<![CDATA[The Dawning Light: Child Peace Stories]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/s/child-peace-storieshttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vD4A!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6200eda5-7047-40fb-957b-5b04c389c16a_646x646.pngThe Dawning Light: Child Peace Storieshttps://thedawninglight.substack.com/s/child-peace-storiesSubstackMon, 04 May 2026 17:11:51 GMT<![CDATA[“CHRISTMAS EVE AT THE GAS STATION” a story that will inspire and move you to tears about unexpected acts of kindness leading to the ultimate reward for a lonely old man]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/christmas-eve-at-the-gas-stationhttps://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/christmas-eve-at-the-gas-stationThu, 25 Dec 2025 08:02:49 GMT

This is our WEEKDAY edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT Magazine # 1618

Our FREE version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

Today we are featuring our…CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 64

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Written or Selected, edited and published by Chinmayan…

May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

Get 25% off for 1 year

All images in this story courtesy of Pixabay

ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL SERIES OF “CHILD PEACE STORIES”TO CELEBRATE THE LOVING HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

To celebrate this Christmas Holiday season,

we have published 22 heart opening and inspiring stories,

One new story every day during this season

That I have collected over many years to share with you.

Today’s story is ”Christmas Eve At The Gas Station”….

The last story in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

All images in this story courtesy of Pixabay

                                CHRISTMAS EVE AT THE GAS STATION

The story of how a lonely old man who had given up celebrating Christmas was rewarded for being kind to the people in need who came to his gas station one dark Christmas Eve.

                         By Unknown  Author with editing by Chinmayan

The old man sat in his gas station on a cold and snowy Christmas Eve.

He hadn't been anywhere in years since his wife had passed away.

It was just another day to him. He didn't hate Christmas, just couldn't find a reason to celebrate.

He was sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling for the last hour and wondering what it was all about when the door opened and a homeless man wearing a leather jacket and raggedy jeans stepped through.

Instead of throwing the man out, Old George, as he was known by his customers, told the man to come and sit by the heater and warm up.

"Thank you, but I don't mean to intrude," said the stranger. "I see you're busy, I'll just go."

"Not without something hot in your belly." George said.

He turned and opened a wide mouth Thermos and handed it to the stranger. "It ain't much, but it's hot and tasty. Just some simple stew that I made myself. When you're done, there's coffee and it's fresh."

Just at that moment he heard the "ding" of the driveway bell.

"Excuse me, be right back," George said.

There in the driveway was an old '53 Chevy. Steam was rolling out from under the hood . The driver was panicked.

 "Mister, can you help me!" said the driver, with a deep Spanish accent. "My wife is with child and my car is broken.We need to get to the hospital quick! “

 George opened the hood of the old car.

There was so much steam, and hissing and popping noises that it looked and sounded bad.

The engine block looked cracked from getting overheated and the car was dead.

"You ain't going in this thing," George said as he turned away.

"But Mister, please help ..."

The door of the office closed behind George as he went inside. He went to the office wall and got the keys to his old truck and went back outside.

He walked around the building, opened the garage, started the truck and drove it around to where the couple was waiting.

"Here, take my truck," he said. "She ain't the best thing you ever looked at, but she runs real good."

George helped put the woman in the truck’s warm cab and watched as the desperate husband and his pregnant wife sped off into the night.

He turned and walked back inside the office.

"Glad I gave 'em the truck, their tires were shot too. That old truck has brand new ones,”

George thought he was talking to the homeless stranger, but the man had gone.

The Thermos was on the desk with a used coffee cup beside it. "Well, at least he got something in his belly," George thought.

George went back outside to see if the couple’s old Chevy would start.

It cranked slowly, but it started. He pulled it into the garage where the truck had been. He thought he would tinker with it for something to do.

Christmas Eve meant no customers.

He discovered that the block hadn't cracked, it was just the bottom hose on the radiator. "Well, shoot, I can fix this," he said to himself.  So he put a new one on.

"Those tires ain't gonna get 'em through the winter either."

He took the snow treads off of his wife's old Lincoln. They were like new and he wasn't going to drive the car anyway.

As he was working, he heard shots being fired. He ran outside and beside a police car an officer lay on the cold ground. Bleeding from the left shoulder, the officer moaned, "Please help me."

George helped the officer inside as he remembered the training he had received in the Army as a medic.

He knew the wound needed attention. "Pressure to stop the bleeding," he thought.

The uniform company had been there that morning and had left clean shop towels.

He used those and duct tape to bind the wound. "Hey, they say duct tape can fix anythin'," he said, trying to make the policeman feel at ease.

"I need to give him something for the pain," George thought.

All he had was the pills he used for his back. "These ought to work." He put some water in a cup and gave the policeman the pills.

"You hang in there, I'm going to get you an ambulance."

The phone line was dead, probably taken out by the heavy snowstorm.

"Maybe I can get one of your buddies on that there talk box out in your car."

He went out only to find that a bullet had gone into the dashboard destroying the two way radio.

He went back in to find the policeman sitting up. "Thanks," said the officer. "You could have left me there. The guy that shot me is still in the area."

George sat down beside him, "I would never leave an injured man in the Army and I ain't gonna leave you."

George pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding.

"Looks worse than what it is. Bullet passed right through 'ya. Good thing it missed the important stuff though. I think with time you’re  gonna be right as rain."

George got up and poured a cup of coffee. "How do you take it?" he asked. "None for me," said the officer.

"Oh, yer gonna drink this. Best in the city. Too bad I ain't got no donuts." The officer laughed and winced at the same time.

The front door of the office flew open. In burst a young man with a gun. "Give me all your cash! Do it now!" the young man yelled.

His hand was shaking and George could tell that he had never done anything like this before.

"That's the guy that shot me!" exclaimed the officer.

"Son, why are you doing this?" asked George, "You need to put the cannon away. Somebody else might get hurt."

The young man was confused. "Shut up old man, or I'll shoot you, too. Now give me the cash!"

The cop was reaching for his gun. "Put that thing away," George said to the cop, "we got one too many in here now."

He turned his attention to the young man.

"Son, it's Christmas Eve. If you need money, well then, here. It ain't much but it's all I got. Now put that pea shooter away."

George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the young man, reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time.

The young man released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry.

"I'm not very good at this am I? All I wanted was to buy something for my wife and son," he went on. "I've lost my job, my rent is due, my car got repossessed last week."

George handed the gun to the cop. "Son, we all get in a bit of squeeze now and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we make it through the best we can."

He got the young man to his feet, and sat him down on a chair across from the cop.

"Sometimes we do stupid things." George handed the young man a cup of coffee.

"Bein' stupid is one of the things that makes us human. Comin' in here with a gun ain't the answer. Now sit there and get warm and we'll sort this thing out."

The young man had stopped crying. He looked over to the cop.

"I’m sorry I shot you. It was an accident…the gun just went off. I'm really sorry officer,” he said tearfully.

"Shut up and drink your coffee." the cop said.

George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an ambulance skidded to a halt.

Two cops came through the door, guns drawn. "Chuck! You ok?" one of the cops asked the wounded officer.

"Not bad for a guy who took a bullet. How did you find me?"

"GPS locator in the car. Best thing since sliced bread. Who did this?" the other cop asked as he approached the young man.

Chuck answered him, "I don't know. The guy ran off into the dark. Just dropped his gun and ran."

George and the young man both looked puzzled at each other.

"That guy work here?" the wounded cop continued.

"Yep," George said, "just hired him this morning. Boy lost his other job."

The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto the stretcher. The young man leaned over the wounded cop and whispered, "Why?"

Chuck just said, "Merry Christmas boy ... and you too, George, and thanks for everything."

"Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break there. That ought to solve some of your problems."

George went into the back room and came out with a box. He pulled out a ring box. "Here you go, something for the little woman. I don't think Martha would mind. She said it would come in handy some day."

The young man looked inside to see the biggest diamond ring he ever saw. "I can't take this," said the young man. "It means something to you."

"And now it means something to you," replied George. "I got my memories. That's all I need."

George reached into the box again. A toy airplane, car and truck appeared next.

They were toys that the oil company had left for him to sell. "Here's something for that little man of yours."

The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150 that the old man had handed him earlier.

"And what are you supposed to buy Christmas dinner with? You keep that too," George said. "Now git home to your family."

The young man turned with tears streaming down his face. "I'll be here in the morning for work, if that job offer is still good."

"Nope. I'm closed Christmas day," George said. "See ya the day after."

George turned around to find that the stranger had returned. "Where'd you come from? I thought you left?"

"I have been here. I have always been here," said the stranger. "You say you don't celebrate Christmas. Why?"

"Well, after my wife passed away, I just couldn't see what all the bother was. Puttin' up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good pine tree. Bakin' cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn't the same by myself and besides I was gettin' a little chubby."

The stranger put his hand on George's shoulder. "But you do celebrate the holiday, George. You gave me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold and hungry. The woman with child will bear a son and he will become a great doctor.

The policeman you helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by terrorists.

The young man who tried to rob you will make you a rich man and not take any for himself. "That is the spirit of the season and you keep it as good as any man."

George was taken aback by all this stranger had said. "And how do you know all this?" asked the old man.

"Trust me, George. I have the inside track on this sort of thing. And when your days are done you will be with Martha again."

The stranger moved toward the door. "If you will excuse me, George, I have to go now. I have to go home where there is a big celebration planned."

George watched as the old leather jacket and the torn pants that the stranger was wearing turned into a white robe. A golden light began to fill the room.

"You see, George ... it's my birthday. Have a Merry Christmas,” he said as he disappeared into the night.

THE END!

My friends, I have a question for you today!

Of all the Christmas Stories I have published so far in this special series, which one(s) did you love and find helped or inspired you the most?

I would love to hear your answer in the comments….

Leave a comment

Meanwhile, may this be one of the most wonderful and amazing days of your life!

Dear Dawning Light Family,

It is my sincere prayer that the Christmas spirit is lifting you to new heights of sweet, loving consciousness every minute of the day and night, on every breath and beat of your heart!

May this special season be the very best of your life, bringing abundant blessings and grace into your life and lives of everyone you Love….and may Peace reign on earth for all living beings!

Lovingly, Chinmayan

Original Revelation and calligraphy by Chinmayan

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY!

A warm welcome to all of you, whether you are a new subscriber, have stumbled upon us by accident, been referred to us by a friend or are one of our wonderful community of regular readers…

Thank you for joining us on this journey to greater love and life!

You can Sign up here FOR OUR FREE or our “INNER CIRCLE MEMBERSHIP” to join thousands of folks around the world who receive this newsletter every morning to help jump start their day with a loving and grateful attitude…

If you loved this issue of the free version of “The Dawning Light”…

We invite you to consider joining our “Inner Circle”as a paid subscriber…

We are having a special “CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SALE” from now until December 31, 2025 ….

Everyone who becomes one of our treasured “Inner Circle” members with a new or gift paid subscription gets a full year of our PREMIUM version of “The Dawning Light” delivered to your in box everyday before dawn plus all of our amazing rewards and benefits for 25% off on a full year…that is 365 issues plus frequent special issues of this magazine, tuition free classes and workshops and 50% discount on all our Dawning Light and Journey Of The Heart Book Series, Gratitude and Writing Life Journals, Affirmation and Revelations card packs and inspirational wall art—all as rewards for being one of our treasured Inner Circle Members!

Besides the immediate personal satisfaction of knowing you are directly supporting the writing, publishing and sustaining of this labor of love and light, we thank everyone who joins “The Dawning Light Inner Circle” with some awesome ongoing Rewards and Benefits.

To check out all the sweet bonuses and rewards that our beloved “Inner Circle Members of paid subscribers get, just click on the button below…

Get 25% off for 1 year

The Dawning Light is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

THE DAWNING LIGHT MAKES A GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT for everyone you love…

You can give an inspiring and stunningly beautiful Christmas gift that lasts for the next 365 days ….of a whole year of “The Dawning Light” being sent EVERYDAY to anyone and everyone you love by clicking on this button…

Give a gift subscription

OR it would really help and encourage us to make A Small Donation of any amount to our non profit organization as a “tip”!

Our donation portal: Every dollar you give us will be put to maximum benefit in our work to make a loving difference for everyone who reads or shares “The Dawning Light” through your donation to Still Mountain Meditation Center!

No matter how you subscribe, I thank you for reading and being here with us!

The Dawning Light Magazine is published daily to serve you by….

STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE

Authentic Meditation Training and Practical Spirituality For Daily Life

Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

Thanks for reading The Dawning Light! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Share

Get more from Chinmayan in the Substack app
Available for iOS and Android

]]><![CDATA[“THE ELVES and THE SHOEMAKER” a heartwarming classic Christmas fairy tale about selfless giving’s power to change many lives for the better]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/the-elves-and-the-shoemaker-a-heartwarming-84bhttps://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/the-elves-and-the-shoemaker-a-heartwarming-84bWed, 24 Dec 2025 08:08:27 GMT

This is our WEEKDAY edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT Magazine # 1617

Our FREE version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

Today we are featuring our…CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 63

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Written, or Selected, edited and published by Chinmayan…

May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

Get 25% off for 1 year

All images in this story courtesy of Pixabay

ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL SERIES OF “CHILD PEACE STORIES”TO CELEBRATE THE LOVING HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

To celebrate this Christmas Holiday season,

we are publishing 22 heart opening and inspiring stories

That I have collected over many years to share with you.

Today’s story is ”THE SHOEMAKER AND THE ELVES”

A Wonderful Classic “Fairy TALE” in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

One great story everyday from now until Christmas!

                                        THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER:

A classic Christmas story about how an act of selfless giving has the power to change lives for the better

                                                    By The Brothers Grimm

Once upon a time there was a poor shoemaker. He made excellent shoes and worked quite diligently, but even so he could not earn enough money to support himself and his family.

He became so poor that he could not even afford to buy the leather he needed to make more shoes; finally, he had only enough to make one last pair.

He cut them out with great care and put the pieces on his workbench, so that he could sew them together the following morning.

“Now, I wonder,” he sighed, “Will I ever make another pair of shoes?

Once I’ve sold this pair, I shall need all the money to buy food for my family. I will not be able to buy any new leather.”

That night, the shoemaker went to bed a sad and distraught man.

The next morning, he awoke early and went down to his workshop.

On his bench he found an exquisite pair of shoes! They had small and even stitches, formed so perfectly that he knew he couldn’t have produced a better pair himself.

Upon close examination, the shoes proved to be made from the very pieces of leather he had set out the night before. He immediately put the fine pair of shoes in the window of his shop and drew back the blinds.

“Who in the world could have done this service for me?” he asked himself.

Even before he could make up an answer, a rich man strode into his shop and bought the shoes---and for a fancy price.

The shoemaker was ecstatic; he immediately went out and purchased plenty of food for his family---and some more leather.

That afternoon he cut out two pairs of shoes and, just as before, laid all the pieces on his bench so that he could sew them the nest day. Then he went upstairs to enjoy a good meal with his family.

“My goodness!” he cried the next morning when he found two pairs of beautifully finished shoes on his workbench.

“Who could make such fine shoes---and so quickly?”

He put them in his shop window, and before long some wealthy people came in and paid a great deal of money for them.

The happy shoemaker went right out and bought even more leather.

For weeks, and then months, this continued.

Whether the shoemaker cut two pairs or four pairs, the fine new shoes were always ready the next morning.

Soon his small shop was crowded with customers.

He cut out many types of shoes: stiff boots lined with fur, delicate slippers for dancers, walking shoes for ladies, tiny shoes for children.

Soon his shoes had bows and laces and buckles of fine silver.

The little shop prospered as never before, and its proprietor was soon a rich man himself. His family wanted for nothing.

As the shoemaker and his wife sat by the fire one night, he said, “One of these days, I shall learn who has been helping us.”

“We could hide behind the cupboard in your workroom,” she said. “That way, we would find out just who your helpers are.” And that is just what they did.

That evening, when the clock struck twelve, the shoemaker and his wife heard a noise.

Two tiny men, each with a bag of tools, were squeezing beneath a crack under the door. Oddest of all, the two elves were stark naked!”

The two men clambered onto the workbench and began working. Their little hands stitched and their little hammers tapped ceaselessly the whole night through.

“They are so small! And they make such beautiful shoes in no time at all!” the shoemaker whispered to his wife as dawn rose. (Indeed, the elves were about the size of his own needles.)

“Quiet!” his wife answered. “See how they are cleaning up now.” And in an instant, the two elves had disappeared beneath the door.

The next day, the shoemaker’s wife said, “Those little elves have done so much good for us. Since it is nearly Christmas, we should make some gifts for them.”

“Yes!” cried the shoemaker. “I’ll make some boots that will fit them, and you make some clothes.”

They worked until dawn.

On Christmas Eve the presents were laid out upon the workbench: two pairs of tiny boots, two tiny jackets, two pairs of trousers, and two little woolen caps.

They also left out a plate of good things to eat and drink. Then they hid once again behind the cupboard to see what would happen.

Just as before, the elves appeared at the stroke of midnight.

They jumped onto the bench to begin their work, but when they saw all the presents, they began to laugh and shout with joy.

They tried on all the clothes, then helped themselves to the food and drink.

Then they jumped down, danced excitedly around the workroom, and disappeared beneath the door.

After Christmas, the shoemaker cut out his leather as he always had—but the two elves never returned.

“I believe they may have heard us whispering,” his wife said. “Elves are so very shy when it comes to people, you know.”

“I know I will miss their help,” the shoemaker said, “but we will manage. The shop is always so busy now. But my stitches will never be as tight and small as theirs!”

That shoemaker did indeed continue to prosper, but he and his family always remembered the good elves who had helped them during the hard times.

And each and every Christmas Eve from that year onward, they gathered around the fire to drink a toast to their tiny friends.

THE END!

My friends, I have a question for you today!

Of all the Christmas Stories I have published so far in this special series, which one(s) did you love and find helped or inspired you the most?

I would love to hear your answer in the comments….

Leave a comment

Meanwhile, may this be one of the most wonderful and amazing days of your life!

Calligraphy by Chinmayan

Dear Dawning Light Family,

It is my sincere prayer that the Christmas spirit is lifting you to new heights of sweet, loving consciousness every minute of the day and night, on every breath and beat of your heart!

May this special season be the very best of your life, bringing abundant blessings and grace into your life and lives of everyone you Love….and may Peace reign on earth for all living beings!

Lovingly, Chinmayan

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY!

A warm welcome to all of you, whether you are a new subscriber, have stumbled upon us by accident, been referred to us by a friend or are one of our wonderful community of regular readers…

Thank you for joining us on this journey to greater love and life!

You can Sign up here FOR OUR FREE or our “INNER CIRCLE MEMBERSHIP” to join thousands of folks around the world who receive this newsletter every morning to help jump start their day with a loving and grateful attitude…

If you loved this issue of the free version of “The Dawning Light”…

We invite you to consider joining our “Inner Circle”as a paid subscriber…

We are having a special “CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SALE” from now until December 31, 2025 ….

Everyone who becomes one of our treasured “Inner Circle” members with a new or gift paid subscription gets a full year of our PREMIUM version of “The Dawning Light” delivered to your in box everyday before dawn plus all of our amazing rewards and benefits for 25% off on a full year…that is 365 issues plus frequent special issues of this magazine, tuition free classes and workshops and 50% discount on all our Dawning Light and Journey Of The Heart Book Series, Gratitude and Writing Life Journals, Affirmation and Revelations card packs and inspirational wall art—all as rewards for being one of our treasured Inner Circle Members!

Get 25% off for 1 year

Besides the immediate personal satisfaction of knowing you are directly supporting the writing, publishing and sustaining of this labor of love and light, we thank everyone who joins “The Dawning Light Inner Circle” with some awesome ongoing Rewards and Benefits.

To check out all the sweet bonuses and rewards that our beloved “Inner Circle Members” of paid subscribers get, just click on the button below

Get 25% off for 1 year

The Dawning Light is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

THE DAWNING LIGHT MAKES A GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT for everyone you love…

You can give an inspiring and stunningly beautiful Christmas gift that lasts for the next 365 days ….of a whole year of “The Dawning Light” being sent EVERYDAY to anyone and everyone you love by clicking on this button…

Give a gift subscription

OR it would really help and encourage us to make A Small Donation of any amount to our non profit organization as a “tip”!

Our donation portal: Every dollar you give us will be put to maximum benefit in our work to make a loving difference for everyone who reads or shares “The Dawning Light” through your donation to Still Mountain Meditation Center!

No matter how you subscribe, I thank you for reading and being here with us!

The Dawning Light Magazine is published daily to serve you by….

STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE

Authentic Meditation Training and Practical Spirituality For Daily Life

Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

Thanks for reading The Dawning Light! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Share

Get more from Chinmayan in the Substack app
Available for iOS and Android

Dear Dawning Light Family,

It is my sincere prayer that the Christmas spirit is lifting you to new heights of sweet, loving consciousness every minute of the day and night, on every breath and beat of your heart! May this special season be the very best of your life, bringing abundant blessings and grace into your life and lives of everyone you Love….and may Peace reign on earth for all living beings!

Lovingly, Chinmayan

]]><![CDATA[“THE MIRACULOUS FIFTY DOLLAR GOLD PIECE” How one act of kindness transformed many lives one magical Christmas Eve PLUS a special poem by Mary Oliver!]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/the-miraculous-fifty-dollar-gold-f6ahttps://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/the-miraculous-fifty-dollar-gold-f6aTue, 23 Dec 2025 08:01:33 GMT

This is our WEEKDAY edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT Magazine # 1616

Our FREE version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

Today we are featuring our….CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 62

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Written, Selected, edited and published by Chinmayan for your inspiration!

May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

Get 25% off for 1 year

All images in this story courtesy of Pixabay

 ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL SERIES OF “CHILD PEACE STORIES”TO CELEBRATE THE LOVING HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

To celebrate this Christmas Holiday season,

we are publishing 22 heart opening and inspiring stories

That I have collected over many years to share with you.

Today’s story is ”THE MIRACULOUS THE FIFTY DOLLAR GOLD PIECE”

A Wonderful true story in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

One great story everyday from now until Christmas!                                         

THE FIFTY DOLLAR GOLD PIECE:

How One Special Act Of Kindness Transformed Many Lives On Christmas Eve

                                                     By L. Cameron

In Amsterdam there lived a wealthy merchant and his wife who were very devout Christians.

Every year at Christmastime they would contribute thousands of dollars to hospitals and the poor.

But this year they wanted to do something different, something that had never been done before, something that would last a long time and make everyone involved more thankful for their blessings.

They thought and thought with little success until one day the merchant’s wife conceived of a brilliant plan. “I have it, I have it!” She exclaimed.

When the plan was explained, Hans admitted he could not have invented a better one himself. “Perfect,” he concluded, “just perfect! We shall begin immediately.”

The following day there appeared a strange and unbelievable notice in the newspaper which read: “Mr. and Mrs. Hans Holberg are offering a fifty-dollar gold piece to the first person to stand at their door at daylight on the morning of December 24th, Christmas Eve.”

That was all. The readers could not believe their eyes.

“The notice must be a mistake,” thought some. “Who would be so foolish as to give away a fifty-dollar gold piece to anyone who comes to the door? And what is the purpose in such a strange proposal?

Only the educated can read and only the wealthy can afford the news-it certainly is not meant to help the poor”. . . and many such thoughts went through the minds of the readers.

The Holberg family was well-known all over Holland for their generous contributions to charity-but this seemed incredible!

Some thought they were getting senile and others thought it was a prank. But there it was in big, bold print--A FIFTY-DOLLAR GOLD PIECE—only for the asking!

Now, the first person to stand at the door was indeed one who needed more riches as a dog needs more fleas.

For the person waiting first in line when the door was opened on Christmas Eve was none other than Joseph Adler, a moneylender, who lived in the wealthiest district of Amsterdam.

At any rate, he was by no means the kind of person you would expect to find waiting at someone’s door for a handout.

But there he was, and the Holbergs could not deny him what they had promised.

Joseph Alder was invited in and the gold piece was taken from its container, a bluish, silver goblet, and slipped into the hand of its new owner.

“One moment,” cautioned Mr. Holberg, before Adler could reach the door. “We require just one stipulation and believing you are an honest man, we are sure you will comply with this simple request. We give you this gold piece on one condition-that if you should meet someone within a week who is less fortunate than yourself, you will give the coin to that person with the same instructions we have given you.”

Adler nodded his head. “That is all. Thank you for coming.”

Joseph Adler was happy now that he had camped all night on the Holberg porch, and yet he was disturbed at the prospect of losing the coin to someone else.

“Well,” he thought, “Mr. Holberg did not say if I should find someone less fortunate, but if I should meet someone less fortunate.”

And thus went his thought to ways and means he could devise to avoid such an unfortunate happenstance.

“Maybe,” he thought, “I can pretend an illness—then I shall not meet one such person—then I can honestly keep this coin without a guilt!”

But to Joseph Adler’s surprise, even before he reached his home by alleys and seldom-traveled byways, he noticed a friend, or rather, a friend noticed him, even with Adler’s face partly tucked inside his overcoat.

He at first tried to ignore this friend, who was by no means poor but still less fortunate than himself; for this man’s wife had recently died, leaving no mother for his seven children.

Adler soon realized, however, that he could not ignore his friend, and, with much hesitation, decided to comply with the condition he had agreed upon.

So, giving the same instructions he had received from the Holbergs, he handed the coin to his surprised friend, Franz Freiburg, and continued on his way.

Franz, who had been feeling sorry for himself, was now feeling uplifted for the first time since his wife died.

For he was a jolly sort who loved to sing and dance and make jokes. But over the past few months, he had not told a single joke, or laughed, or even smiled.

“Today,” he said to himself, “I think I shall smile again. Life is not so bad after all—I still have my business, a nice home, and seven wonderful children.” And squeezing tightly the fifty-dollar gold piece, he too began to whistle as he walked.

But coming toward him was his uncle’s wife, the widow Freiburg, and without much thought he realized the coin could no longer be rightfully his.

For she had not only lost her husband, as recent as six years before, but in that time had also lost her only child—a son, her sister, and her mother.

And although she had been at one time an opera singer of great renown and a very pleasant person: now, with so many misfortunes falling upon her at once, she had turned bitter and was known only as a cantankerous old woman who held little praise for anyone.

And so, it was with her meeting of Franz. Before he could open his mouth to announce the good news, she was scolding him like a mother hen.

“You, Franz Garret Freiburg, you dare to speak to me! You, who have children and a business and a church and attend to none of them! I have not seen you at the church door since you were a child—and what would your wife think, if she were alive, seeing you here on the street like a vagabond at this hour of the morning—and on Christmas Eve with your seven little ones at home! Indeed! Well, what do you have to say for yourself!”

And such was her castigating him until at length he was somehow able to speak his peace and pass on the fifty-dollar gold piece.

“I don’t want your . . . “she tried to yell but could see it was no use as he had turned the corner and disappeared.

She would have to keep the coin she finally decided. “Anyway,” she thought, “this coin does not belong to Franz but to the benevolent Holberg family, (which was one of the few families she found above reproach).

But unlike the other two, the widow Freiburg was not so naïve as to think she could keep the coin; for she was a good person at heart and realized there were many who needed the gold piece more than herself.

So off she went about her day  and was soon relaxing in her favorite chair—humming a tune she had not sung for many years.

In the evening, there came a knock at the door, and supposing it was her brother’s family coming to share the Christmas spirit, the widow Freiburg hurried to the door.

But there instead was a chimney sweep, a young man of about twelve years who was so covered with soot she thought he could do a better service by cleaning himself.

Her chimney had been recently cleaned and upon telling him this, he wrinkled up his face and turned to leave, when she grabbed his arm and pressed the shiny coin into the palm of his hand.

Astonished and very much perplexed, he inquired the reason for such an act of extreme generosity.

She then told the story of the coin’s beginning and the one condition, which he promised to remember and keep.

So glad was the chimney sweep that his feet hardly touched the ground as he ran to meet his friend. The two sweeps met as they always did on the steps of the Westerkerk, and then began the long walk home, discussing their nightly adventures.

Simon always saved the best news for last, but tonight he could hardly wait to tell his friend . . . but then he realized that there beside him was one even less fortunate than himself.

Peter had only one leg, the other was a peg, and Peter’s family, the Hannesburgs, were even poorer than his own.

The father Hannesburg had been ill for eleven years and his wife and ten children were fed and clothed on the meager amounts procured from a family fruit stand and Peter’s chimney sweeps.

Overwhelmed and nearly speechless, Peter thanked his friend for this most welcome gift and hurried home to inform the rest of the Hannesburgs.

“For who could be poorer,” he asked himself, “and more in need of this gold piece than those of my own family?”

Their home was barely adequate for five, much less twelve, and the ancient wood and bricks that held it together for over a century were finally beginning to crumble.

They had no heat and depended solely on the rags that Peter’s mother and sisters could obtain from the church to sew together for blankets.

The Hannesburgs stayed awake nearly all that night discussing their newly found treasure—stating over and over again how this was the happiest Christmas they had ever spent.

For what could be greater than a fifty-dollar gold piece that equaled as much as the whole family could earn in several months and as much as Peter could earn in a year by sweeping chimneys! Oh, what a great thing the Lord had blessed them with!

Heidi wanted a doll. She had wanted a doll of her own since she was three; and although she was past the age when most girls play with dolls, she still wanted on more than anything.

She didn’t really care what kind as long as it was hers and she didn’t have to share it with anyone. She could dress it anyway she pleased and snuggle up to it at night and show it off to her friends. Oh, how thankful she was for the fifty-dollar gold piece!

William was so excited he could hardly contain himself thinking about the color and shape of the bicycle he wanted. He couldn’t wait until the day he could pick out just the perfect one and proudly ride it home. What a thrilling day it would be!

Peter wanted a fishing reel. He had carved his own pole and all he needed now was a reel to have an outfit lit the other fellow—boy he’d show those guys how to fish! And so went the thoughts of each child as they dreamed of their most treasured hopes.

The parents too had dreams. They were thinking of the family’s future and how they could make each child a little happier. The children were so good to help and all they received for their labors was a run- down house and barest necessities.

But now, now, they could finally show them how much they really appreciated them!

“Let’s see,” they planned, “we could give each of the younger children two dollars and each of the older children three dollars. That would still leave six dollars to repair the leaky roof, twelve dollars for a new fruit stand, and nine left over for savings and emergencies! What a blessed day!”

On the following day, Christmas, it was customary for numerous unfortunate souls to go about the city seeking charity from those who could afford to give.

Some were blind, some crippled, and others were retarded in the mind.

They would offer to do what they could in the way of household chores but most often the donor would simply drop a coin in their cup and thank the Lord that he was not that unfortunate soul.

And not one of these blind or crippled souls had ever approached the home of the Hannesburgs—at least, not until that very day.

Mr. and Mrs. Hannesburg had called the family together in their tiny anteroom to announce how they might divide the money, when a knock was heard at the door.

When the door was opened, they could hardly believe their eyes—for each of them knew the condition with which the coin was given and each was thinking the same thought: “Why did this beggar have to come here! For surely there are thousands of homes he would never visit and why couldn’t ours be one of these!”

But the beggar’s maimed hand and white cane kept staring them in the face.

What an unfortunate soul the lord had sent to their doorstep! One both blind and crippled!

The room was as quiet as a coffin. No one stirred. Each of them seemed as transfixed as a wax figurine.

Finally, Mrs. Hannesburg slowly made her way to the door; and with much hesitation, carefully slipped the heavy coin into the beggar’s cup.

When the coin was explained and the beggar had turned to leave, the eyes of each were filled with tears as they thought of the plans they had made. William thought of his bicycle-he only wanted a used one! The others were thinking similar thoughts and feeling sorry for themselves.

As they watched the blind beggar struggle down the steps and grope to find his way, a peculiar change came over them.

They suddenly realized how selfish they had been and how unfortunate this beggar really was. “Surely no one could be less fortunate than this! Surely the coin will go no further!”

When the door was closed a piercing hush filled every corner of the room and a sweet, peaceful feeling penetrated the heart of everyone.

It was then they realized that each of them could see and hear and use his arms and legs; it was then they realized how much God had blessed them!

Now you may think that this is the end of the story—that the blind beggar kept the coin.

But this is not the case, for you see, the blind and crippled beggar did not think himself the least fortunate of all, for he befriended a leper who had no kin to watch him and . . .

THE END

My friends, I have a question for you today!

Of all the Christmas Stories I have published so far in this special series, which one(s) did you love and find helped or inspired you the most?

I would love to hear your answer in the comments….

Leave a comment

Meanwhile, may this be one of the most wonderful and amazing days of your life!

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY!

A warm welcome to all of you, whether you are a new subscriber, have stumbled upon us by accident, been referred to us by a friend or are one of our wonderful community of regular readers…

Thank you for joining us on this journey to greater love and life!

You can Sign up here FOR OUR FREE or our “INNER CIRCLE MEMBERSHIP” to join thousands of folks around the world who receive this newsletter every morning to help jump start their day with a loving and grateful attitude…

If you loved this issue of the free version of “The Dawning Light”…

We invite you to consider joining our “Inner Circle”as a paid subscriber…

We are having a special “CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SALE” from now until December 31, 2025 ….

Everyone who becomes one of our treasured “Inner Circle” members with a new or gift paid subscription gets a full year of our PREMIUM version of “The Dawning Light” delivered to your in box everyday before dawn plus all of our amazing rewards and benefits for 25% off on a full year…that is 365 issues plus frequent special issues of this magazine, tuition free classes and workshops and 50% discount on all our Dawning Light and Journey Of The Heart Book Series, Gratitude and Writing Life Journals, Affirmation and Revelations card packs and inspirational wall art—all as rewards for being one of our treasured Inner Circle Members!

Get 25% off for 1 year

Besides the immediate personal satisfaction of knowing you are directly supporting the writing, publishing and sustaining of this labor of love and light, we thank everyone who joins “The Dawning Light Inner Circle” with some awesome ongoing Rewards and Benefits.

To check out all the sweet bonuses and rewards that our beloved “Inner Circle Members” of paid subscribers get, just click on the button below

Get 25% off for 1 year

The Dawning Light is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

THE DAWNING LIGHT MAKES A GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT for everyone you love…

You can give an inspiring and stunningly beautiful Christmas gift that lasts for the next 365 days ….of a whole year of “The Dawning Light” being sent EVERYDAY to anyone and everyone you love by clicking on this button…

Give a gift subscription

OR it would really help and encourage us to make A Small Donation of any amount to our non profit organization as a “tip”!

Our donation portal: Every dollar you give us will be put to maximum benefit in our work to make a loving difference for everyone who reads or shares “The Dawning Light” through your donation to Still Mountain Meditation Center!

No matter how you subscribe, I thank you for reading and being here with us!

The Dawning Light Magazine is published daily to serve you by….

STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE

Authentic Meditation Training and Practical Spirituality For Daily Life

Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

Thanks for reading The Dawning Light! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Share

Get more from Chinmayan in the Substack app
Available for iOS and Android

]]><![CDATA[HOW I DISCOVERED THE MAGIC and MYSTERY Of The SPIRIT Of CHRISTMAS Selling My “Rainbow Makers” As A Young Street Artist In San Francisco]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/how-i-discovered-the-magic-and-mystery-fc3https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/how-i-discovered-the-magic-and-mystery-fc3Mon, 22 Dec 2025 09:19:14 GMTDEAR FRIENDS….

Today is a very special day because we are celebrating our THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of launching “The Dawning Light” Magazine here on Substack…by republishing this Christmas story from December 22, 2022…

This was the very first story that we published as Issue # 1 and it was a major emotional breakthrough for us because I had carried the vision for this magazine for more than ten years…and that moment when I pressed the “SEND TO EVERYONE NOW” button to publish it was like raising the sails of a boat for a voyage across the oceans of life…it was both terrifying and deeply satisfying at the same time…

It was one of two Christmas stories that we worked on writing and polishing for weeks as we were pushing to get this magazine out into the world.

I am grateful for the support and encouragement we receive for you, our family of readers and friends every day!

It is dazzling to me that we now have 1615 published stories archived on our beautiful and organized Home Site, thousands of subscribers in 45 US states and 43 countries around the world, several thousand followers, many multiple thousands of views per month and our posts and NOTES with getting hundreds, sometimes thousands of “likes”, comments and “restacks” as we are now growing organically at a rapid clip ….

I am amazed and delighted, and I believe that “the best is yet ahead” as we prayerfully seek to constantly improve.

This magazine is my “love letter to the world” and our way of serving others with the help, inspiration, love and support we all need to find our way to a better life.

This community of readers, friends and supporters amazes and delights me on a daily basis, and it is your love and support that inspires us to keep on keeping on to lift ourselves…and you…ever higher!

Lovingly,

Chinmayan

This is our WEEKDAY edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT Magazine # 1615

Our FREE version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

Today we are featuring our….CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 61

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Written, Selected, edited and published by Chinmayan…

May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

Get 25% off for 1 year

All images in this story Courtesy of Pixabay, except as noted…

ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL SERIES OF “CHILD PEACE STORIES”TO CELEBRATE THE LOVING HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

To celebrate this Christmas Holiday season,

we are publishing 22 heart opening and inspiring stories

That I have collected over many years to share with you.

Today’s story is ”HOW I DISCOVERED THE MAGIC and MYSTERY of the CHRISTMAS SPIRIT”….is the 19th in this series…

A Wonderful true story in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

One great story everyday from now until Christmas!

HOW I DISCOVERED THE MAGIC and MYSTERY Of The SPIRIT Of CHRISTMAS

Selling My “Rainbow Makers” As A Young Street Artist In San Francisco

As a young man on the cold, wet, wintery streets of San Fransisco, I learned valuable lessons on the power of The Christmas Spirit to transform ordinary people into higher, more loving and compassionate versions of themselves.

For many years during the 1970s and 80s, I was one of the merry band of licensed, San Francisco Street Artists who made a living selling handcrafts on the streets of the City.

At the time of this story, I was making beautiful crystal jewelry and window hangers, which I called ”Chrysalis Rainbow Makers”, from high quality Swarovski Strauss Austrian crystal.

To even get a Street Artist’s license we all had to go through an extensive and rigorous application process which insured we were real craftspeople making our own unique offerings by hand.

The City set up the San Francisco Arts Commission to oversee and run our program and sent out a Street Artist Inspector daily, to make sure we complied with all the requirements. 

There were very strict rules about where we could set up our displays, how big they could be and how we could get a “spot.”  Every available spot in the City was marked out clearly on the wide sidewalks in white paint, each with its own number.

 Getting a “spot” to sell was always a challenge because every  Street Artist wanted to be on one of the best spots ensuring the most exposure to a flow of potential customers passing by.

There were always more eager Street Artists that wanted and needed to “sell” than there were prime spots.

In order to keep it fair for all, we held a street artist lottery every morning to determine who got to sell where.

We gathered in a big noisy crowd around a wire barrel into which each of us put in our “number”, the official slip of paper with our name and license number on it. 

After all the numbers were in and the barrel closed, a trusted person would spin the barrel a few times mixing all the numbers thoroughly.  Opening the barrel a different person would reach in and pull a random number.

A third person would yell out the name and number and hand it to the street artist it belonged to.

The Artist would then go to a sign in table with a big map of all available spots to choose their spot for the day. 

If we were lucky enough to get a “low number”, we would have our choice of the prime spots.

If we were less lucky and received a “high number”, we would have to pick from the left over and less desirable fringe spots.

If our number was really high, there would be no spots left at all and you got an unwanted day off! 

We could never predict where we would be selling on any given day, but in practice a with a little ingenuity. most of us managed to get a decent spot most of the time.

I was one of the hard core, absolutely dedicated group of Street Artists who tried to sell everyday. 

For eleven months out of the year, January through November, I would focus on selling exclusively on Beach Street aka “The Street”.

The Street is a one block long promenade with a very wide sidewalk. All the tourists who flew in from around the World would walk along this sidewalk between Fisherman’s Wharf and Ghirardelli Square. 

We considered “The Street” to be the area with the most desirable spots.

From December 1st through Christmas Eve, most of the dedicated Street Artists would shift to our Downtown area spots.

This was where the locals, as well as tourists, would throng to in search of the perfect Christmas gifts.

The prime spots Downtown were all around Union Square but the competition to get a good spot was beyond intense because so many Street Artists were vying for them. 

For myself, I recognized early on that even if I could get a “good spot” the competition, hassle to unload, get a safe parking spot anywhere close by would be way too stressful.

I also knew that the “locals” loved to window shop, to look for and consider what to buy before returning later to purchase anything. 

Few Street Artists believed this to be true, but years of experience “on the street” and observation  taught me that  this was a key understanding. 

To take advantage of this insight, I had to be able set up in the same spot every day so that customers could find me at a later time, once they made up their minds about what they wanted.

After carefully checking the spot maps provided by the Arts Commission to every Street Artist, I realized that there was one spot on Market Street that was all by itself, which no one ever chose, because it was considered to be a total dead zone. 

This spot, M 37, was far from Union Square and tucked away between an office building and a café.  I decided to make this the place where I would reliably set up every day during December, year after year.

 My Street Artist friends told me I was crazy and kept on competing for the “prime spots”. 

I didn’t care what they thought because I believed in  something they did not yet understand, which was the secret  power of the Christmas Spirit that I kept close to my heart.

I HAD COME TO THE CITY FOR A HIGHER PURPOSE

I had left our beautiful homestead in the mountains of Northern California and chose to move to San Francisco for only one reason…so i could continue training with a high Tibetan lama named Kalu Rinpoche, who I first met and became a close disciple of in 1972. 

Kalu Rinpoche’s primary teaching was centered on how to use the power of compassion to heal and transform oneself  on a steady, graduated path to enlightenment and freedom from all suffering.  

His greatest teachings were the instructions on how to use meditation practice, chanting the heart opening, love generating mantra “Om Mani Paydmeh Hung”  and dedicating oneself to serving others as a spiritual path. 

Through staying in close relationship with Kalu Rinpoche, following his teachings and doing the practices every day, I developed the aspiration to become a force of pure unconditional love in this world of suffering and woe.

I became a street artist so I could support myself through producing beautiful crafts, and be able to be close to Rinpoche and the Dharma Center he had established in San Francisco.

 As I did the practices everyday, I realized that being on “The Street”, where thousands of people would pass by my display,  was the perfect environment for putting the fruits of my practice into practical application. 

The more I was able to undergo transformation and become a space of open hearted, real love with those who stopped by my display, the more my consciousness expanded and the more sales I made.

Image courtesy of Arts Commission of San Francisco

It was with this understanding and intention that I happily signed up for spot M 37, even on days when I received a very desirable “low number.”

Christmas was the most challenging time to sell on the street because of the weather, which was rainy, wet, windy, foggy and cold most of the time.

I was alone, so I couldn’t leave my display and I had to set up early and  stay late until at least 8 or 9 pm to be available to the ebb and flow of shoppers.

Every year followed the same pattern. 

For the first two weeks of December, I would be there, alone on M37, as people walked by in trickles and sometimes in crowds without giving my display even a glance. 

If someone did stop, they would be in a hurry and under a sway of the “normal”, tough, harried, stressed and taciturn mood that permeated Market Street in the Financial District of San Fransisco. 

They would be on a break, or coming or going to  work in the tall buildings, where stressed out management and situations led to grey, bleak outlooks.

But still, I knew a secret in my heart, the potential for dramatic positive change in people and the environment as The Christmas season progressed.

Even when it was the most challenging time of all, when there would be little discernible response, I steadily worked within myself to  detach from the grey heaviness all around me to find and raise the frequency of higher Love within myself.

Rinpoche had taught us by word and by his shining example, that we must learn to control and focus our minds in order to uncover and bring out the great Love inside of us all. 

That’s what I consciously worked on as I stood by my little display of rainbow delights…and when my heart opened, I consciously broadcast it out to each and very person who stopped or passed by.

I knew with absolute certainty that with each passing day of the season the Christmas Spirit draws closer and closer and shines brighter and brighter here on Earth. 

As it does, each of us is touched and transformed by it, even if we are unaware of it.  If we are aware of it and consciously come into congruity with it, the effect on ourselves and others close to us is greatly multiplied.

This is exactly what happened every year as I stood by my little display on spot M 37.

 After the first two weeks, the presence of The Christmas Spirit was growing in power and breadth. 

People began stopping by my display more and more, listening to my presentation about the Rainbow Makers for sale and responding to this shining love with greater and greater Love in return.

By the last ten days before Christmas, the loving power of The Christmas Spirit would double, then triple with each new day. 

Crowds would gather at my display from the time I opened until well after dark, laughing, happy, carefree, enjoying themselves in a virtual feast of pure love. 

Even the toughest, sourest lawyer or manager or worker would completely change into a soft, loving, caring person who would be emanating their own heart’s love to everyone. 

People would be singing Christmas carols and dropping big bills into the hats of the homeless ones living on the street.

This symphony of love would reach its highest crescendo by Christmas Eve when every eye would shine with love and  everyone on the street would be a vessel for this love to flow through. 

I knew then, just as I know now, that The Christmas Spirit is a real force that brings about this special time when the transformation that would be so difficult in “normal” times is easy and sweet. 

I believe that all of humanity is in the process of going through a major shift upwards in attitude and consciousness  that has been building up steadily behind the scenes for decades.

The day will come when all of us will be able embrace The Christmas Spirit and keep it with us into the new year and on into our daily lives.  When this happens,  then,  indeed we will have “Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all “ as our purpose and guiding light.

THE END

My friends, I have a question for you today!

Of all the Christmas Stories I have published so far in this special series, which one(s) did you love and find helped or inspired you the most?

I would love to hear your answer in the comments….

Leave a comment

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY!

A warm welcome to all of you, whether you are a new subscriber, have stumbled upon us by accident, been referred to us by a friend or are one of our wonderful community of regular readers…

Thank you for joining us on this journey to greater love and life!

You can Sign up here FOR OUR FREE or our “INNER CIRCLE MEMBERSHIP” to join thousands of folks around the world who receive this newsletter every morning to help jump start their day with a loving and grateful attitude…

If you loved this issue of the free version of “The Dawning Light”…

We invite you to consider joining our “Inner Circle”as a paid subscriber…

We are having a special “CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SALE” from now until December 31, 2025 ….

Everyone who becomes one of our treasured “Inner Circle” members with a new or gift paid subscription gets a full year of our PREMIUM version of “The Dawning Light” delivered to your in box everyday before dawn plus all of our amazing rewards and benefits for 25% off on a full year…that is 365 issues plus frequent special issues of this magazine, tuition free classes and workshops and 50% discount on all our Dawning Light and Journey Of The Heart Book Series, Gratitude and Writing Life Journals, Affirmation and Revelations card packs and inspirational wall art—all as rewards for being one of our treasured Inner Circle Members!

Get 25% off for 1 year

Besides the immediate personal satisfaction of knowing you are directly supporting the writing, publishing and sustaining of this labor of love and light, we thank everyone who joins “The Dawning Light Inner Circle” with some awesome ongoing Rewards and Benefits.

To check out all the sweet bonuses and rewards that our beloved “Inner Circle Members” of paid subscribers get, just click on the button below

Get 25% off for 1 year

Leave a comment

Thanks for reading the Dawning Light! This newsletter is a reader supported publication. If you’re getting value from our work we invite you to consider getting a free or paid subscription by entering your email below…

THE DAWNING LIGHT MAKES A GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT for everyone you love…

You can give an inspiring and stunningly beautiful Christmas gift that lasts for the next 365 days ….of a whole year of “The Dawning Light” being sent EVERYDAY to anyone and everyone you love by clicking on this button…

Give a gift subscription

OR it would really help and encourage us to make A Small Donation of any amount to our non profit organization as a “tip”!

Our donation portal: Every dollar you give us will be put to maximum benefit in our work to make a loving difference for everyone who reads or shares “The Dawning Light” through your donation to Still Mountain Meditation Center!

No matter how you subscribe, I thank you for reading and being here with us!

The Dawning Light Magazine is published daily to serve you by….

STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE

Authentic Meditation Training and Practical Spirituality For Daily Life

Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

Thanks for reading The Dawning Light! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Share

Get more from Chinmayan in the Substack app
Available for iOS and Android

]]><![CDATA[“THE MIRACULOUS STAIRCASE”the true story of an amazingly mysterious Christmas miracle]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/the-miraculous-staircasethe-true-0f6https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/the-miraculous-staircasethe-true-0f6Sun, 21 Dec 2025 08:13:51 GMT

This is our WEEKEND edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT Magazine # 1614

Our FREE version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

Today we are featuring our….CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 60

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Written or Selected, edited and published by Chinmayan…

May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

Get 25% off for 1 year

All images in this story Courtesy of Pixabay, except as noted…

ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL SERIES OF “CHILD PEACE STORIES”TO CELEBRATE THE LOVING HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

To celebrate this Christmas Holiday season,

we are publishing 22 heart opening and inspiring stories

That I have collected over many years to share with you.

Today’s story is “The Miraculous Staircase”

A Wonderful true story in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

One great story everyday from now until Christmas!

The Miraculous Staircase to the Choir Loft inside the

Chapel Of Our Lady of Light in Sante Fe, New Mexico

THE MIRACULOUS STAIRCASE:

A True Story Of An Amazingly Mysterious Christmas Miracle

                       By Arthur Gordon, originally published in Guideposts 

On that cool December morning in 1878, sunlight lay like an amber fog across the dusty streets and adobe houses of Santa Fe.

It glinted on the bright tile roof of the almost completed Chapel of Our Lady of Light and on the nearby windows of the convent school run by the Sisters of Loretto.

Inside the convent, the Mother Superior looked up from her packing as a tap came on her door.

“It’s another carpenter, Reverend Mother,” said Sister Francis Louise, her round face apologetic. “I told him that you’re leaving right away, that you haven’t time to see him, but he says ...”

“I know what he says,” Mother Magdalene said, going on resolutely with her packing. “That he’s heard about out problem with the new chapel. That he’s the best carpenter in all of New Mexico. That he can build us a staircase to the choir loft despite the fact that the brilliant architect in Paris who drew the plans failed to leave any space for one. And despite the fact that five master carpenters have already tried and failed. You’re quite right, Sister; I don’t have time to listen to that story again.”

“But he seems such a nice man,” said Sister Francis Louise wistfully, “and he’s out there with his burro, and ...”

“I’m sure,” said Mother Magdalene with a smile, “that he’s charming man, and that his burro is a charming donkey.

But there’s sickness down at the Santo Domingo pueblo, and it may be cholera. So we have to go. And you have to stay and run the school. And that’s that!” Then she called, “Manuela!”

A young Indian girl of 12 or 13, black-haired and smiling, came in quietly on moccasined feet.

She was a mute. She could hear and understand, but the Sisters had been unable to teach her to speak.

The Mother Superior spoke to her gently: “Take my things down to the wagon, child. I’ll be right there.”

And to sister Francis Louise: “you’d better tell your carpenter friend to come back in two or three weeks. I’ll see him then.”

“Two or three weeks! Surely you’ll be home for Christmas?”

“If it’s the Lord’s will, Sister. I hope so.”

In the street , beyond the waiting wagon, Mother Magdalene could see the carpenter, a bearded man, strongly built and taller than most Mexicans, with dark eyes and a smiling, wind-burned face.

Beside him, laden with tools and scraps of lumber, a small gray burro stood patiently.

Manuela was stroking its nose, glancing shyly at its owner. “You’d better explain,” said the Mother Superior, “that the child can hear him, but she can’t speak.”

Goodbyes were quick---the best kind when you leave a place you love.

Southwest, then, along the dust trail, the mountains purple with shadow, the Rio Grande a ribbon of green far off to the right.

The pace was slow, but Mother Magdalene and Sister Mary Helen amused themselves by singing songs and telling Christmas stories as the sun marched up and down the sky. And their leathery driver listened and nodded.

Two days of this brought them to Santo Domingo Pueblo, where the sickness was not cholera after all, but measles, almost as deadly in an Indian village.

And so, they stayed, helping the harassed Father Sebastian, visiting the dark adobe hovels where feverish brown children tossed, and fierce Indian dogs showed their teeth.

At night they were bone-weary, but sometimes Mother Magdalene found time to talk to Father Sebastian about her plans for the dedication of the chapel.

It was to be in April; the Archbishop himself would be there.

And it might have been dedicated sooner, were it not for this incredible business of a choir loft with no means of access---unless it were a ladder.

“I told the Bishop,” said Mother Magdalene, “that it would be a mistake to have the plans drawn in Paris. If something went wrong, what could we do? But he wanted our chapel in Santa Fe patterned after the Sainte Chapelle in Paris, and who am I to argue with Bishop Lamy? So, the talented Monsieur Mouly designs a beautiful choir loft high up under the rose window, and no way to get to it.”

“Perhaps,” sighed Father Sebastian, “he had in mind a heavenly choir. The kind with wings.”

“It’s not funny,” said Mother Magdalene a bit sharply. “I’ve prayed and prayed, but apparently there’s no solution at all. There just isn’t room on the chapel floor for the supports such a staircase needs.

The days passed, and with each passing day Christmas drew closer.

Twice, horsemen on their way from Sante Fe to Albuquerque brought letters from Sister Francis Louise.

All was well at the convent, but Mother Magdalene frowned over certain paragraphs.

“The children are getting ready for Christmas,” Sister Francis Louise wrote in her first letter. “Our little Manuela and the carpenter have become great friends. It’s amazing how much he seems to know about us all...”

And what, thought Mother Magdalene, is the carpenter still doing there?

The second letter also mentioned the carpenter. “Early every morning he comes with another load of lumber, and every night he goes away. When we ask him by what authority he does these things, he smiles and says nothing. We have tried to pay him for his work, but he will accept no pay...”

Work? What work? Mother Magdalene wrinkled up her nose in exasperation.

Had that soft-hearted Sister Francis Louise given the man permission to putter around in the new chapel?

With firm and disapproving hand, the Mother Superior wrote a note ordering an end to all such unauthorized activities. She gave it to an Indian pottery-maker on his way to Santa Fe.

But that night the first snow fell, so thick and heavy that the Indian turned back.

Next day at noon the sun shone again on a world glittering with diamonds.

But Mother Magdalene knew that another snowfall might make it impossible for her to be home for Christmas. By now the sickness at Santo Domingo was subsiding. And so that afternoon they began the long ride back.

The snow did come again, making their slow progress even slower.

It was late on Christmas Eve, close to midnight, when the tired horses plodded up to the convent door.

But lamps still burned. Manuela flew down the steps, Sister Francis Louise close behind her.

And chilled and weary though she was, Mother Magdalene sensed instantly an excitement, an electricity in the air that she could not understand.

Nor did she understand it when they led her, still in her heavy wraps, down the corridor; into the new, as-yet-unused chapel where a few candles burned. “Look, Reverend Mother,” breathed Sister Francis Louise. “Look!”

Like a curl of smoke the staircase rose before them, as insubstantial as a dream.

Its top rested against the choir loft. Nothing else supported it; it seemed to float on air.

There were no banisters.

Two complete spirals it made, the polished wood gleaming softly in the candlelight. “Thirty-three steps,” whispered Sister Francis Louise. “One for each year in the life of Our Lord.”

Mother Magdalene moved forward like a woman in a trance.

She put her foot on the first, step, then the second, then the third.

There was not a tremor. She looked down, bewildered, at Manuela’s ecstatic, upturned face. “But it’s impossible! There wasn’t time!”

“He finished yesterday,” the Sister said. “He didn’t come today. No one has seen him anywhere in Santa Fe. He’s gone.”

“But who was he? Don’t you even know his name?”

The Sister shook her head, but now Manuela pushed forward, nodding emphatically.

Her mouth opened; she took a deep, shuddering breath; she made a sound that was like a gasp in the stillness.

The nuns stared at her, transfixed. She tried again. This time it was a syllable, followed by another. “Jo-sé.”

She clutched the Mother Superior’s arm and repeated the first word she had ever spoken. “José!”

Sister Francis Louise crossed herself. Mother Magdalene felt her heart contract. José—the Spanish word for Joseph. Joseph the Carpenter. Joseph the Master Woodworker of...

“José!” Manuela’s dark eyes were full of tears. “José!”

Silence, then, in the shadowy chapel. No one moved.

Far away across the snow-slivered town Mother Magdalene heard a bell tolling midnight.

She came down the stairs and took Manuela’s hand. She felt uplifted by a great surge of wonder and gratitude and compassion and love. And she knew what it was. It was the spirit of Christmas. And it was upon them all.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

You may see the inexplicable staircase itself in Santa Fe today.

It stands just as it stood when the chapel was dedicated almost a hundred years ago—except for the banister, which was added later. Tourists stare and marvel.

Architects shake their heads and murmur, “Impossible.”

No one knows the identity of the designer-builder.

All the Sisters know is that the problem existed, a stranger came, solved it and left.

The 33 steps make two complete turns without central support.

There are no nails in the staircase, only wooden pegs.

The curved stringers are put together with exquisite precision; the wood is spliced in seven places on the inside and nine on the outside.

The wood is said to be a hard-fir variety, nonexistent in New Mexico.

School records show that no payment for the staircase was ever made.

THE END

The Miraculous Staircase

My friends, I have a question for you today!

Of all the Christmas Stories I have published so far in this special series, which one(s) did you love and find help you the most?

I would love to hear your answer in the comments….

Leave a comment

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY!

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We invite you to consider joining our “Inner Circle”as a paid subscriber…

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Everyone who becomes one of our treasured “Inner Circle” members with a new or gift paid subscription gets a full year of our PREMIUM version of “The Dawning Light” delivered to your in box everyday before dawn plus all of our amazing rewards and benefits for 25% off on a full year…that is 365 issues plus frequent special issues of this magazine, tuition free classes and workshops and 50% discount on all our Dawning Light and Journey Of The Heart Book Series, Gratitude and Writing Life Journals, Affirmation and Revelations card packs and inspirational wall art—all as rewards for being one of our treasured Inner Circle Members!

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No matter how you subscribe, I thank you for reading and being here with us!

The Dawning Light Magazine is published daily to serve you by….

STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE

Authentic Meditation Training and Practical Spirituality For Daily Life

Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

Thanks for reading The Dawning Light! This post is public so feel free to share it.

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]]><![CDATA[“TWO BROTHER’S UNSELFISH LOVE and CHRISTMAS FEELINGS”How Two Little Boys Taught Me The True Meaning Of Christmas PLUS a heart melting Christmas song by John Lennon!]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/two-brothers-unselfish-love-and-christmas-686https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/two-brothers-unselfish-love-and-christmas-686Sat, 20 Dec 2025 09:47:50 GMT

This is our WEEKDAY edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT Magazine # 1613

Our FREE version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

Today we are featuring our…CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 59

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Written or Selected, edited and published by Chinmayan…

May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

Get 25% off for 1 year

All images in this story courtesy of Pixabay

ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL SERIES OF “CHILD PEACE STORIES”TO CELEBRATE THE LOVING HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

To celebrate this Christmas Holiday season,

we are publishing 22 heart opening and inspiring stories

That I have collected over many years to share with you.

Today’s story is “TWO BROTHER’S UNSELFISH LOVE and CHRISTMAS FEELINGS”

A Wonderful story in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

The 17th story in our special series…

One great story everyday from now until Christmas Day!

TWO BROTHER’S UNSELFISH LOVE AND CHRISTMAS FEELINGS:

How Two Little Boys Taught Me The True Meaning of Christmas

                                                       By Jack Smith

Every year at Christmas-time, our service club takes the children from poor families in our town on a personally conducted shopping tour.

I was assigned Timmy and Billy, whose father was out of work.

After giving them the allotted four dollars for each child, we began our trip.

I didn’t question Timmy, age nine, or his seven-year old brother, Billy about the brown wrapping paper they passed back and forth between them as we visited each store.

At different stores I made suggestions, but always their answer was a solemn shake of the head, “No thanks.”

 Finally, I asked, “Where would you suggest we look?”

“Could we go to a shoe store, sir?” answered Timmy. “We’d like to buy a pair of shoes for our daddy so he can go to work.”

In the shoe store the clerk asked what the boys wanted.

Out came the brown paper.

“We want a pair of work shoes to fit this foot,” they said.

Billy explained that it was a pattern of their daddy’s foot. They had drawn it while he was asleep in a chair.

The clerk held the paper up against the measuring stick, then walked away.

Soon, he came with an open box. “Will these do?” he asked.

Timmy and Billy handled the shoes with great eagerness.

“How much do they cost?” asked Billy.

Then Timmy saw the price on the box.

“They’re $16.05,” he said in dismay. “We only have $8.00 .”

I looked at the clerk, and he cleared his throat.

 “That’s the regular price,” he said, “But they are on special sale—$3.98 today only.”

Then, with the box of shoes happily in hand, the boys bought gifts at a “Five and Dime” store for their mother and two little sisters.

Not once did they think of themselves.

The day after Christmas the boy’s father stopped me on the street.

The new shoes were on his feet, gratitude was in his eyes.

“I just thank Jesus for people who care,” he said.

“And I thank Jesus for your two sons,” I replied. “They taught me more about Christmas in one evening that I had learned in a lifetime.”

THE END

My friends, I have a question for you today!

Of all the Christmas Stories I have published so far in this special series, which one(s) did you love and find help you the most?

I would love to hear your answer in the comments….

Leave a comment

Calligraphy by Chinmayan

Dear Ones!

It is my sincere prayer that the Christmas spirit is lifting you to new heights of sweet loving consciousness every minute of every day and night, on every breath and beat of your heart!

Lovingly,

Chinmayan

AN AWESOME HEART OPENING CHRISTMAS SONG from John Lennon!

This is a sweet music video with John, Yoko and a children’s choir singing John’s profound and powerful plea for the ending of all wars that we need to hear especially during this Christmas of so much heartbreaking wars with innocent families and children victims…

“Happy Xmas (War Is Over) by John Lennon (This is a link to the You Tube version which has almost ONE BILLION VIEWS!)

THIS IS MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONG OF ALL TIME…

Here is the complete original music video from 1971…

It melts my heart every time I hear it in a joyous way

Even though I still grieve John Lennon being taken

From us and the loss of all that could have been

If he was still here to write many more songs like this…

Click on the video for full screen!

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY!

A warm welcome to all of you, whether you are a new subscriber, have stumbled upon us by accident, been referred to us by a friend or are one of our wonderful community of regular readers…

Thank you for joining us on this journey to greater love and life!

You can Sign up here FOR OUR FREE or our “INNER CIRCLE MEMBERSHIP” to join thousands of folks around the world who receive this newsletter every morning to help jump start their day with a loving and grateful attitude…

If you loved this issue of the free version of “The Dawning Light”…

We invite you to consider joining our “Inner Circle”as a paid subscriber…

We are having a special “CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SALE” from now until December 31, 2025 ….

Everyone who becomes one of our treasured “Inner Circle” members with a new or gift paid subscription gets a full year of our PREMIUM version of “The Dawning Light” delivered to your in box everyday before dawn plus all of our amazing rewards and benefits for 25% off on a full year…that is 365 issues plus frequent special issues of this magazine, tuition free classes and workshops and 50% discount on all our Dawning Light and Journey Of The Heart Book Series, Gratitude and Writing Life Journals, Affirmation and Revelations card packs and inspirational wall art—all as rewards for being one of our treasured Inner Circle Members!

Get 25% off for 1 year

Besides the immediate personal satisfaction of knowing you are directly supporting the writing, publishing and sustaining of this labor of love and light, we thank everyone who joins “The Dawning Light Inner Circle” with some awesome ongoing Rewards and Benefits.

