A Christmas Miracle

~ A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE ~

YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN WHEN KIDS COME TOGETHER AND THAT IS TRUE IN KINDERGARTEN. IN A KINDERGARTEN CLASS YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT OF THE CHILDREN. SOME ARE SHY AND TIMID, AND OTHERS ARE NOT INTIMIDATED BY WHAT OTHERS SAY AND DO. IN THE FALL OF 1998 I HAD TWO EXCEPTIONALLY BRIGHT CHILDREN WHO WERE ARTICULATE, EXPRESSIVE AND KIND. THESE CHILDREN ONE A BOY, THE OTHER A GIRL CAME TO BE FAST FRIENDS. THEY WOULD PLAY ON THE MONKEY BARS TOGETHER AND SAVE PLACES FOR EACH OTHER. THEY WOULD COME IN FROM RECESS HOLDING HANDS. WHEN ONE WAS SICK THEY WOULD WRITE THE OTHER A GET-WELL LETTER. THEY WERE INSEPARABLE. AS THEIR TEACHER I TOLD THEM IT WAS BEST NOT TO HOLD HANDS IN SCHOOL. BUT THEY STILL TRIED TO DO SO IN SECRET. I WOULD GIVE THEM THE LOOK AND THE HANDS WOULD RELUCTANTLY RETURN TO THEIR SIDES.

KINDERGARTEN WAS A FULFILLING YEAR FOR BOTH OF THEM. FULL OF LEARNING AND FRIENDSHIP, BUT WHEN THEY GRADUATED THEY WERE OFF TO DIFFERENT SCHOOLS. THE NEXT YEAR I SAW THEM OCCASIONALLY ALONG WITH THEIR FAMILIES. THE BOY, GARRETT LIVED WITH HIS SINGLE FATHER AND GRANDPARENTS. ON OCCASION HIS FAMILY WOULD INVITE CLAIRE OVER FOR COOKIES AND MILK AND THEY WOULD SPEND THE AFTERNOON TOGETHER. THEIR BIGGEST LOVE BESIDES EACH OTHER WAS READING. BOTH PROGRESSED WELL IN SCHOOL. BY THE END OF THE FIRST GRADE BOTH EXCELLED IN SCHOOL AND THEY LOOKED TO HAVE A BRIGHT FUTURE.

IN JULY, GARRETT WAS ON HIS WAY TO MONTANA WITH HIS FATHER AND GRANDPARENTS FOR A WEDDING WHEN A DRUNK DRIVER CROSSED THE DIVIDED HIGHWAY. THEY WERE HIT HEAD ON, EVEN THOUGH GARRETT'S FATHER HAD TURNED THE VEHICLE TO TRY AND AVOID THE CRASH. THE DRUNK DRIVER HAD FOLLOWED THEIR LIGHTS. GARRETT'S GRANDMOTHER HELD GARRETT IN HER ARMS AS GARRETT PASSED AWAY IN THE CRUSHED CAR. GARRETT'S FATHER DIED UPON ARRIVAL AT THE HOSPITAL. CLAIRE WAS VERY SAD, BUT UNDERSTOOD THAT GARRETT HAD FOREVER GONE TO A BETTER PLACE WHERE PERHAPS HE COULD TEACH OTHER CHILDREN TO READ.

CLAIRE PROGRESSED WELL IN SECOND GRADE. WE WOULD TALK ABOUT THE HARRY POTTER BOOKS. SHE READ THEM ALL. IN THIRD GRADE WE WOULD SHARE STORIES ABOUT WHAT SHE WAS DOING AND I WOULD KID HER ABOUT HOW SHE ALWAYS HELD GARRETT'S HAND IN KINDERGARTEN.

THIS CHRISTMAS I MENTIONED TO CLAIRE THAT ONE OF THE BEST GIFTS SHE COULD GIVE WOULD BE A LETTER TO CINDY, GARRETT'S GRANDMOTHER, TELLING HER WHAT BOOKS SHE HAD READ AND HOW THINGS WERE GOING IN THIRD GRADE. FOUR DAYS PAST AND CLAIRE DROPPED OFF A SEALED ENVELOPE THAT READ: "TO CINDY FROM CLAIRE." THAT NIGHT I DROPPED OFF THE SEALED LETTER TO CINDY. CINDY WITH HER EYES FULL OF TEARS SAID, "I HAVE SOMETHING FOR CLAIRE."

SHE TOOK ME INTO GARRETT'S OLD ROOM AND PULLED OUT AN ENVELOPE. IT WAS JUST LIKE THE ONE CLAIRE HAD USED. ON THE FRONT IN GARRETT'S HANDWRITING WERE THE WORDS, "TO CLAIRE FROM GARRETT." CINDY EXPLAINED THAT SHE FOUND THIS ENVELOPE AFTER GOING THROUGH GARRETT'S DRESSER. SHE ASKED THAT I DELIVER IT TO CLAIRE.

I SAW CLAIRE THE NEXT DAY. AS CLAIRE WALKED DOWN THE HALL, I PUT MY ARMS AROUND HER AND SAID THAT I HAD A PRESENT FOR HER FROM GARRETT. HER EYES WERE WIDE OPEN IN SHOCK AS I GAVE HER THE ENVELOPE FROM GARRETT. IN HER SWEET SOFT VOICE SHE SAID, "OH IT'S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE." THEN A SMILE CAME ACROSS HER FACE AS SHE LOOKED AT GARRETT'S NAME. "OH I HAD FORGOTTEN THAT HE HAD A DOUBLE T IN HIS NAME." INSIDE THE ENVELOPE WERE LITTLE PICTURES HE HAD DRAWN AND COLORED FOR CLAIRE.

AT THE END OF THE DAY I SAW CLAIRE THROUGH THE WINDOW OF THE BUS. SHE CAME RUNNING OFF THE BUS AND GAVE ME A HUG THANKING ME FOR THE MOST WONDERFUL PRESENT. TEARS FILLED MY EYES AND I THANKED CLAIRE AND GARRETT FOR SHARING THEIR WONDERFUL WORLD OF FRIENDSHIP. IT WAS AS CLAIRE SAID, "A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE."