to get the end of that story, although it made me cry again, but it had the ending I hoped for.

Mike

I just read it, sorry I missed it during the holidays. It was excellent, thats part of what Christmas is all about... Thanks for sharing that.