The Dawning Light is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

THE DAWNING LIGHT MAKES A GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT for everyone you love…

You can give an inspiring and stunningly beautiful Christmas gift that lasts for the next 365 days ….of a whole year of “The Dawning Light” being sent EVERYDAY to anyone and everyone you love by clicking on this button…

Give a gift subscription

OR it would really help and encourage us to make A Small Donation of any amount to our non profit organization as a “tip”!

We operate on a shoestring budget, and your support helps keep “The Dawning Light” sustainable and accessible to every one.

No matter how you subscribe, I thank you for reading and being here with us!

HERE IS our totally safe and wonderful donation portal: Every dollar you give us will be put to maximum benefit in our work to make a loving difference for everyone who reads “The Dawning Light!”

The Dawning Light Magazine is published daily to serve you by….

STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE

Authentic Meditation Training and Practical Spirituality For Daily Life

Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

Thanks for reading The Dawning Light! This post is public so feel free to share it with anyone and everyone you feel would be inspired and uplifted by it!

Share

The real purpose of this daily magazine is to be a space that you know for sure will be 100% loving, positive and life affirming…so please feel free to share ANY of our stories!

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]]><![CDATA[“HOW I BECAME THE REAL SANTA CLAUS: A TRUE STORY” a heart warming true story about a man who transformed himself into Santa to deliver Christmas to needy children]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/how-i-became-the-real-santa-claus-d60https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/how-i-became-the-real-santa-claus-d60Fri, 19 Dec 2025 09:36:23 GMT

This is our WEEKDAY edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT Magazine # 1612

Our FREE version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

Today we are featuring our…CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 58

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Written or Selected, edited and published for your inspiration by Chinmayan…

May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

Get 25% off for 1 year

All images in this story courtesy of Pixabay

ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL SERIES OF “CHILD PEACE STORIES”TO CELEBRATE THE LOVING HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

To celebrate this Christmas Holiday season,

we are publishing 22 heart opening and inspiring stories

That I have collected over many years to share with you.

Today’s story is “HOW I BECAME THE REAL SANTA CLAUS—A TRUE STORY”

A Wonderful story in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

The 16th story in our special series…

One great story everyday from now until Christmas Day!

        HOW I BECAME THE REAL SANTA CLAUS—-A TRUE CHRISTMAS STORY

                                                    A true story by Jay Frankston

There’s nothing so beautiful as a child’s dream of Santa Claus.

I know, I often had that dream when I was growing up.

But I was Jewish, and we didn’t celebrate Christmas.

 It was everyone else’s holiday and I felt left out...like a big party I wasn’t invited to. It wasn’t the toys I missed, it was Santa Claus and a Christmas tree.

So, when I got married and had kids, I decided to make up for it.

I started with a seven-foot tree, all decked out with lights and tinsel and a Star of David on top to sooth those whose Jewish feelings were frayed by the display, and, for them, it was a Hanukah bush.

 And it warmed my heart to see the glitter, because now the party was at my house, and everyone was invited.

But something was missing, something big and round and jolly, with jingle bells and a ho! ho! Ho!

 So, I bought a bolt of bright red cloth and strips of white fur, and my wife made me a realistic Santa Claus costume. Inflatable pillows rounded out my skinny frame, but no amount of makeup could turn my youthful face into merry old Santa.

I went around looking at department store impersonations sitting on their thrones with children on their laps and flashbulbs going off, and I wasn’t satisfied with the way they looked either.

After much effort I located a mask maker and he had just the thing for me, a rubberized Santa mask, complete with whiskers and flowing white hair.

 It was not the real thing, but it looked genuine enough to live up to a child’s dream of St. Nick.

When I tried it on something happened. I looked in the mirror and there he was, big as life, the Santa of my childhood!

There he was...and it was me.

 I felt like Santa, and it was like I became the living embodiment of the real Santa. My posture changed. I leaned back and pushed out my false stomach.

My head tilted to the side and my voice got deeper and richer and a real loud and confident “MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!” roared out of my own mouth.

For two years I played Santa for my children to their mixed feelings of fright and delight and to my total enjoyment.

 And when the third year rolled around, the Santa in me had grown into a personality of his own and he needed more room than I had given him.

So, I sought to accommodate him by letting him do his thing for other children.

 I called up orphanages and children’s hospitals and offered his services free.

 But, “We don’t need Santa, we have all sorts of donations from foundations and... thank you for calling.”

And the Santa in me felt lonely and useless.

Then, one late November afternoon, I went to the mailbox on the corner of the street to mail a letter and saw this pretty little girl trying to reach for the slot.

She was maybe six years old.

“Mommy are you sure Santa will get my letter?” she asked. “Well, you addressed it to Santa Claus, North Pole, so he should get it,” the mother said and lifted her little girl so she could stuff the letter into the box.

My mind began to whirl.

All those thousands of children who wrote to Santa Claus at Christmas time, whatever became of their letters?

One phone call to the main post office answered my question.

They told me that, as of the last week of November, an entire floor of the post office was needed to store those letters in huge sacks that came from different sections of the city.

The Santa in me went ho! ho! ho! and we headed down to the post office.

 And there they were, thousands upon thousands of letters, with or without stamps, addressed to Santi Claus, or St. Nick, or Kris Kringle, scribbled on wrapping paper or neatly written on pretty stationary.

 And I rummaged through them and laughed.

 Most of them were gimme, gimme, gimme letters, like “I want a pair of roller skates, and a Nintendo, and a GI Joe, and a personal computer, and a small portable TV, and whatever else you can think of.”

Many of them had the price alongside each item...with or without sales tax.

Then there were the funny ones like: “Dear Santa, I’ve been a good boy all of last year, but if I don’t get what I want, I’ll be a bad boy all of next.”

And I became a little flustered at the demands and the greed of so many spoiled children.

But the Santa in me heard a voice from inside the mail sack and I continued going through the letters, one after the other, until I came upon one which jarred and unsettled me.

It was neatly written on plain white paper, and it said: “Dear Santa, I hope you get my letter. I am eleven years old, and I have two little brothers and a baby sister. My father died last year, and my mother is sick. I know there are many who are poorer than we are, and I want nothing for myself, but could you send us a blanket, cause mommy’s cold at night.”

 It was signed Suzy.

 And a chill went up my spine and the Santa in me cried, “I hear you, Suzy. I hear you.’

And I dug deeper into those sacks and came up with another eight such letters, all of them calling out from the depth of poverty.

 I took them with me and went straight to the nearest Western Union office and sent each child a telegram: “GOT YOUR LETTER. WILL BE AT YOUR HOUSE ON CHRISTMAS DAY. WAIT FOR ME. SANTA.”

 I knew I could not possibly fill the needs of all those children, and it wasn’t my purpose to do so.

But if I could bring them hope. If I could make them feel that their cries did not go unheard and that someone out there was listening...So I budgeted a sum of money from my own pocket and went out and bought toys.

I wasn’t content with the five-and-ten cent variety.

 I wanted something substantial, something these children could only dream of, like an electric train, or a microscope, or a huge doll of the kind that was advertised on TV.

And on Christmas Day I took out my sleigh and let Santa do his thing.

 Well, it wasn’t exactly a sleigh, it was a car and my wife drove me around because with all those pillows and toys I barely managed to get in the back seat.

It had graciously snowed the night before and the streets were thick with fresh powder.

My first call took me to the outskirts of the city.

The letter had been from a Peter Barsky and all it said was: “Dear Santa, I am ten years old, and I am an only child. We’ve just moved to this house a few months ago, and I have no friends yet. I am not sad because I am poor but because I am lonely. I know you have many things to do and people to see and you probably have no time for me. So, I don’t ask you to come to my house or bring anything. But could you send me a letter, so I know you exist.”

My telegram read: “DEAR PETER, NOT ONLY DO I EXIST BUT I’LL BE THERE ON CHRISTMAS DAY. WAIT FOR ME. SANTA.”

We spotted the house, drove past it, and parked around the corner.

 Then Santa got out with his big bag of toys slung over his shoulder and tramped through the snow.

The house was wedged in between two tall buildings. The roof was of corrugated metal and it was more of a shack than a house.

I walked through the gate, up the front steps and rang the bell.

A man opened the door. He was in his undershirt and his stomach bulged out of his pants.

 “Boje moy” he exclaimed in astonishment. That’s Polish, by the way, and his hand went to his face.

“P-p-please...” he stuttered, “p- please...de boy...de boy...at mass...church. I go get him. Please, please wait.” And he threw a coat over his bare shoulders and, assured that I would wait, he ran down the street in the snow.

So, I stood in front of the house feeling good.

On the opposite side of the street was this other shack, and through the window I could see these shiny black faces peering at me and waving. Then the door opened shyly, and some children’s voices called out to me “Hi Ya Santa!” ...” Hi Ya Santa!”

And I ho! ho! hoed my way over there and this woman asked if I would come in and I did.

And there were these five young kids from one to seven years old. And I sat and spoke to them of Santa and the spirit of love which is the spirit of Christmas.

Then, since they were not on my list, but assuming from the torn Christmas wrappings that they had gotten their presents, I asked if they liked what Santa had brought them during the night.

 And each in turn thanked me for...the woolen socks, and the sweater, and the warm new underwear.

And I looked at them and asked: “Didn’t I bring you kids any toys?” And they shook their heads sadly.

“Ho! ho! ho! I slipped up,” I said, “We’ll have to fix that.”

 I told them to wait, I would be back in a few minutes, then trudged heavily through the snow to the corner.

And when I was out of their sight, I ran as fast as I could to the car.

 We had extra toys in the trunk and my wife quickly filled up the bag, and I trotted back to the house and gave each child a brand-new toy.

There was joy and laughter and the woman asked if she could take a picture of Santa with the kids and I said, sure, why not?

And when Santa got ready to leave, I noticed that this five-year-old little girl was crying.

She was as cute as a button. I bent down and asked her “What’s the matter, child?”

And she sobbed, “Oh! Santa, I’m so happy.” And the tears rolled from my eyes under the rubber mask.

As I stepped out on the street, “Pan, pan, proche...please come...come,”

 I heard this man Barsky calling me from across the way. And Santa crossed and walked into the house.

The boy Peter just stood there and looked at me. “You came,” he said. “I wrote and... you came!”

He turned to his parents. “I wrote...and he came.” And he repeated it over and over again. “I wrote...and he came.”

And when he recovered, I spoke with him about loneliness and friendship, and gave him a chemistry set, which seemed to be what he would go for, and a basketball.

 And he thanked me profusely. And his mother, a heavy-set Slavic-looking woman, asked something of her husband in Polish.

 My parents were Polish, so I speak a little and understand a lot.

“From the North Pole,” I said in Polish.

She looked at me in astonishment. “You speak Polish?” she asked. “Of course,” I said. “Santa speaks all languages.” And I left them in joy and wonder.

I did this every Christmas for twelve years, going through the letters to Santa at the post office, listening for the cries of children muffled in unopened envelopes.

In time I learned all that Santa must know to handle any situation.

Like the big kid who would stop Santa on the street and ask: “Hey, Santa, where’s your sleigh?” And I would say, “How old are you son?”

And he would say, “Thirteen.” And I would say, “Well, you are a big fellow and you ought to know better. Santa used to come in a sleigh many years ago, but these are modern times. I come in a car now.”

And I would hop in the back seat and my wife would drive off.

Or the kid who would look at me closely and come out with, “That’s a mask,” pointing a finger.

It is never a good idea to lie to children, so I’d say, “Sure, son, of course it is! If everybody knew what Santa really looks like they’d bother me all year long and I could not get my things ready for Christmas.”

Or the mother who would whisper so her young son could not hear, “Where do you come from?”

I would turn to the child and say, “Your mom wants to know where I come from Willy.” And he would say, “From the North Pole, Mommy,” with absolute certainty.

The mother would nudge me and whisper, “You don’t understand. Who sent you? I mean, how do you come to this house?”

 I’d turn to the boy and say, “Hey, Willy, your mom wants to know why I came to see you.” And he would say, “Because I wrote him a letter, Mommy.”

I would pull out the letter and she knows she mailed it, and she is confused and bewildered, and I would leave her like that.

As time went on, the word got out about Santa Claus and me.

Even though I insisted on anonymity, toy manufacturers would send me huge cartons of toys as a contribution to the Christmas spirit.

So, I started out with Santa visiting 18 or 20 children and wound up with 120, going door to door, from one end of the city to the other, from Christmas Eve through Christmas Day.

And on my last call, a few years ago I found out there were four children in the family, and I came prepared.

 The house was small and sparsely furnished. The kids had been waiting all day, staring at the telegram and repeating to their skeptical mother, “He’ll come, Mommy, he’ll come.

As I rang the doorbell the house lit up with joy and laughter and resounded with cries of “He’s here...he’s here!”

The doors swing open and they all reach for my hands and hold on. “Hi ya, Santa!...Hi ya Santa! We just knew you would come.”

And these poor kids are all beaming with happiness.

 I take each one of them on my lap and speak to them of rainbows and snowflakes and tell them stories of hope and waiting and give them each a brightly wrapped toy.

All the while there is this fifth child standing in the corner, a cute little girl with blond hair and blue eyes.

When I am through with the others, I turn to her and say: “You’re not part of this family are you?”

 And she shakes her head sadly and whispers, “No.”

“Come closer, child,” I say, and she comes a little closer. “What’s your name?” I ask. “Lisa.” “How old are you?” “Seven.” She says.

“Did you get any toys for Christmas?” I ask. “No,” she says with puckered lips.

So, I take out this big, beautiful doll and, “Here, do you want this doll?” “No,” she says. And she leans over to me and whispers in my ear. “I’m Jewish.”

 And I nudge her and whisper in her ear, “I’m Jewish too. Do you want this doll?”

 And she’s grinning from ear to ear and nods with wanting and desire and takes the doll, hugs it, and runs out.

It’s been a long time now since I last put on my Santa suit and became the real Santa Claus for children who would have no Christmas gifts otherwise.

 But I feel that Santa has lived with me and given me a great deal of happiness all those years.

And now, when Christmas rolls around, he comes out of hiding long enough to say, “Ho! ho! ho! A Merry Christmas to you, my friend.”

And I say to you now, “MERRY CHRISTMAS, MY FRIENDS!!”

THE END

My friends, I have a question for you today!

Of all the Christmas Stories I have published so far in this special series, which one(s) did you love and find help you the most?

I would love to hear your answer in the comments….

Leave a comment

May the Christmas spirit open every one’s heart to loving

and caring for every one on earth!

Original Revelation and Calligraphy by Chinmayan

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY!

A warm welcome to all of you, whether you are a new subscriber, have stumbled upon us by accident, been referred to us by a friend or are one of our wonderful community of regular readers…

Thank you for joining us on this journey to greater love and life!

You can Sign up here FOR OUR FREE or our “INNER CIRCLE MEMBERSHIP” to join thousands of folks around the world who receive this newsletter every morning to help jump start their day with a loving and grateful attitude…

If you loved this issue of the free version of “The Dawning Light”…

We invite you to consider joining our “Inner Circle”as a paid subscriber…

We are having a special “CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SALE” from now until December 31, 2025 ….

Everyone who becomes one of our treasured “Inner Circle” members with a new or gift paid subscription gets a full year of our PREMIUM version of “The Dawning Light” delivered to your in box everyday before dawn plus all of our amazing rewards and benefits for 25% off on a full year…that is 365 issues plus frequent special issues of this magazine, tuition free classes and workshops and 50% discount on all our Dawning Light and Journey Of The Heart Book Series, Gratitude and Writing Life Journals, Affirmation and Revelations card packs and inspirational wall art—all as rewards for being one of our treasured Inner Circle Members!

To check out all the sweet bonuses and rewards that our beloved “Inner Circle Members” of paid subscribers get, just click on the button below…

Get 25% off for 1 year

The Dawning Light is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

THE DAWNING LIGHT MAKES A GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT for everyone you love…

You can give an inspiring and stunningly beautiful Christmas gift that lasts for the next 365 days ….of a whole year of “The Dawning Light” being sent EVERYDAY to anyone and everyone you love by clicking on this button…

Give a gift subscription

We operate on a shoestring budget, and your support helps keep “The Dawning Light” sustainable and accessible to every one.

No matter how you subscribe, I thank you for reading and being here with us!

Besides all the goodies we are offering to you, your subscription directly helps us maintain our simple life on Still Mountain so we can keep the lights on, food on the table and stay focused  on writing and publishing this labor of Love!

“Christmas is all about

The true joy in life—

The ability of Love…

Love alone awakens Love…

And it is the gift we can

Give again and again…”

—Pearl S. Buck

The Dawning Light Magazine is published daily to serve you by….

STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE

Authentic Meditation Training and Practical Spirituality For Daily Life

Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

Thanks for reading The Dawning Light! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Share

Get more from Chinmayan in the Substack app
Available for iOS and Android

]]><![CDATA[“HOW I BECAME THE REAL SANTA CLAUS: A TRUE STORY” a heart warming true story about a man who transformed himself into Santa to deliver Christmas to needy children]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/how-i-became-the-real-santa-claus-991https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/how-i-became-the-real-santa-claus-991Fri, 19 Dec 2025 08:36:43 GMT

This is our WEEKDAY edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT Magazine # 1612

Our FREE version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

Today we are featuring our…CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 58

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Written or Selected, edited and published for your inspiration by Chinmayan…

May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

Get 25% off for 1 year

All images in this story courtesy of Pixabay

ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL SERIES OF “CHILD PEACE STORIES”TO CELEBRATE THE LOVING HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

To celebrate this Christmas Holiday season,

we are publishing 22 heart opening and inspiring stories

That I have collected over many years to share with you.

Today’s story is “HOW I BECAME THE REAL SANTA CLAUS—A TRUE STORY”

A Wonderful story in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

The 16th story in our special series…

One great story everyday from now until Christmas Day!

        HOW I BECAME THE REAL SANTA CLAUS—-A TRUE CHRISTMAS STORY

                                                    A true story by Jay Frankston

There’s nothing so beautiful as a child’s dream of Santa Claus.

I know, I often had that dream when I was growing up.

But I was Jewish, and we didn’t celebrate Christmas.

 It was everyone else’s holiday and I felt left out...like a big party I wasn’t invited to. It wasn’t the toys I missed, it was Santa Claus and a Christmas tree.

So, when I got married and had kids, I decided to make up for it.

I started with a seven-foot tree, all decked out with lights and tinsel and a Star of David on top to sooth those whose Jewish feelings were frayed by the display, and, for them, it was a Hanukah bush.

 And it warmed my heart to see the glitter, because now the party was at my house, and everyone was invited.

But something was missing, something big and round and jolly, with jingle bells and a ho! ho! Ho!

 So, I bought a bolt of bright red cloth and strips of white fur, and my wife made me a realistic Santa Claus costume. Inflatable pillows rounded out my skinny frame, but no amount of makeup could turn my youthful face into merry old Santa.

I went around looking at department store impersonations sitting on their thrones with children on their laps and flashbulbs going off, and I wasn’t satisfied with the way they looked either.

After much effort I located a mask maker and he had just the thing for me, a rubberized Santa mask, complete with whiskers and flowing white hair.

 It was not the real thing, but it looked genuine enough to live up to a child’s dream of St. Nick.

When I tried it on something happened. I looked in the mirror and there he was, big as life, the Santa of my childhood!

There he was...and it was me.

 I felt like Santa, and it was like I became the living embodiment of the real Santa. My posture changed. I leaned back and pushed out my false stomach.

My head tilted to the side and my voice got deeper and richer and a real loud and confident “MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!” roared out of my own mouth.

For two years I played Santa for my children to their mixed feelings of fright and delight and to my total enjoyment.

 And when the third year rolled around, the Santa in me had grown into a personality of his own and he needed more room than I had given him.

So, I sought to accommodate him by letting him do his thing for other children.

 I called up orphanages and children’s hospitals and offered his services free.

 But, “We don’t need Santa, we have all sorts of donations from foundations and... thank you for calling.”

And the Santa in me felt lonely and useless.

Then, one late November afternoon, I went to the mailbox on the corner of the street to mail a letter and saw this pretty little girl trying to reach for the slot.

She was maybe six years old.

“Mommy are you sure Santa will get my letter?” she asked. “Well, you addressed it to Santa Claus, North Pole, so he should get it,” the mother said and lifted her little girl so she could stuff the letter into the box.

My mind began to whirl.

All those thousands of children who wrote to Santa Claus at Christmas time, whatever became of their letters?

One phone call to the main post office answered my question.

They told me that, as of the last week of November, an entire floor of the post office was needed to store those letters in huge sacks that came from different sections of the city.

The Santa in me went ho! ho! ho! and we headed down to the post office.

 And there they were, thousands upon thousands of letters, with or without stamps, addressed to Santi Claus, or St. Nick, or Kris Kringle, scribbled on wrapping paper or neatly written on pretty stationary.

 And I rummaged through them and laughed.

 Most of them were gimme, gimme, gimme letters, like “I want a pair of roller skates, and a Nintendo, and a GI Joe, and a personal computer, and a small portable TV, and whatever else you can think of.”

Many of them had the price alongside each item...with or without sales tax.

Then there were the funny ones like: “Dear Santa, I’ve been a good boy all of last year, but if I don’t get what I want, I’ll be a bad boy all of next.”

And I became a little flustered at the demands and the greed of so many spoiled children.

But the Santa in me heard a voice from inside the mail sack and I continued going through the letters, one after the other, until I came upon one which jarred and unsettled me.

It was neatly written on plain white paper, and it said: “Dear Santa, I hope you get my letter. I am eleven years old, and I have two little brothers and a baby sister. My father died last year, and my mother is sick. I know there are many who are poorer than we are, and I want nothing for myself, but could you send us a blanket, cause mommy’s cold at night.”

 It was signed Suzy.

 And a chill went up my spine and the Santa in me cried, “I hear you, Suzy. I hear you.’

And I dug deeper into those sacks and came up with another eight such letters, all of them calling out from the depth of poverty.

 I took them with me and went straight to the nearest Western Union office and sent each child a telegram: “GOT YOUR LETTER. WILL BE AT YOUR HOUSE ON CHRISTMAS DAY. WAIT FOR ME. SANTA.”

 I knew I could not possibly fill the needs of all those children, and it wasn’t my purpose to do so.

But if I could bring them hope. If I could make them feel that their cries did not go unheard and that someone out there was listening...So I budgeted a sum of money from my own pocket and went out and bought toys.

I wasn’t content with the five-and-ten cent variety.

 I wanted something substantial, something these children could only dream of, like an electric train, or a microscope, or a huge doll of the kind that was advertised on TV.

And on Christmas Day I took out my sleigh and let Santa do his thing.

 Well, it wasn’t exactly a sleigh, it was a car and my wife drove me around because with all those pillows and toys I barely managed to get in the back seat.

It had graciously snowed the night before and the streets were thick with fresh powder.

My first call took me to the outskirts of the city.

The letter had been from a Peter Barsky and all it said was: “Dear Santa, I am ten years old, and I am an only child. We’ve just moved to this house a few months ago, and I have no friends yet. I am not sad because I am poor but because I am lonely. I know you have many things to do and people to see and you probably have no time for me. So, I don’t ask you to come to my house or bring anything. But could you send me a letter, so I know you exist.”

My telegram read: “DEAR PETER, NOT ONLY DO I EXIST BUT I’LL BE THERE ON CHRISTMAS DAY. WAIT FOR ME. SANTA.”

We spotted the house, drove past it, and parked around the corner.

 Then Santa got out with his big bag of toys slung over his shoulder and tramped through the snow.

The house was wedged in between two tall buildings. The roof was of corrugated metal and it was more of a shack than a house.

I walked through the gate, up the front steps and rang the bell.

A man opened the door. He was in his undershirt and his stomach bulged out of his pants.

 “Boje moy” he exclaimed in astonishment. That’s Polish, by the way, and his hand went to his face.

“P-p-please...” he stuttered, “p- please...de boy...de boy...at mass...church. I go get him. Please, please wait.” And he threw a coat over his bare shoulders and, assured that I would wait, he ran down the street in the snow.

So, I stood in front of the house feeling good.

On the opposite side of the street was this other shack, and through the window I could see these shiny black faces peering at me and waving. Then the door opened shyly, and some children’s voices called out to me “Hi Ya Santa!” ...” Hi Ya Santa!”

And I ho! ho! hoed my way over there and this woman asked if I would come in and I did.

And there were these five young kids from one to seven years old. And I sat and spoke to them of Santa and the spirit of love which is the spirit of Christmas.

Then, since they were not on my list, but assuming from the torn Christmas wrappings that they had gotten their presents, I asked if they liked what Santa had brought them during the night.

 And each in turn thanked me for...the woolen socks, and the sweater, and the warm new underwear.

And I looked at them and asked: “Didn’t I bring you kids any toys?” And they shook their heads sadly.

“Ho! ho! ho! I slipped up,” I said, “We’ll have to fix that.”

 I told them to wait, I would be back in a few minutes, then trudged heavily through the snow to the corner.

And when I was out of their sight, I ran as fast as I could to the car.

 We had extra toys in the trunk and my wife quickly filled up the bag, and I trotted back to the house and gave each child a brand-new toy.

There was joy and laughter and the woman asked if she could take a picture of Santa with the kids and I said, sure, why not?

And when Santa got ready to leave, I noticed that this five-year-old little girl was crying.

She was as cute as a button. I bent down and asked her “What’s the matter, child?”

And she sobbed, “Oh! Santa, I’m so happy.” And the tears rolled from my eyes under the rubber mask.

As I stepped out on the street, “Pan, pan, proche...please come...come,”

 I heard this man Barsky calling me from across the way. And Santa crossed and walked into the house.

The boy Peter just stood there and looked at me. “You came,” he said. “I wrote and... you came!”

He turned to his parents. “I wrote...and he came.” And he repeated it over and over again. “I wrote...and he came.”

And when he recovered, I spoke with him about loneliness and friendship, and gave him a chemistry set, which seemed to be what he would go for, and a basketball.

 And he thanked me profusely. And his mother, a heavy-set Slavic-looking woman, asked something of her husband in Polish.

 My parents were Polish, so I speak a little and understand a lot.

“From the North Pole,” I said in Polish.

She looked at me in astonishment. “You speak Polish?” she asked. “Of course,” I said. “Santa speaks all languages.” And I left them in joy and wonder.

I did this every Christmas for twelve years, going through the letters to Santa at the post office, listening for the cries of children muffled in unopened envelopes.

In time I learned all that Santa must know to handle any situation.

Like the big kid who would stop Santa on the street and ask: “Hey, Santa, where’s your sleigh?” And I would say, “How old are you son?”

And he would say, “Thirteen.” And I would say, “Well, you are a big fellow and you ought to know better. Santa used to come in a sleigh many years ago, but these are modern times. I come in a car now.”

And I would hop in the back seat and my wife would drive off.

Or the kid who would look at me closely and come out with, “That’s a mask,” pointing a finger.

It is never a good idea to lie to children, so I’d say, “Sure, son, of course it is! If everybody knew what Santa really looks like they’d bother me all year long and I could not get my things ready for Christmas.”

Or the mother who would whisper so her young son could not hear, “Where do you come from?”

I would turn to the child and say, “Your mom wants to know where I come from Willy.” And he would say, “From the North Pole, Mommy,” with absolute certainty.

The mother would nudge me and whisper, “You don’t understand. Who sent you? I mean, how do you come to this house?”

 I’d turn to the boy and say, “Hey, Willy, your mom wants to know why I came to see you.” And he would say, “Because I wrote him a letter, Mommy.”

I would pull out the letter and she knows she mailed it, and she is confused and bewildered, and I would leave her like that.

As time went on, the word got out about Santa Claus and me.

Even though I insisted on anonymity, toy manufacturers would send me huge cartons of toys as a contribution to the Christmas spirit.

So, I started out with Santa visiting 18 or 20 children and wound up with 120, going door to door, from one end of the city to the other, from Christmas Eve through Christmas Day.

And on my last call, a few years ago I found out there were four children in the family, and I came prepared.

 The house was small and sparsely furnished. The kids had been waiting all day, staring at the telegram and repeating to their skeptical mother, “He’ll come, Mommy, he’ll come.

As I rang the doorbell the house lit up with joy and laughter and resounded with cries of “He’s here...he’s here!”

The doors swing open and they all reach for my hands and hold on. “Hi ya, Santa!...Hi ya Santa! We just knew you would come.”

And these poor kids are all beaming with happiness.

 I take each one of them on my lap and speak to them of rainbows and snowflakes and tell them stories of hope and waiting and give them each a brightly wrapped toy.

All the while there is this fifth child standing in the corner, a cute little girl with blond hair and blue eyes.

When I am through with the others, I turn to her and say: “You’re not part of this family are you?”

 And she shakes her head sadly and whispers, “No.”

“Come closer, child,” I say, and she comes a little closer. “What’s your name?” I ask. “Lisa.” “How old are you?” “Seven.” She says.

“Did you get any toys for Christmas?” I ask. “No,” she says with puckered lips.

So, I take out this big, beautiful doll and, “Here, do you want this doll?” “No,” she says. And she leans over to me and whispers in my ear. “I’m Jewish.”

 And I nudge her and whisper in her ear, “I’m Jewish too. Do you want this doll?”

 And she’s grinning from ear to ear and nods with wanting and desire and takes the doll, hugs it, and runs out.

It’s been a long time now since I last put on my Santa suit and became the real Santa Claus for children who would have no Christmas gifts otherwise.

 But I feel that Santa has lived with me and given me a great deal of happiness all those years.

And now, when Christmas rolls around, he comes out of hiding long enough to say, “Ho! ho! ho! A Merry Christmas to you, my friend.”

And I say to you now, “MERRY CHRISTMAS, MY FRIENDS!!”

THE END

My friends, I have a question for you today!

Of all the Christmas Stories I have published so far in this special series, which one(s) did you love and find help you the most?

I would love to hear your answer in the comments….

Leave a comment

May the Christmas spirit open every one’s heart to loving

and caring for every one on earth!

Original Revelation and Calligraphy by Chinmayan

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY!

A warm welcome to all of you, whether you are a new subscriber, have stumbled upon us by accident, been referred to us by a friend or are one of our wonderful community of regular readers…

Thank you for joining us on this journey to greater love and life!

You can Sign up here FOR OUR FREE or our “INNER CIRCLE MEMBERSHIP” to join thousands of folks around the world who receive this newsletter every morning to help jump start their day with a loving and grateful attitude…

If you loved this issue of the free version of “The Dawning Light”…

We invite you to consider joining our “Inner Circle”as a paid subscriber…

We are having a special “CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SALE” from now until December 31, 2025 ….

Everyone who becomes one of our treasured “Inner Circle” members with a new or gift paid subscription gets a full year of our PREMIUM version of “The Dawning Light” delivered to your in box everyday before dawn plus all of our amazing rewards and benefits for 25% off on a full year…that is 365 issues plus frequent special issues of this magazine, tuition free classes and workshops and 50% discount on all our Dawning Light and Journey Of The Heart Book Series, Gratitude and Writing Life Journals, Affirmation and Revelations card packs and inspirational wall art—all as rewards for being one of our treasured Inner Circle Members!

To check out all the sweet bonuses and rewards that our beloved “Inner Circle Members” of paid subscribers get, just click on the button below…

Get 25% off for 1 year

The Dawning Light is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

THE DAWNING LIGHT MAKES A GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT for everyone you love…

You can give an inspiring and stunningly beautiful Christmas gift that lasts for the next 365 days ….of a whole year of “The Dawning Light” being sent EVERYDAY to anyone and everyone you love by clicking on this button…

Give a gift subscription

We operate on a shoestring budget, and your support helps keep “The Dawning Light” sustainable and accessible to every one.

No matter how you subscribe, I thank you for reading and being here with us!

Besides all the goodies we are offering to you, your subscription directly helps us maintain our simple life on Still Mountain so we can keep the lights on, food on the table and stay focused  on writing and publishing this labor of Love!

“Christmas is all about

The true joy in life—

The ability of Love…

Love alone awakens Love…

And it is the gift we can

Give again and again…”

—Pearl S. Buck

The Dawning Light Magazine is published daily to serve you by….

STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE

Authentic Meditation Training and Practical Spirituality For Daily Life

Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

Thanks for reading The Dawning Light! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Share

Get more from Chinmayan in the Substack app
Available for iOS and Android

]]><![CDATA[“THE THREE SKATERS: HOW THE FARMER, BAKER AND WEAVER SAVED CHRISTMAS” a story about an act of kindness that wrought a Christmas miracle that will surprise and move you to tears!]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/the-three-skaters-how-the-farmer-2bchttps://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/the-three-skaters-how-the-farmer-2bcThu, 18 Dec 2025 10:07:09 GMT

This is our WEEKDAY edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT NEWS # 1611

Our FREE version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

Today we are featuring our…CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 57

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Written or Selected, edited and published by Chinmayan…

May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

Get 25% off for 1 year

All images in this story courtesy of Pixabay

ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL SERIES OF “CHILD PEACE STORIES”TO CELEBRATE THE LOVING HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

To celebrate this Christmas Holiday season,

we are publishing 24 heart opening and inspiring stories

That I have collected over many years to share with you.

Today’s story is “The Three Skaters—How The Farmer, The Baker and The Weaver Saved Christmas”

A Wonderful story in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

The 15th story in our special series…

One great story everyday from now until Christmas Day!

THE THREE SKATERS:

HOW THE FARMER, THE BAKER AND THE WEAVER SAVED CHRISTMAS

   A beautiful story about how an act of kindness caused a Christmas miracle

                                                  by Lynne Roberts

One Christmas Eve, long ago during hard times, in the faraway land of Holland, a baker sadly closed up his shop.

He left his bakery carrying a worn sack with a few loaves of bread in it.

Not many people came into the bakery that day, because times were tough and people did not have any extra money for fresh bread.

The baker had to bring home the leftovers so that they would not go to waste.

“Maybe I can make a nice bread pudding with these loaves,” said the baker to himself. “It would be a shame not to use such delicious bread.”

The baker walked off into the cold, gray afternoon.

The baker’s mind drifted to visions of his family. He pictured them all warm and snug by the fireplace, waiting for his arrival home.

He knew his wife would be a little disappointed with the lack of sales at the bakery, but she would take the loaves of bread and cheerfully make the best use of them that she could.

He smiled beneath the scratchy wool of his scarf, as he thought of how sweet and kind and good natured his wife was, even in these hard times.

 His eyes watered, from the icy wind and from the joy that his family brought to him.

The baker blinked away the tears of disappointment to not be able to do better for his family and kept walking.

When he reached the frozen canal, he sat down upon a log and strapped his wooden skates to his feet. The ice covered canal was a much easier and better way than trying to get home through the snow drifted streets.

As he secured the straps, he looked down the icy canal. The land seemed to stretch out endlessly before him. The air was crisp and the wind was bitter.

The baker shivered and pulled his scarf higher on his face.

About a half-mile down the canal, the baker could see the farmer coming toward him.

Soon he was joined by the farmer, who was also his neighbor. He, too, carried a sack.

The two men greeted each other quietly and began skating together. Their skates soon fell into a rhythm.

“Have you been to the market today?” asked the baker.

The farmer nodded slowly. “Not much luck, though,” he said.

“Same here. I still have few loaves of bread,” said the baker. He turned his gaze down the canal and continued to skate.

The farmer also could not wait to be home with his family. He looked forward to warming himself by the fire and playing with his children.

His youngest child, Lily, had been ill, and the farmer wanted to get her something special to cheer her up at the market.

But he did not sell many apples and had to bring a sack of them back home.

“Perhaps a nice apple pie will warm little Lily and make her smile,” said the farmer to himself.

Times were tough for everyone. It was clear that both men did not need to say much to each other. They knew exactly how the other one felt.

As they continued to skate, the clouds grew thicker.

The two men wanted to get home as quickly as possible. Soon they came to where another canal met up with theirs.

They could see another figure coming toward them from the other canal. With a wave, they saw that it was their friend, the weaver.

“Hello, gentlemen,” said the weaver. He skated right up to the farmer and the baker. They greeted the weaver warmly, and they all began to skate together.

Now the sound of the three men’s skates was all that could be heard on the smooth ice of the canal.

The weaver had also come from the market, where he had been trying to sell the beautiful blankets he had woven.

Since no one had any extra money to spend, the weaver left the market with all of his blankets and no money.

He tried to keep his spirits up, however, by taking pride in knowing that his blankets were beautifully crafted and woven out of love.

“It will be wonderful when we get home and out of the chill,” said the weaver, trying to start some cheerful conversation.

The other two men just nodded their heads in agreement.

Their thick scarves and the biting wind made it hard to talk to one another. They continued along the canal in silence.

As they passed an abandoned farm, the weaver suddenly stopped skating. He turned his gaze toward the old rundown barn in the middle of the field. He thought he heard an unusual noise.

“Stop! Listen!” the weaver called to his companions.

The farmer and the baker quickly stopped. They returned to the spot where the weaver was standing,

The three men stood on the icy canal, staring at the old barn.

Suddenly a slice of sunlight split through the clouds and shone brightly onto the barn. It was a most unusual sight!

“Listen. Do you hear that?” said the farmer.

The farmer and the baker held their breath and listened.

All at once, the three men heard the familiar sound of a baby crying. It seemed to be coming from the old barn, now cast in an eerie bright glow.

“It sounds like a child,” said the farmer.

“But how could it be? That farm has been abandoned for years,” said the weaver.

“Perhaps a lamb was left in the barn,” said the baker. “It sounds like a lamb.”

The three men heard the sound again and knew in an instant that it was not a lamb. It sounded, most definitely, like a child.

Without another word, all three men stepped off the ice and into the snow.

They took their skates and began walking toward the barn.

As they reached the doorway, they could hear the baby’s cries beginning to soften as the gentle sound of a mother’s voice sang a soulful lullaby.

The men opened the barn door without knocking. It was as if they knew that it was all right—that whoever was inside wanted them to come in.

Inside the barn, thin beams of sunlight streamed through the holes in the roof and walls.

There was not a lamb that had been abandoned by the barn’s owner, but the scene inside the barn was most incredible.

In the center of the barn sat a young woman holding a newborn infant. She was singing the most beautiful and unusual lullaby.

She stopped singing as she looked up at the men. Then she smiled.

The men could not help but smile shyly back at the new mother.

They were very surprised that anyone was in the abandoned barn, but even more surprised to see a lovely young mother holding a newborn infant.

The three men looked around the barn and saw a man raking hay in a stall.

The man looked very tired. After a moment, he stopped his chore and addressed the three strangers.

“It’s not much of a home, but we had nowhere else to go,” he explained. “We are on our way to visit relatives. My wife had the baby before we could reach our destination.”

The farmer, the baker, and the weaver all turned back to look at the mother and her newborn baby. “Are your relatives expecting your arrival?” asked the weaver.

“Yes, but traveling will be difficult now with the infant.” Said the father “ We can’t stay here long, though. We have no food, and it is very cold and drafty inside this barn.”

He finished raking a soft pile of hay and laid down a thin piece of cloth on top. Then the man walked over to the mother, took the baby, and placed it on its makeshift bed.

The mother and father gathered around the child. It was obvious to the men that the young family was happy despite their hardship.

The man and woman looked lovingly at each other and their new baby.

The family scene touched the three men and, all at once, they took their items from their sacks and laid the loaves of bread, the bunch of apples and all the brightly colored blankets on the floor near the child’s bed.

 They smiled at the family, then quietly left the cold and drafty barn.

Without a word, the farmer, the baker, and the weaver walked through the snow to the edge of the canal. They bent down to put on their skates, then skated off once again.

Now all three of the men’s sacks were empty.

They did not seem concerned with coming home empty-handed, however. They felt in their hearts that what they had done was right.

Once again, the only sound to be heard was their skates on the ice.

As he skated, the baker thought of his home.

The mother and child reminded him of his wife and children waiting to see him walk through the door. He felt blessed knowing that they were safe and warm in their small, but cozy house.

The farmer’s thoughts drifted to his sick daughter. How fragile and tiny she looked when he left her that morning, bundled up in her blanket.

He thought of the newborn child and how fragile it looked in its young mother’s arms. He said a blessing for the young family left alone in that old barn.

The weaver’s prayers also went out to the mother and her child. He hoped that his handmade blankets would provide enough warmth and shelter for the family until they could continue on their journey.

The three men were so deep in thought that they did not notice their sacks getting heavier.

Slowly each sack was filling, as if someone invisible was dropping items into each one. But the men did not perceive the growing heaviness.

They did notice, however, that they were nearing the village where they all lived. A smile crossed each of their lips, because they knew that they would be home soon. It had been a truly strange, but amazing day.

As they reached the edge of town, the three men stepped off the ice. The crisp snow crunched under their skates.

They still did not speak to one another. Each one took off his skates and slung them over his shoulders. Their sacks were quite full by this time, but still not one man made mention of it.

The farmer said good-bye to the baker and the weaver and headed toward his home.

The baker and weaver also said good-byes and parted company. It had been an unusual day, but neither the farmer, the baker, nor the weaver felt like talking. It was as if they all knew what the other one was thinking.

By the time the baker reached his front door, his sack was brimming and very heavy.

He walked into his home and found his family just as he had pictured, all huddled around the warmth of the fireplace. When they saw him come through the door, all the children shouted at once, “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy’s home!”

His wife walked over to the baker and gave him a warm hug. That is when she noticed the sack he was carrying. “Oh, dear! What a day at the shop!” she said, her eyes wide with wonder.

The baker put down the sack. Immediately cookies and cakes, hams and bread, teas and spices, fruits and vegetables came flooding out! There were also wrapped presents for everyone. The whole family began to cry with grateful delight.

“Oh, Daddy! How wonderful!” cried the baker’s daughter.

“Dear, we are so blessed!” cried the baker’s wife.

The baker had no idea how his sack got so full with such wonderful gifts, but he knew it must have something to do with the amazing scene in the barn.

That night the baker and his family had the best Christmas dinner ever. Not only did they have enough for that night, but for forty nights after!

When it was time for bed, the baker gathered the children in front of the fire and told them the amazing story of the family in the old barn on the abandoned field. He described how the sunlight broke through the clouds and shone only on the little barn where they were staying.

“It was a wonderful sight, indeed!” he told the children.

After he put his family to bed with full bellies and wondrous visions in their heads, the baker sat up and looked out the window.

He thought of the farmer and the weaver. He knew that their night was as joyous and amazing as his had been.

They all gave everything they had out of pure generosity and the goodness of their hearts.

And even though the winter winds howled outside, it was the warmest and happiest Christmas night the farmer, the baker, and the weaver had ever had.

THE END

My friends, I have a question for you today!

Of all the Christmas Stories I have published so far in this special series, which one(s) did you love and find help you the most?

I would love to hear your answer in the comments….

Leave a comment

“Christmas is all about giving the greatest of gifts, which is our love and caring for others, freely and unselfishly from our hearts! When we do things for others lovingly, then we all get to experience the miracle of joy and blessings that are magnified and go out into the world in sweet fulfillment of the divine promise “It is more blessed to give than to receive!”

-Chinmayan

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Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

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]]><![CDATA[“THE RICH WIDOW and THE POOR WIDOW” A True Story About Kindness Being the Only Medicine That Can Heal the Wounds of the World…the 14th story in our special series]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/the-rich-widow-and-the-poor-widow-8cdhttps://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/the-rich-widow-and-the-poor-widow-8cdWed, 17 Dec 2025 08:07:23 GMT

This is our WEEKDAY edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT NEWS # 1610

Our FREE version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

Today we are featuring our…CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 33

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Written or Selected, edited and published by Chinmayan to inspire you…

May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

Get 25% off for 1 year

Images courtesy of Pixabay

ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL SERIES OF “CHILD PEACE STORIES”TO CELEBRATE THE LOVING HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

To celebrate this Christmas Holiday season,

we are publishing 24 heart opening and inspiring stories

That I have collected over many years to share with you.

Today’s story is “THE RICH WIDOW and THE POOR WIDOW”

A Wonderful story in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

The 14th story in our special series…

One great story everyday from now until Christmas Day!

Images in this story by the kind courtesy of Pixabay

Kindness, Caring and Love Is The Very Essence Of Christmas

Kindness and caring and loving and thinking of others more than of your own self is the very essence of what Christmas is all about.

As the Christmas Spirit grows stronger and brighter with each passing day during this long season, it transforms more and more people through opening their hearts to sharing this Love with every one around them.

It is not a “fairy tale”.

The Christmas Spirit is like the sun rising after a long and freezing winter night to shine away the darkness by melting even the most frozen of hearts so that their own real Love can flow again.

Kindness and caring are the doorways to a greater life based on being a force of Love for others and is the secret to happiness and fulfillment.

At the end of the day, it is those acts of kindness that give us meaning and purpose because being Loving is who and what we really are!

If everyone understood this secret about loving kindness and used it everyday, the power of love, compassion and caring would transform our lives and save the planet.

The Power Of Kindness and Caring

Kindness is contagious!  The more we share about it, the stronger it gets and the more it spreads from person to person. 

This Christmas season, let’s all create a pandemic of kindness, which this world and all living beings on our beautiful planet home so desperately need!

Kindness is love in action and expression which uplifts every life it touches and has an expanding domino effect.  

Even the smallest act of kindness has much more  positive results and greater rewards than anything you can do just for your own self centered interest.

When you embrace practicing  kindness consciously and on purpose, with an open and loving heart, you will be making a huge difference wherever you go…and will feel waves of sweet satisfying contentment and joy surging through your mind that you can’t get any other way.

If you want to be released from your worries , fears and struggles and move up into a more positive, peaceful and loving state, then find a way to serve others that works for you.

I will illustrate these points with the following true story—“The Rich Widow and The Poor Widow” that I wrote about how I learned the amazing effects this shift in attitude from being selfishly centered to becoming focused on selflessly serving and helping others can have.

                                The Rich Widow and the Poor Widow

Loving Written By Chinmayan For This Special Series

When I was a young man, I made a living by offering  my landscaping skills and expertise to the local community of our little town.

I specialized in taking neglected, overgrown properties and restoring them to beautiful, pristine condition.

I had been thoroughly trained  by my Dad since boyhood in every aspect of landscaping, and instilled with the attitude that “any job worth doing is worth doing to the best of your abilities”.

I delighted in doing great work and  delivering exceptional results on every project I was asked to do.  Because of this I had many clients, most of them women, from all walks of life.

It was from two of my steady clients, both widows, that I learned the secret to having a life of lasting happiness, a peaceful and contented mind and an open and loving heart.

One client was  the wealthiest woman in our little town, with a large country mansion on many acres with a large heritage rose garden that needed constant care. 

She drove an expensive luxury car, wore top tier designer clothes, had a house full of fine furniture, a huge kitchen she never cooked in and plenty of money to travel anywhere in the world.

Most people in our town looked up to her as someone who had a dream life because she could buy or do anything she wanted.  

When  she was in town, many envious eyes followed her as she drove by in a car that cost more than any of them could earn from many years of  hard work as farmers, ranchers and loggers. 

Whatever she did was done with genteel style and grace, as if she was a queen.  In public, she seemed perfectly happy, and having a  perfect life of ease and elegance.

But, as I worked on her property, I saw what her  life was really like. 

Whenever she met  with  me in her huge living room to give instructions or pay me for my work, she was always irritable and tense.

One day I asked, “How are you doing?” As I genuinely wanted to know.  She looked at me with a startled expression, and then opened up to me. 

“I am miserable.  I bang around in this big house all day long by myself, with nothing to do.  I’m bored, lonely and unhappy.  My kids don’t visit or bring my grandkids to see me anymore..and to tell you the truth, its hard to get out of bed sometimes.”

I had another client who was one of the poorest women in town.

 She had a little house with a small front and back yard which I took care of for her for just $5.00 a month…because I knew she had only her monthly Social Security check to live on. 

She walked wherever she needed to go because she couldn’t afford a car. 

Her clothes came from Goodwill, all the furniture in her house had seen a lifetime of use, and she had to scrimp every month to buy food and pay the bills.

Yet, out of all of my clients, she was the happiest, friendliest, most caring and considerate. 

She had a delightful zest for life, and was always on the go, with a large circle of friends and family who adored her. I rarely saw her when I worked on her yard because she was always out and about town.

One day,  I asked her how she was doing. 

She replied, “Well, after my husband passed away a few years ago, just when I thought my life, too, was over and I was drowning in grief, one of my friend’s insisted she needed my help for a few weeks. 

When I told her I didn’t feel like helping anyone at all, she said “That’s when you need to be helping the most.  I will be at your door to pick you up tomorrow morning, no if ands or buts!”

“I didn’t know it then, but she was saving my life!”

She put me to work five days a week as a volunteer in the hospital and later on I was invited to join the volunteer team at the Hospice. 

To tell you the truth, I have never been happier because I get to do things for people who can’t do them for themselves.”

Years later, when  the widows died, very few people came to the rich widow’s funeral while hundreds of people followed the poor widow’s coffin in a long walking procession that wound through our little town to the cemetery to honor and celebrate her life.

Through her example and the example of my spiritual teachers who all dedicated their lives and every breath to serving others in every way they could to ease the suffering in the world, I chose to follow in their footsteps and have done so ever since to the best of my ability.

My friends, I have a question for you today!

Of all the Christmas Stories I have published so far in this special series, which one(s) did you love and find help you the most?

I would love to hear your answer in the comments….

Leave a comment

ENLIGHTENING WISDOM QUOTES About The Transforming Power of Kindness, Caring and Compassion—

IF YOU WANT TO FIND YOUR TRUE SELF, BE LOVING and KIND

“The best way to find yourself is to lose your self in the service of others.” 

  —Gandhi

THE LANGUAGE OF KINDNESS

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

—Mark Twain

LIGHT A LAMP OF LOVE IN YOUR HEART

“If you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your own path.”

—Buddha

LOVE IS THE FACE OF GOD

“Love is the face of God.

Love is the only medicine that can heal the wounds of the world.

True happiness is when Love that is within us finds

Expression in external activities…

The opportunity to serve others should be considered a rare gift,

A blessing from God.”

—Amma

WE WERE BORN TO LOVE

“We were born to love.

You might say that we are divinely created love machines.

We function most powerfully when we are giving love.

The world has led us to believe that our well being is

dependent on other people loving us,

But the truth is that our well being is dependent on our giving love.

Its not about what comes back; it is about what goes out.”

— Alan Cohen

“LOVING KINDNESS IS THE ONLY MEDICINE THAT CAN HEAL THE WOUNDS OF THE WORLD”

—Amma

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY!

A warm welcome to all of you, whether you are a new subscriber, have stumbled upon us by accident, been referred to us by a friend or are one of our wonderful community of regular readers…

Thank you for joining us on this journey to greater love and life!

You can Sign up here FOR OUR FREE or our “INNER CIRCLE MEMBERSHIP” to join thousands of folks around the world who receive this newsletter every morning to help jump start their day with a loving and grateful attitude…

If you loved this issue of the free version of “The Dawning Light”…

We invite you to consider joining our “Inner Circle”as a paid subscriber…

We are having a special “CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SALE” from now until December 31, 2025 ….

Everyone who becomes one of our treasured “Inner Circle” members with a new or gift paid subscription gets a full year of our PREMIUM version of “The Dawning Light” delivered to your in box everyday before dawn plus all of our amazing rewards and benefits for 25% off on a full year…that is 365 issues plus frequent special editions and offers just for Inner Circle Members….

Get 25% off for 1 year

To check out all the sweet bonuses and rewards that our beloved “Inner Circle Members of paid subscribers get, just click on the button below…

The Dawning Light is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

THE DAWNING LIGHT MAKES A GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT for everyone you love…

You can give an inspiring and stunningly beautiful Christmas gift that lasts for the next 365 days ….of a whole year of “The Dawning Light” being sent EVERYDAY to anyone and everyone you love by clicking on this button…

Give a gift subscription

No matter how you subscribe, I thank you for reading and being here with us!

Besides all the goodies we are offering to you, your subscription directly helps us maintain our simple life on Still Mountain so we can keep the lights on, food on the table and stay focused on writing and publishing this labor of Love!

The Dawning Light Magazine is published daily to serve you by….

STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE

Authentic Meditation Training and Practical Spirituality For Daily Life

Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

“Wise men still seek Him!”

It is important and enlightening to remember that Christmas is our celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ…

You can read the amazingly beautiful story about the Birth of Jesus in the Bible in MATTHEW 1:18-2:23 and LUKE 1:26 -2:40

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Thanks for reading The Dawning Light! This post is public so feel free to share it.

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]]><![CDATA[ “THE WHITE ENVELOPE—HOW OUR FAMILY LEARNED THE GIFT OF GIVING”a story about the true meaning of the Christmas spirit PLUS a short heart warming Christmas movie you will absolutely love!]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/the-white-envelopehow-our-family-49ahttps://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/the-white-envelopehow-our-family-49aTue, 16 Dec 2025 10:57:22 GMT

This is our WEEKDAY edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT Magazine # 1609

Our FREE version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

Today we are featuring our…CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 55

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Written or Selected, edited and published by Chinmayan…

May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

Get 25% off for 1 year

All images in this story courtesy of Pixabay

ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL SERIES OF “CHILD PEACE STORIES”TO CELEBRATE THE LOVING HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

To celebrate this Christmas Holiday season,

we are launching a special series of magical and miraculous stories

That are perfect for READING ALOUD to children of all ages

With the publishing of 22 “Child Peace” stories, one for

Each day until Christmas Day.

A Wonderful story in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

The 13th story in our special series…

One great story everyday from now until Christmas Day!

 THE WHITE ENVELOPE—HOW OUR FAMILY LEARNED THE GIFT OF GIVING

                   And The True Meaning and Power Of The Christmas Spirit

                    A true story by an Unknown Author, edited by Chinmayan

It’s just a small white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree.

No name, no identification, no inscription.

It has peeked through the branches of our Christmas tree for the last ten years or so.

It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas… not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it—the overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute for a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Granny.

The gifts given in desperation because you couldn’t think of anything else.

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to by-pass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth.

I reached for doing something just for Mike.

The inspiration came in an unusual way.

Our son, Kevin, who was twelve that year, was on the wrestling team at the junior level at the school he attended shortly before Christmas.

There was a wrestling match scheduled between Kevin’s team and a team sponsored by an inner-city church, that was mostly young black boys.

These youngsters came onto the court dressed in sneakers so ragged that the shoestrings were the only thing holding them together. They were a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.

As the match began, I was alarmed to see the other team was wrestling without headgear, which is a light helmet to protect the head and ears.

It was a luxury the rag-tag team just could not afford!

We ended up walloping the team and defeated them in every weight class.

As each of the boys got up off the mat, after losing the match, he swaggered in his tattered shoes and ragged clothes with false bravado in a kind of street pride that couldn’t acknowledge defeat.

Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly. “I wish just one of them could have won at least one match. They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.”

Mike loved kids. All kids, and he understood them, having coached little league, football, baseball and lacrosse for many years.

That is when the idea for the present came.

That afternoon, I went to the sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear, and shoes for every kid on that team and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church in time to be Christmas gifts.

On Christmas-eve, I placed the first white envelope on the tree, with a note inside telling Mike what I had done, and that this was his gift from me.

His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and the succeeding years since.

For from then on, as each Christmas drew near and the Christmas spirit grew stronger and stronger, I have followed that tradition.

One year it was sending a group of mentally handicapped to a hockey game… another year sending a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home burnt down the week before Christmas, and on and on…always fulfilling a need for others in some big way, but anonymously.

The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas every year.

It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning, and our Children, ignoring their new toys and all the other presents they were getting, would stand wide eyed in anticipation as their Dad would reach for the envelope and reveal its contents.

As the children grew up, the toys gave way to more practical gifts, but the envelope never lost its allure.

The story doesn’t end there.

You see, we lost Mike last year.

When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped up in grief, that I didn’t feel like celebrating anything, but for my children’s sake, I managed to barely get the tree up.

But there I was on Christmas-eve placing that envelope high up in the branches as my gift to honor and remember Mike.

When I came down in the morning my envelope had been joined by three others!

Each of our children, unbeknownst to me and each other, had placed an envelope on the tree for their Dad.

The tradition has grown and will someday expand even further with our grandchildren standing around their own tree in anticipation as their fathers take down the envelope.

In this way. because of our family’s tradition of anonymous giving to others in need, Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas spirit which brings such joy to our world, will always be with us!

Calligraphy by Chinmayan

A BEAUTIFULLY HEARTWARMING SHORT FILM —-

ONE OF THE VERY BEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL VERSIONS OF THE STORY OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS that we have ever seen…we viewed many other versions until we found and chose this one to share with you…it is a well told reminder of what Christmas and all of it’s magic and wonder is celebrating…we believe you will love it—May all the joys of this season fill your heart and shower its blessings on you, your family and everyone you Love!….

Our Christmas tree here on Still Mountain…photo by Chinmayan

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY!

A warm welcome to all of you, whether you are a new subscriber, have stumbled upon us by accident, been referred to us by a friend or are one of our wonderful community of regular readers…

Thank you for joining us on this journey to greater love and life!

You can Sign up here FOR OUR FREE or our “INNER CIRCLE MEMBERSHIP” to join thousands of folks around the world who receive this newsletter every morning to help jump start their day with a loving and grateful attitude…

If you loved this issue of the free version of “The Dawning Light”…

We invite you to consider joining our “Inner Circle”as a paid subscriber…

We are having a special “CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SALE” from now until December 31, 2025 ….

Everyone who becomes one of our treasured “Inner Circle” members with a new or gift paid subscription gets a full year of our PREMIUM version of “The Dawning Light” delivered to your in box everyday before dawn plus all of our amazing rewards and benefits for 25% off on a full year…that is 365 issues plus frequent special editions and offers just for Inner Circle Members….

Get 25% off for 1 year

To check out all the sweet bonuses and rewards that our beloved “Inner Circle Members of paid subscribers get, just click on the button below…

Get 25% off for 1 year

The Dawning Light is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

You can give an inspiring and stunningly beautiful Christmas gift that lasts for the next 365 days ….of a whole year of “The Dawning Light” being sent EVERYDAY to anyone and everyone you love by clicking on this button…

Give a gift subscription

No matter how you subscribe, I thank you for reading and being here with us!

Besides all the goodies we are offering to you, your subscription directly helps us maintain our simple life on Still Mountain so we can keep the lights on, food on the table and stay focused on writing and publishing this labor of Love!

The Dawning Light Magazine is published daily to serve you by….

STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE

Authentic Meditation Training and Practical Spirituality For Daily Life

Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

“What Christmas is all about is the birth of Christ in each of our hearts as we focus on giving and loving and caring—and making this world a place for the power of Love to overcome our self centered smallness so all can live in peace, harmony and happiness”

—Yeshe Gyamtso

It is important and enlightening to remember that Christmas is our celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ…

You can read the amazingly beautiful story about the Birth of Jesus in the Bible in MATTHEW 1:18-2:23 and LUKE 1:26 -2:40

Thanks for reading The Dawning Light! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Share

Get more from Chinmayan in the Substack app
Available for iOS and Android

]]><![CDATA[“THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT MADE OUR HOME INTO HEAVEN” a true story about the miraculous transformation Christmas brought to my family as I grew up in the 1950’s PLUS A short film of the Christmas Story!]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/the-christmas-spirit-made-our-home-2aahttps://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/the-christmas-spirit-made-our-home-2aaMon, 15 Dec 2025 09:44:59 GMT

This is our WEEKDAY edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT Magazine # 1608

Our PREMIUM version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

Today we are featuring our…. CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 54

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Written or Selected, edited and published by Chinmayan…

May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

Get 25% off for 1 year

All images in this story courtesy of Pixabay

ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL SERIES OF “CHILD PEACE STORIES”TO CELEBRATE THE LOVING HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

To celebrate this Christmas Holiday season,

we are launching a special series of magical and miraculous stories

That are perfect for READING ALOUD to children of all ages

With the publishing of 22 “Child Peace” stories, one for

Each day until Christmas Day.

I have been collecting these stories for a long time…

all from different authors, and different times…

All stories you probably have never heard of

But which are well written, powerfully heart opening and

Inspiring stories that will move you to tears….

These special stories about amazing acts of kindness,

Caring, compassion and Love have been carefully chosen or written

And edited by me to help you get into the Christmas spirit…

A Wonderful story in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

The 12th story in our special series…

One great story everyday from now until Christmas Day!

THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT MADE OUR HOME INTO HEAVEN

Lovingly Written by Chinmayan…

May the Christmas Spirit open everyone’s heart to loving and caring for everyone on earth!

This morning I would like to tell you a story about how I discovered the true spirit and deep meaning of the Christmas season.

As a boy, growing up during the 1950s and 60s in the Deep South, I always enjoyed and looked forward to the coming of Christmas time every year.

Even though my parents struggled financially, my Mom and Dad would save a little bit from each paycheck all year long so that they could give us three boys a wonderful experience.

They always made sure that we had a beautiful real pine tree put up early in December, with all the decorations and  a shining angel on top. with piles of brightly wrapped gifts under it.

My mother  would shop for the biggest, nicest turkey that she could find with all the trimmings.

I can still remember her singing in the kitchen, as she  spent days before the big day cooking and baking a special feast of a Christmas dinner for our family…which had three boys born just a year apart.

I was the oldest, born in 1950, followed by my middle brother Bill and then, the youngest, my brother Joel.

We lived in a modest 100 year old Victorian house on an island in the Gulf of Mexico, where my Dad was just starting his long career as a State Park Ranger, who later became a Superintendent, respected and renowned as the premier creator of new or restorer of rundown parks.

For all of us, Christmas was a journey of ever building anticipation and excitement that lasted from the day we put up our tree, all month until the blessed arrival of Christmas morning. 

We three boys were allowed to pick up the packages with our names on them and speculate on what they might contain.

 My parents, and Santa Claus, had thought all year about the perfect gifts for each of us, so that when Christmas finally came, each gift was far better than even our wildest dreams. 

There were no cheap plastic or glitzy gifts.  Each gift was a thoughtful fulfillment of something we needed to grow at each stage of life.

 I see clearly now that the big Erector Set and Lincoln Logs set that I got one Christmas, spurred me to learn how to build and design things. 

As we grew up, my parents gave us gifts that opened the greater world for us.

 When I was interested in science, they gave me a real telescope for studying the craters of the moon and later a real microscope set. 

They gave each of us big red wagons and real metal toy trucks, tractors and airplanes when we were young, and Red Ryder BB guns and 3 speed Schwinn bicycles when we were older.

This gave us the lesson that it is good to dream and have our dreams fulfilled. 

Looking back, I can see clearly that my parents enjoyed seeing our surprise and pleasure of receiving our gifts even more than we did.

Before Christmas, my parents gave each of us boys a few dollars, took us to the Five and Dime store, and allowed us to take our time finding our own secret gifts for each other. 

At home, my Mom would provide wrapping paper and tape so that we could wrap our carefully selected presents ourselves and place them among the pile under our tree.

This gave us the sweet experience of thinking about what others would like and enjoying see their pleasure when they opened our  offerings on Christmas morning. 

This gave us a lesson in learning to give and share and care for each other.

What I did not realize until much later, when I became a father myself, was the remarkable transformation that happened to my Dad each year. 

For the rest of the year, my dad was a strict disciplinarian who was the swift and sure dispenser of punishment for any infractions of the family rules or bad behavior by us boys. 

When we did something wrong or raucous while my Dad was at work, my Mom would give us time outs in a corner to think about it, but would invariably say “Just wait til your Dad gets home from work and hears about this!”

My Dad had a temper, and so we would spend the rest of the day in fearful anticipation of what would happen when he came home. 

Suffice it to say, my Dad, like many generations of fathers in our family before him, believed wholeheartedly in the old adage “Spare the rod and spoil the child.”

No amount of boyish pleading, crying or explaining would cause him to spare the punishment that he believed must be dispensed.

Of course, we loved both parents, but for us,  my Mom was the sweet angel of mercy, whereas my Dad was the feared dispenser of wrathful retribution.

But every year, as the Christmas season advanced day by day, my Dad would go through a gradual and amazing transformation.

 He would become a completely different person as his stern demeanor  disappeared  and be replaced with genuine softness and caring. 

My dad would tell jokes and his laughter filled our house.  He would even often say “You know, son, I am very proud of you and I love you with all my heart.”

Even though my Dad’s job of being a State Park Ranger was very demanding and stressful, he would make sure he got home early enough to spend time with us boys,  playing ball or going for walks or just sitting with us to ask about our days at school. 

Gone was the stressed and strict man whose voice could be like lightning and thunder, who would punish us verbally and physically in ways that chastised and almost crushed our boyish spirits.

 He became tender, gentle, loving and grateful for his family.  The man he was the rest of the year was gone. 

I still remember the absolute delight of sitting in his lap, hugging him and being told I was a good boy or our family sitting around the dinner table as he told us stories of his own boyhood Christmases.

I can see clearly now that this transformation was brought about by the irresistible influence of the Christmas spirit, which is a real force of love and light that grows stronger, brighter and more pervasive as each day goes by on the steady march to Christmas day.

My own Dad, who was a tough guy the rest of the year, was touched by it so much that his true nature came out  and created such a space of love in our family that all of us had a transcendental experience which is so sweet in memory.

In all the years of my life since, my understanding and experience of the power of the Christmas Spirit to touch and transform each of us into the highest expressions of our true selves has grown deeper and clearer. 

Because of the blessings of my boyhood Christmases, I always knew that the season is a precious opportunity that comes once a year to help us  learn to love each other and the world in an unconditional and pure way. 

But there are more amazing and abundant blessings which become available to each of us during this season as the Christmas Spirit grows stronger and brighter on Earth.

I now know with absolute certainty that the real reason we are all born and our real purpose and meaning of every one of our lives is Love.

We came to earth to learn how to Love ever more deeply…for only Love can heal and transform us…only Love can release us from our lower self centered delusions that are the cause of so much suffering and separation…..so that we can become the great and beautiful loving person that we are destined and need to be.

This and every Christmas is our special opportunity to light up our hearts with Love and caring so powerfully that we become the force of love in this world we came here to be…as the power of the Christmas spirit grows day by day and we all are swept up by the rising tide of Love…

“Wise men still seek Him!”

It is important and enlightening to remember that Christmas is our celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ…

You can read the amazingly beautiful story about the Birth of Jesus in the Bible in MATTHEW 1:18-2:23 and LUKE 1:26 -2:40

A BEAUTIFUL and INSPIRING ANIMATED FILM OF THE CHRISTMAS STORY

Here is a short and moving animated film that tells the story of Jesus’s birth in a sweet and simple way that reminds us of the “reason for this season.” It is perfect for children but will touch every “grown ups” heart as well. Rejoice!

THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST…a wonderful short animation of the Christmas story….

Our Christmas tree here on Still Mountain…. Photo by Chinmayan

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY!

A warm welcome to all of you, whether you are a new subscriber, have stumbled upon us by accident, been referred to us by a friend or are one of our wonderful community of regular readers…

Thank you for joining us on this journey to greater love and life!

You can Sign up here FOR OUR FREE or our “INNER CIRCLE MEMBERSHIP” to join thousands of folks around the world who receive this newsletter every morning to help jump start their day with a loving and grateful attitude…

If you loved this issue of the free version of “The Dawning Light”…

We invite you to consider joining our “Inner Circle”as a paid subscriber…

We are having a special “CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SALE” from now until December 31, 2025 ….

Everyone who becomes one of our treasured “Inner Circle” members with a new or gift paid subscription gets a full year of our PREMIUM version of “The Dawning Light” delivered to your in box everyday before dawn plus all of our amazing rewards and benefits for 25% off on a full year…that is 365 issues plus frequent special editions and offers just for Inner Circle Members….

Get 25% off for 1 year

To check out all the sweet bonuses and rewards that our beloved “Inner Circle Members of paid subscribers get, just click on the button below…

Get 25% off for 1 year

The Dawning Light is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

You can give great Christmas gift that lasts for the next 365 days ….of a whole year of “The Dawning Light” being sent EVERYDAY to anyone and everyone you love by clicking on this button…

Give a gift subscription

Besides all the goodies we are offering to you, your subscription directly helps us maintain our simple life on Still Mountain so we can keep the lights on, food on the table and stay focused  on writing and publishing this labor of Love!

The Dawning Light Magazine is published daily to serve you by….

STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE

Authentic Meditation Training and Practical Spirituality For Daily Life

Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

“Let’s celebrate Christmas in our hearts by choosing to live the way of Love all year long!” —Yeshe Gyamtso

Thanks for reading The Dawning Light! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Share

Get more from Chinmayan in the Substack app
Available for iOS and Android

]]><![CDATA[“SANDY MARTIN and the REAL SANTA CLAUS” The story of the power of one child’s unshakeable faith WITH a wonderful short movie “The Best Christmas Gift I have Ever Received”]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/sandy-martin-and-the-real-santa-claus-8c8https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/sandy-martin-and-the-real-santa-claus-8c8Sun, 14 Dec 2025 09:14:50 GMT

This is our WEEKEND edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT NEWS # 1607

Our PREMIUM version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

Today we are featuring our…CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 53

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Selected, edited and published by Chinmayan…May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

Get 25% off for 1 year

All images in this story courtesy of Pixabay

ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL SERIES OF “CHILD PEACE STORIES”TO CELEBRATE THE LOVING HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

To celebrate this Christmas Holiday season,

we are launching a special series of magical and miraculous stories

That are perfect for READING ALOUD to children of all ages

With the publishing of 22 “Child Peace” stories, one for

Each day from now until Christmas Day.

I have been collecting these stories for a long time…

all from different authors, and different times…

All stories you probably have never heard of

But which are well written, powerfully heart opening and

Inspiring stories that will move you to tears….

These special stories about amazing acts of kindness,

Caring, compassion and Love have been carefully chosen

And edited by me to help you get into the Christmas spirit…

A Wonderful story in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

The Eleventh story in our special series…

One great story everyday from now until Christmas Day!

SANDY MARTIN and THE REAL SANTA CLAUS—

ONE YOUNG BOY’S MAGICAL CHRISTMAS

                        The Story Of The Power Of One Child’s Unshakeable Faith

                                               By Kate Whiting Patch

It was the day before Christmas in 1892, and the hurrying, busy crowd of happy people filled the Boston streets and shops.

A very small atom in that crowd was Sandy Martin, but he carried a large share of the Christmas happiness, although his hands were mitten less and his pockets full of holes.

How could one help being light-hearted and glad in the midst of all that joyous bustle and flurry?

It made Sandy feel as if he were going to have a glorious big Christmas himself, and he quite forgot to sigh because he was not.

He stood by the big toy-shop window, flattening his little purple nose against the glass, and watching the people go in and out.

He wondered what they were buying and what boy and girl was to be made glad with the contents of those mysterious parcels.

But by and by he began to grow cold, and the coldness set him to thinking; and as he walked along, up past the Common, he began to wonder, just a little, why it was that Santa Claus should have so much to do with all these people and so little to do with him.

The puzzled look had not disappeared from his small, freckled face, when he looked across the street and could hardly believe his own eyes—for there was Santa Claus himself, walking through the Common!

Sandy stopped short, and stared and stared until his eyes couldn’t open any wider. Yes, that was surely Santa Claus.

He did not have his reindeer and sleigh, to be sure, for there was no snow; but nobody but Santa could own such a jolly face and long beard and nice furry clothes and big boots.

Then he had a good many toys about him, too; and he carried a great sign, with something in big letters on it, which told people that the rarest treasures for Christmas stockings were to be found at a certain big store on Washington Street.

But Sandy could not read and he did not bother with the letters. He just stared and stared.

Santa was evidently tired; for while Sandy was looking at him, the old saint paused in his walk and sat down on one of the benches.

“It is Santa Claus,” said Sandy to himself. “I’m going over to talk with him, and I’ll ask him why he doesn’t come down our chimney, too.”

No sooner said than done. Across the street Sandy hurried, and marching up to the old man, he said, in a friendly way, “How do you do, Mr. Santa Claus?”

Santa looked up, a little surprised, but smiled good naturedly at the ragged urchin before him and remarked affably, “Well, young man, how do you do? And what may be your name?”

“I’m Sandy Martin,” was the prompt answer. And with that, Sandy Martin, waiting for no further invitation, proceeded to pull himself up on the seat beside Mr. Santa Claus.

“I’ve come over here to ask you a question,” he began at once. “I want to know why you don’t come to our house on Christmas; we’ve got just as good a chimney as anyone, and there’s an ole lightning rod beside it for you to tie your reindeer to.”

Santa seemed immensely pleased and chuckled to himself.

“You see,” said he to Sandy, “I have so many places to go to, it is very hard to find ‘em all. Where do you live, anyway?”

“Up in Gower Street, No. 65. I thought you might have forgotten.”

At this point Sandy became conscious that a third person was listening to the conversation.

A tall, dark lady in deep black mourning clothes had come up to where the two were sitting, and stood near, waiting for a street- car.

Her face was very pale and sad, and it quite surprised Sandy to think that anyone could look so grief stricken at Christmas-time, and before the very eyes of Santa Claus, too.

As he stared up at her, the sadness was chased away for an instant by an amused smile.

Sandy, who stood In awe of no one, smiled back at her, and said cheerfully, “Merry Christmas, ma’am.”

The lady smiled but sighed too.

“Thank you, my dear,” she said, in a sweet, sad voice. “I hope that you may have a merry Christmas, but the day cannot be a merry one for me.”

Sandy was surprised again and gazed in bewilderment from Santa to the lady. “Why? Don’t grown-up people have merry Christmases?” he asked.

“Sometimes,” answered the lady sadly.

“I thought,” continued Sandy, “that it was even more fun for the grown-up people than for the children; ‘cause I thought you all knew Santa Claus and had secrets with him.

All the other people I’ve seen looked jolly and glad, an’ I thought everyone was happy ‘cause they were all thinking  how they’d surprise some other one.”

A shadow fell across Sandy’s little face, and the lady saw it.

“My dear little boy,” she said, with something like tears in her voice, although her eyes were smiling again, “don’t let me spoil your thought of Christmas happiness. You are right, and I have been wrong; everyone should be happy at this blessed season, and I am going to have a secret with Santa Claus, and a merry Christmas, too.”

Sandy looked happy again and began to slide off the seat.

“I’ve got to go home now, for it’s getting dark,” he said; “but I’m ever so glad I met you, Mr. Santa Claus, and I hope you’ll find your way tonight all right. If you can, I wish you’d bring Maggie a doll with blue eyes, and Benny a sled, and mother a new shawl; and, Mr. Claus,” he added in a loud whisper, “I hope you’ll give that lady there something she likes and make her have a good time.”

Then Sandy trudged away, and when he looked back, he was delighted to see the sad lady and Santa talking earnestly together.

While they ate their supper that night, Sandy excited the whole family with his story of meeting Santa Claus.

His mother, tired out with her day’s work, sighed, and tried to persuade him that it was not really Santa Claus he had seen---in vain.  Before they went to bed, each child hung up a ragged stocking back of the kitchen stove.

Mrs. Martin looked at them, and then sank down in her chair and had a good cry.

She had been sewing hard all day, poor soul; but the money she had earned was no more than enough to keep a roof over their heads and procure food for the hungry little mouths—there was nothing to spare for Christmas stockings.

“Oh, what will they say in the morning,” she wept, “when they find them empty! I can’t bear it; no, I can’t.”

She looked about the room, and finally rose and took her shawl down from the peg.

“It’s no use,” she said, “I can’t have them disappointed; I’ll go out and pawn this and get a few things to put in them stockings.”

She walked across the room and opened the door, but she did not go out, for someone was standing there.

“How do you do, ma’am?” he said, walking into the room. “I am Santa Claus, and as I couldn’t very well get down the chimney, I took the liberty of coming in at the door. I’ve a few things here for the little folks, and I promised your boy I’d come; I see he is ready for me.”

With that, Santa Claus went to work, and Mrs. Martin dropped into her chair and uttered never a word; she felt as if she were dreaming.

Had the myths of her childhood come back again? Was there really a Santa Claus, and had Sandy met him that afternoon? Surely it could be no one else who stood there before her; and had not this bluff, kindly old man with his own lips declared his identity?

Mrs. Martin sat perfectly dazed, and watched him as he crammed full the ragged stockings, twined a wreath of evergreen here and there and piled up a number of packages and a big basket on the table. Then, before she could utter a word, he had disappeared with a “Merry Christmas” leaving her to wonder if she had not indeed awakened from a dream.

Before light, next morning, great was the joyful excitement and noise at 65 Gower Street; and this only settled momentary awe when mother told the children, that she herself had seen Santa Claus fill the stockings!

“But I thought you said there wasn’t a Santa Claus,” said Sandy reproachfully.

“Well, I didn’t believe there was,” answered his mother helplessly; “but if that wasn’t Santa Claus I don’t know who it was.”

“Course it was Santa Claus!” exclaimed Maggie; “didn’t Sandy tell him to bring me a doll with blue eyes?” (Sandy nodded solemnly.) “Well, and he did bring her, didn’t he? ---the pretty darling! See, ma, she’s got lace-edged clothes clear through, and buttoned boots.”

“And didn’t Sandy tell him to bring me a sled?” broke Benny. (Sandy nodded solemnly again.) “And ain’t the sled right here? And didn’t the snow come, too, last night? And ain’t I going coasting on the Common this very day?” Saying which Benny flung himself upon the shiny sled and tried to coast across the kitchen floor.

As if these arguments were not enough, Sandy turned to his mother again. “And didn’t I ask him to bring you a new shawl?” he said.

Mrs. Martin laid her hand on the soft, thick shawl which Maggie had spread across the rocking-chair, and then patted Sandy’s shoulder gently.

“What did you tell him to bring to you?” she asked. Sandy looked up in sudden surprise.

“Why, I never told him about me!” he exclaimed. “It was getting late, and I just remembered about the doll and the sled and the shawl. I forgot all about me; but now I’m sure it was Santa Claus, for he brought just the things I wanted.”

“So he did!” said Maggie wonderingly. “There is the tool-chest, and the harmonica, and the big picture- book.”

Benny had been peeping into the market-basket. “Whew!” he cried. “There’s nuts and oranges and bananas and grapes; and there’s red jelly and a turkey!”

“I see crackers and bread and ‘taters,” exclaimed Maggie from the other side of the basket. “Oh,Ma! Ma! We can have a regular dinner, can’t we!”

It is needless to tell of all the comfort and joy that happy Christmas brought to Sandy and his home.

But his faith in Santa Claus is firm and sure and even Mrs. Martin half believes that the good old saint does somewhere exist and was drawn down to their humble home by little Sandy’s Christmas spirit.

May the real Santa Claus come to your house this Christmas Eve!

A HEART OPENING and HOPE INSPIRING SHORT MOVIE—

About children writing to Santa Claus about their loving acts of kindness in the days leading up to Christmas….

“Christmas is really about celebrating the birth of Jesus within each of our hearts through embodying and then sharing the unconditional pure Love of the Christmas Spirit….”

—Chinmayan

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY!

A warm welcome to all of you, whether you are a new subscriber, have stumbled upon us by accident, been referred to us by a friend or are one of our wonderful community of regular readers…

Thank you for joining us on this journey to greater love and life!

You can Sign up here FOR OUR FREE or our “INNER CIRCLE MEMBERSHIP” to join thousands of folks around the world who receive this newsletter every morning to help jump start their day with a loving and grateful attitude…

If you loved this issue of the free version of “The Dawning Light”…

We invite you to consider joining our “Inner Circle”as a paid subscriber…

We are having a special “CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SALE” starting today until December 31, 2025 ….

Everyone who becomes one of our treasured “Inner Circle” members with a new or gift paid subscription gets a full year of our PREMIUM version of “The Dawning Light” delivered to your in box everyday before dawn plus all of our amazing rewards and benefits for 25% off on a full year…that is 365 issues plus frequent special editions and offers just for Inner Circle Members….

Get 25% off for 1 year

To check out all the sweet bonuses and rewards that our beloved “Inner Circle Members of paid subscribers get, just click on the button below…

The Dawning Light is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Help us grow and reach many more people who would love “The Dawning Light” by GIVING GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS to family and friends…

Give a gift subscription

Besides all the goodies we are offering to you, your subscription directly helps us maintain our simple life on Still Mountain so we can keep the lights on, food on the table and stay focused  on writing and publishing this labor of Love!

The Dawning Light Magazine is published daily to serve you by….

STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE

Authentic Meditation Training and Practical Spirituality For Daily Life

Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

THE GREATEST GIFT YOU CAN EVER GIVE YOURSELF

and EVERY ONE WHO LOVES and CARES FOR YOU!

“Learning to meditate is the greatest gift you can ever give yourself…

And the simple, ancient and authentic meditation practices that I teach

in our workshops will not only give you the increasing ability to

maintain a serene and conscious peace of mind in every situation,

but also help you open your heart and discover and share a much

greater real pure Love than you ever dreamed of but which is

actually your spirit’s greatest need and sweet destiny…”

—Chinmayan

Thanks for reading The Dawning Light! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Share

Get more from Chinmayan in the Substack app
Available for iOS and Android

]]><![CDATA[“PRECIOUS JEOPARDY” How A Seemingly Life Threatening Situation Led To A Hurting Family’s Christmas Miracle WITH a great Christmas song by Mariah Carey]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/precious-jeopardy-how-a-seemingly-05chttps://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/precious-jeopardy-how-a-seemingly-05cSat, 13 Dec 2025 09:38:20 GMT

This is our WEEKDAY edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT Magazine #1606

Our FREE version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

Today we are featuring our…CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 52

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Selected, edited and published by Chinmayan…May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

Get 25% off for 1 year

All images in this story courtesy of Pixabay

       ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL SERIES OF “CHILD PEACE STORIES”TO CELEBRATE THE LOVING HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

To celebrate this Christmas Holiday season,

we are launching a special series of magical and miraculous stories

That are perfect for READING ALOUD to children of all ages

With the publishing of 22 “Child Peace” stories, one for

Each day from now until Christmas Day.

I have been collecting these stories for a long time…

all from different authors, and different times…

All stories you probably have never heard of

But which are well written, powerfully heart opening and

Inspiring stories that will move you to tears….

These special stories about amazing acts of kindness,

Caring, compassion and Love have been carefully chosen

And edited by me to help you get into the Christmas spirit…

A Wonderful story in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

The Tenth story in our special series…

One great story everyday from now until Christmas Day!              

PRECIOUS JEOPARDY—How A Seemingly Life Threatening Situation Led to A Family’s Christmas Miracle

                                                  By Chinmayan

Phil Garland was totally depressed and disgruntled on one particular Christmas Eve because he had just lost his job.

His family’s financial situation had been difficult enough even when he was working full time at a job he hated —but now it seemed impossible.

That evening his wife Shirley tried to include Phil in some of the Christmas Eve activities with their children, Polly and Junior, but Phil just grumbled about the price of the few gifts they had been able to buy for the kids.

He complained about everything about the season that had once been so special for all of them and said Christmas was way too overly commercialized anyway.

Eventually Shirley helped Polly and Junior get ready for bed. Then, tearfully, she retired to their bedroom.

A few minutes later she heard Phil screaming in pain and calling for her from the hall.

He yelled for her to go get the pliers. “I’ve stepped on a sewing needle.”

Shirley brought the pliers, and Phil clamped the jaws on the needle protruding from his foot and pulled.

To his shock, only the top half of the needle came out, as if the half with the sharp point was still buried in his wounded foot.  Phil was sure he could feel it deep inside the bulging wound.

He and Shirley discussed the possibility of his going to the emergency room at the hospital that night to have the other half of the needle removed. But Phil, even though he was in pain, assured her it could wait until morning.

The next day on Christmas, after dejectedly participating with his family as they opened the few presents under the tree, Phil drove to the hospital but paused outside the door.

Now without a job, it also meant he had no insurance to pay for the surgery…and what little savings they had was sorely needed to pay bills and put food on the table. 

Somewhere he had heard that if you get a tiny fragment in your body and do not remove it, it could eventually move to one of the vital organs and cause death.

Thinking of his finances and that they really couldn’t afford to pay for a medical emergency, Phil decided to leave the needle fragment in his foot and take the consequences, whatever they may be.

He drove home and told Shirley that everything had been taken care of.

From that moment on Phil believed his life was in jeopardy.

He really didn’t know if he was going to live from one day to the next, and so he decided he would try to make the most of life on a day to day basis.

That Christmas Day, after getting home, there was a marked change in Phil.

He treated Shirley with much more love and kindness and spent time playing with Polly and Junior.

This Christmas Day was the first day in a long time that Phil felt truly close to his family.

Tomorrow he might be dead, but today he would enjoy the important things in life.

And strangely, money no longer seemed important.

Tomorrow did come, and Phil Garland again found himself alive.

For the second day he was especially considerate to his wife and children, because it might be the last day of his life.

Each day thereafter Phil spent more time with Shirley, Polly and Junior, while taking odd jobs daily to support his family.

Day after day, Phil learned how to appreciate and be grateful for the many blessings in his and his family’s life that he had taken for granted before.

Because he felt his life could end at any moment, Phil learned to treasure every moment of everyday and this led to a total transformation in his attitude. 

Phil became more and more loving as the things that once worried him so much and caused him so much despair were seen as trivial now that he realized how precious and wonderful simply being with his family was.

This period of what his wife called their time of “Precious Jeopardy” ended, as it began on Christmas Eve, one year later.

The Garland’s celebrations contrasted sharply with those of the previous Christmas, because Phil was happy and at peace.

He had lived long enough to celebrate another Christmas with Shirley and the children.

On Christmas Eve Phil played a few games with the children.

Then the family exchanged a few gifts each had made during the year.

During those months Phil had secretly made a beautiful walnut sewing cabinet for Shirley. She wept at his thoughtfulness when he showed it to her.

As the clock struck midnight on Christmas Eve, Shirley handed Phil her gift – a small box containing a tiny fragment of steel pierced through a piece of velvet. It was the other half of the needle Phil thought was in his foot.

Shirley was in tears, asking Phil’s forgiveness.

She had found the other half of the needle a few days after he had his accident, but had secretly kept it because it had, in a sense, given Phil back to his family.

Phil, gratefully realizing how his life had changed since the previous Christmas, put his arms around her and smiled. 

Because of the past year of “precious jeopardy” of believing his life could end at any moment, he had discovered and come to appreciate the truly important things in life. 

He had become a new and better man and would never return those old worn out ways before he realized how blessed and fortunate he really was. 

Something that had seemed so terrible and hopeless became the catalyst for a wonder filled new life for Phil and his family as they truly celebrated the miracle of Christmas together.

A BEAUTIFUL HEART WARMING CHRISTMAS SONG and VIDEO FOR YOU!

This sweet song, which is so full of the highest expression of love and caring in the singing of Mariah Carey, is also an amazingly profound music video that I believe you will absolutely love!

This music video has been viewed 165 MILLION times on You Tube!

O HOLY NIGHT (When Christ Was Born) by Mariah Carey

This is a shorter film version of Mariah singing this song with intensely prayerful devotion, complete with on screen lyrics that you will love!

Video created by lillyrics21

“Our Christmas tree here on Still Mountain!” Photo by Chinmayan

Christmas Is A Many Splendored Time…

A Special Time To Live With Love

Infused By The Christmas Spirit!

What is Christmas?

It is tenderness for the past, Courage for the present, Hope for the future.

It is a fervent wish that Every cup may overflow with Blessings, rich and eternal,

And that every path may Lead to peace on earth

And goodwill for all.

—Agnes M. Pharo

“Christmas is really about celebrating the birth of Jesus within each of our hearts through embodying and then sharing the unconditional pure Love of the Christmas Spirit….”

—Chinmayan

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY!

A warm welcome to all of you, whether you are a new subscriber, have stumbled upon us by accident, been referred to us by a friend or are one of our wonderful community of regular readers…

Thank you for joining us on this journey to greater love and life!

You can Sign up here FOR OUR FREE or our “INNER CIRCLE MEMBERSHIP” to join thousands of folks around the world who receive this newsletter every morning to help jump start their day with a loving and grateful attitude…

If you loved this issue of the free version of “The Dawning Light”…

We invite you to consider joining our “Inner Circle”as a paid subscriber…

We are having a special “CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SALE” starting today until December 31, 2025 ….

Everyone who becomes one of our treasured “Inner Circle” members with a new or gift paid subscription gets a full year of our PREMIUM version of “The Dawning Light” delivered to your in box everyday before dawn plus all of our amazing rewards and benefits for 25% off on a full year…that is 365 issues plus frequent special editions and offers just for Inner Circle Members….

Get 25% off for 1 year

To check out all the sweet bonuses and rewards that our beloved “Inner Circle Members of paid subscribers get, just click on the button below…

Get 25% off for 1 year

The Dawning Light is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Help us grow and reach many more people who would love “The Dawning Light” by GIVING GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS to family and friends…

Give a gift subscription

Besides all the goodies we are offering to you, your subscription directly helps us maintain our simple life on Still Mountain so we can keep the lights on, food on the table and stay focused  on writing and publishing this labor of Love!

The Dawning Light Magazine is published daily to serve you by….

STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE

Authentic Meditation Training and Practical Spirituality For Daily Life

Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

“Learning to meditate is the greatest gift you can ever give yourself…

And the simple, ancient and authentic meditation practices that I teach

in our workshops will not only give you the increasing ability to

maintain a serene and conscious peace of mind in every situation,

but also help you open your heart and discover and share a much

greater real pure Love than you ever dreamed of but which is

actually your spirit’s greatest need and sweet destiny…”

—Chinmayan

Thanks for reading The Dawning Light! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Share

Get more from Chinmayan in the Substack app
Available for iOS and Android

]]><![CDATA[“A DOZEN OF THE VERY BEST CHRISTMAS ROSES” a beautiful story of a young boy’s miracle of Love for his mother on Christmas Eve]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/a-dozen-of-the-very-best-christmas-f73https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/a-dozen-of-the-very-best-christmas-f73Fri, 12 Dec 2025 08:25:39 GMT

This is our WEEKDAY edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT NEWS # 1605

Our FREE version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

Today we are featuring our…CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 51

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Written or Selected, edited and published by Chinmayan…

May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as in these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

Get 25% off for 1 year

All images in this story courtesy of Pixabay

ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL SERIES OF “CHILD PEACE STORIES”TO CELEBRATE THE LOVING HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

To celebrate this Christmas Holiday season,

we are launching a special series of magical and miraculous stories

That are perfect for READING ALOUD to children of all ages

With the publishing of 22 “Child Peace” stories, one for

Each day from now until Christmas Day.

I have been collecting these stories for a long time…

all from different authors, and different times…

All stories you probably have never heard of

But which are well written, powerfully heart opening and

Inspiring stories that will move you to tears….

These special stories about amazing acts of kindness,

Caring, compassion and Love have been carefully chosen

And edited by me to help you get into the Christmas spirit…

A Wonderful story in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

The Ninth story in our special series…

One great story everyday from now until Christmas Day!

A DOZEN OF THE VERY BEST CHRISTMAS ROSES

a beautiful story of a young boy’s miracle of love

                                                       By Chinmayan

Bobby was getting cold sitting out in his back yard in the snow of late afternoon on Christmas Eve.

Bobby didn't wear fur lined snow boots— he didn't like them and anyway he didn't own any.

The thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in them and they did a poor job of keeping out the cold.

Bobby had been in his backyard for about an hour already, thinking as hard as he could…

And try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother's Christmas gift.

He shook his head as he thought, "This is useless, even if I do come up with an idea, I don't have any money to spend."

Ever since his father had passed away three years ago, the family of five had struggled just to keep their modest home and some food on the table.

It wasn't because his mother didn't care, or try, there just never seemed to be enough money.

She worked nights as a cleaner at the hospital, but the small wage that she was earning could only be stretched so far.

What the family lacked in money and material things, they more than made up for in love and family unity.

Bobby had two older and one younger sister, who ran the household in their mother's absence.

All three of his sisters had already made beautiful gifts for their mother. Somehow it just wasn't fair!

Here it was Christmas Eve already, and he had nothing.

Wiping a tear from his eye, Bobby kicked the snow and started to walk down to the street where the shops and stores were.

It wasn't easy being six years old without a father, especially when he needed a man to talk to.

Bobby walked from shop to shop, looking into each gaily decorated window.

Everything seemed so beautiful and so out of reach.

It was starting to get dark and Bobby reluctantly turned to walk home empty handed when suddenly his eyes caught the glimmer of the setting sun's rays reflecting off of something along the curb.

He reached down and discovered a shiny new dime. Never before has anyone felt so wealthy as Bobby felt at that moment.

As he held his new-found treasure, a warmth spread throughout his entire body and he walked into the first store he saw.

His excitement quickly turned cold when the salesperson told him curtly that he couldn't buy anything with only a dime.

As he was about to walk dejectedly home, he saw a flower shop with bright and welcoming windows and went inside the crowded store to wait in line.

When it was finally his turn, the shop owner kindly asked if he could help him.

Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower for his mother's Christmas gift.

The shop owner looked at Bobby and his shiny ten cent offering as his eyes lit up with a sense of growing excitement, as if this tousled hair little boy were the most important customer to come into his crowded shop, that he had been lookin for and waiting for all day

Then he put his hand on Bobby's shoulder and said to him, "You just wait here and I'll see what I can do for you."

As Bobby waited he looked at the beautiful flowers arranged in pretty vases and even though he was a boy, he could see why mothers and girls loved flowers.

The sound of the little bell tinkling as the front door closed as the last customer left jolted Bobby back to reality.

 All alone in the shop, Bobby began to feel alone and afraid. Suddenly the shop owner came out from the back of the shop and moved to the counter.

 There, before Bobby's eyes, lay twelve long stem red roses, with leaves of green and tiny white flowers all tied together with a big silver bow. Bobby's heart sank as the owner picked them up and placed them gently into a long white box.

"That will be ten cents young man," the shop owner said reaching out his hand for the dime.

Slowly, Bobby moved his hand to give the man his dime. Could this be true? No one else would give him a thing for his dime!

Sensing the boy's reluctance, the shop owner added, "I just happened to have some roses on sale for ten cents a dozen. Would you like them?"

This time Bobby did not hesitate, and when the man placed the long box into his hands, he knew it was true.

Walking out the door that the owner was holding open for Bobby, he heard the shop keeper cheerfully say to him— "Merry Christmas son!”

As the florist returned inside, the shop keeper's wife walked out. "Who were you talking to back there and where are the roses you were fixing?"

Staring out the window, and blinking the tears from his own eyes, he replied, "A strange thing happened to me this morning.

While I was setting up things to open the shop, I thought I heard a voice telling me to set aside a dozen of my best roses for a special gift.

I wasn't sure at the time whether I had lost my mind or what, but I set them aside anyway.”

“Then just a few minutes ago, a little boy came into the shop and wanted to buy a flower for his mother with one small dime.”

"When I looked at him, I saw myself, many years ago. I too, was a poor boy with nothing to buy my mother a Christmas gift. A bearded man, whom I never knew, stopped me on the street and told me that he wanted to give me ten dollars.”

"When I saw that little boy tonight, I knew whose voice was that I heard speaking to me so gently this morning, and I put together a dozen of our very best roses. Somehow, I knew that I had been saving them all day for this poor boy, who was our most important customer today"

The shop owner and his wife hugged each other tightly, and as they stepped out into the bitter cold air after closing up the shop and heading home to share Christmas Eve with their own family, they somehow didn't feel cold at all.

Their spirits were warmed and lifted up by the greatest of all gifts…the inner joy of being unselfish and kind and spreading goodness into the world.

May this story instill the spirit of CHRISTmas in you and inspire you to pass this gift of kindness and caring along to someone who needs some love and help…

As in this wisdom quote from Lavanda Michelle…

Calligraphy by Chinmayan

A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SONG TO BLESS YOUR HEART & HOME!

This astonishingly beautiful music video and song is all about celebrating the many ways that the Christmas spirit manifests in daily life…set in a sweet story from Victorian times that I believe you will love!

And here is the link to the You Tube version….

MY FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR…original Christmas song by the Florin Street Band

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY!

A warm welcome to all of you, whether you are a new subscriber, have stumbled upon us by accident, been referred to us by a friend or are one of our wonderful community of regular readers…

Thank you for joining us on this journey to greater love and life!

You can Sign up here FOR OUR FREE or our “INNER CIRCLE MEMBERSHIP” to join thousands of folks around the world who receive this newsletter every morning to help jump start their day with a loving and grateful attitude…

If you loved this issue of the free version of “The Dawning Light”…

We invite you to consider joining our “Inner Circle”as a paid subscriber…

We are having a special “CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SALE” starting today until December 25th, 2025 ….

Everyone who becomes one of our treasured “Inner Circle” members with a new or gift paid subscription gets a full year of our PREMIUM version of “The Dawning Light” delivered to your in box everyday before dawn plus all of our amazing rewards and benefits for 25% off (reducing the price to $45 year or $4.50 a month) on a full year…that is 365 issues plus frequent special editions and offers just for Inner Circle Members….

The Dawning Light is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Get 25% off for 1 year

Help us grow and reach many more people who would love “The Dawning Light” by GIVING GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS to family and friends…

Give a gift subscription

Besides all the goodies we are offering to you, your subscription directly helps us maintain our simple life on Still Mountain so we can keep the lights on, food on the table and stay focused  on writing and publishing this labor of Love!

The Dawning Light Magazine is published daily to serve you by….

STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE

Authentic Meditation Training and Practical Spirituality For Daily Life

Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

Giving is what living is all about…opening our hearts to each other with caring and sharing is the true secret to having a happy and fulfilled life.

—Yeshe Gyamtso

Thanks for reading The Dawning Light! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Share

Get more from Chinmayan in the Substack app
Available for iOS and Android

]]><![CDATA[“THE MISSING JESUS” a wonderful story of the Christmas spirit blessing two families when they needed it the most PLUS the greatest Christmas song I have ever heard!]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/the-missing-jesus-a-wonderful-story-2achttps://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/the-missing-jesus-a-wonderful-story-2acThu, 11 Dec 2025 08:29:43 GMT

This is our WEEKDAY edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT NEWS # 1604

Our FREE version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 50

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Selected, edited and published by Chinmayan…May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL SERIES OF “CHILD PEACE STORIES”TO CELEBRATE THE LOVING HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

A Wonderful story in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

The eighth story in our special series…

One great story everyday from now until Christmas Day!

All images in this story courtesy of Pixabay

THE MISSING JESUS

                                                     By Jean Gietzen

A true story of a very special Christmas Eve from my childhood long ago…

About a week before Christmas the family bought a new nativity scene.

When they unpacked it, they found two figures of the Baby Jesus.

“Someone must have packed this wrong,” the mother said, counting out the figures.

“We have one Joseph, one Mary, three wise men, three shepherds, two lambs, a donkey, a cow, an angel and two babies Jesuses. Oh, dear! I suppose some nativity set down at the store is missing a Baby Jesus because we have two.”

Then the mother told her children—“You two run back down to the store and tell the manager that we have an extra Jesus. Tell him to put a sign on the remaining boxes saying that if a set is missing a Baby Jesus, call 7126. Put on your warm coats, it’s freezing cold out there.”

The manager of the store copied down mother’s message and the next time they were in the store there was the cardboard sign that read, “If you’re missing Baby Jesus, call 7126.”

All week long they waited for someone to call. Surely, they thought, someone was missing that important figurine.

Each time the phone rang, Mother would say, “I’ll bet that’s about Jesus,”… but it never was.

Father tried to explain there are thousands of these scattered over the country and the figurine could be missing from a set in Florida or Texas or California.

“Those packing mistakes happen all the time,” he said.

He suggested that we just put the extra Jesus back in the box and forget about it.

“Put Baby Jesus back in the box! What a terrible thing to do,” said the children.

“Surely someone will call,” mother said. “We’ll just keep the two of them together in the manger until someone calls.”

When no call had come by five o’clock on Christmas Eve, mother insisted that father “just run down to the store” to see if there were any sets left.

“You can see them right through the window, over on the counter,” she said. “If they are all gone, I’ll know someone is bound to call tonight.”

“Run down to the store?” father thundered. “It’s 15 degrees below zero out there!”

“Oh, Daddy, we’ll go with you,” Tommy and Mary began to put on their coats, Father gave a long sigh and headed for the front closet. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he muttered.

Tommy and Mary ran ahead as father reluctantly walked out in the cold.

Mary got to the store first and pressed her nose up to the store window. “They’re all gone, Daddy,” She shouted. “Every one of the nativity sets must have sold.”

“Hooray,” Tommy said. “The mystery will now be solved tonight!”

Father heard the news while he was still a half block away and immediately turned on his heel and headed back home.

When they got back into the house they noticed that mother was gone and so was the extra Baby Jesus figurine.

“Someone must have called and she went out to deliver the figurine,” my father reasoned, pulling off his boots. “You kids get ready for bed while I wrap mother’s present.”

Image by Chinmayan of a special statue that came to us this Christmas!

 Then the phone rang. Father yelled “answer the phone and tell them we found a home for Jesus.”

But it was mother calling with instructions for us to come to 205 Chestnut Street immediately, and bring three blankets, a box of cookies and some milk.

“Now what has she gotten us into?” my father groaned as we bundled up again.

“205 Chestnut? Why that’s all the way across town! Wrap that milk up good in the blankets or it will turn to ice before we get there. Why can’t we all just get on with Christmas? It’s probably 20 below out there now. The wind is picking up. Of all the crazy things to do on a night like this!”

When they got to the house at 205 Chestnut Street it was the darkest one on the block.

Only one tiny light burned in the living room. The moment we set foot on the porch steps, my mother opened the door and shouted, “They’re here, Oh thank God you got here, Ray! You kids take those blankets into the living room and wrap up the little ones on the couch. I’ll take the milk and cookies.”

“Would you mind telling me what is going on, Ethel?” my father asked. “We have just walked through below zero weather with the wind in our faces all the way here.”

“Never mind all that now,” my mother interrupted. “There is no heat in this house and this young mother is so upset she doesn’t know what to do. Her husband walked out on her, and those poor little children will have a very bleak Christmas, so don’t you complain. I told her you could fix that old oil furnace in a jiffy.”

My mother strode off to the kitchen to warm the milk while my brother and I wrapped up the five little children who were huddled together on the couch.

The children’s mother explained to my father that her husband had run off, taking the bedding, clothing, and almost every piece of furniture just days ago when she and the children were away…but that she had been all right until the furnace broke down.

“I have been doing washing and ironing for people and cleaning the five and dime,” she said. “I saw your number every day there, on those boxes on the counter. When the furnace went out, that number kept going through my mind, 7162, 7162…that is what it said on the box.

If a person is missing Jesus, they should call 7162, 7162.

That’s how I knew you were good Christian people, willing to help folks. I figured that maybe you would help me, too.

So, I stopped at the grocery store tonight and I called your miss’s. I’m not missing Jesus, mister, because I sure love the Lord. But I am missing heat. I have no money to fix that furnace.”

“Okay, Okay!” said father. “You’ve come to the right place. Now let’s see. You’ve got a little oil burner over there in the dining room, shouldn’t be too hard to fix, probably just a clogged flue. I’ll look it over, see what it needs.”

Mother came into the living room carrying a plate of cookies and warm milk. As she set the cups down on the coffee table, I noticed the figure of Baby Jesus lying in the center of the table. It was the only sign of Christmas in the house.

The children stared wide-eyed with wonder at the plate of cookies my mother set before them.

Father finally got the oil burner working but said you need more oil. “I’ll make a few calls tonight and get some oil. Yes, sir, you sure came to the right place,” father grinned.

On the way home father did not complain about the cold weather and had barely set foot inside the door when he was on the phone.

“Ed, Hey, how are ya, Ed?” “Yes, Merry Christmas to you too. Say Ed, we have kind of an unusual situation here I know you’ve got that pickup truck. Do you still have some oil in that barrel on your truck? You do?”

By this time the rest of the family were pulling clothes out of their closets and toys off of their shelves. It was long after their bedtime when they were wrapping gifts.

The pickup came. On it were chairs, three lamps, blankets and many gaily wrapped gifts, as well as a little Christmas tree and sets of lights…all for the family at 205 Chestnut Street.

Even though it was 30 below, father let them ride along in the back of the very full truck…and it turned out to be the very best Christmas ever because the family got to experience the Christmas Spirit and the greatest of all gifts…the joy of giving to those who needed it most.

No one ever did call about the missing figure in the nativity set, but as I grow older, I realize that it wasn’t a packing mistake at all.

Jesus saves, that’s what HE DOES.

“What is Christmas?

It is tenderness for the past, Courage for the present, Hope for the future…

It is a fervent wish that Every cup may overflow with Blessings, rich and eternal,

And that every path may Lead to peace.”

—Agnes M. Pharo

THE MOST WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS CAROL I HAVE EVER HEARD!

This music video will bring tears of joy to your eyes and the love for the Lord will flood your heart…listen on headphones or turned up loud!

Almost 64 million views on You Tube!

THE BEST CHRISTMAS SONG I HAVE EVER HEARD!!!

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY!

A warm welcome to all of you, whether you are a new subscriber, have stumbled upon us by accident, been referred to us by a friend or are one of our wonderful community of regular readers…

Thank you for joining us on this journey to greater love and life!

You can Sign up here FOR OUR FREE or our “INNER CIRCLE MEMBERSHIP” to join thousands of folks around the world who receive this newsletter every morning to help jump start their day with a loving and grateful attitude…

If you loved this issue of the free version of “The Dawning Light”…

We invite you to consider joining our “Inner Circle”as a paid subscriber…

We are having a special “CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SALE” starting today until December 31, 2025 ….

Everyone who becomes one of our treasured “Inner Circle” members with a new or gift paid subscription gets a full year of our PREMIUM version of “The Dawning Light” delivered to your in box everyday before dawn plus all of our amazing rewards and benefits for 25% off on a full year…that is 365 issues plus frequent special editions and offers just for Inner Circle Members….

To check out all the sweet bonuses and rewards that our beloved “Inner Circle Members of paid subscribers get, just click on the button below…

Get 25% off for 1 year

The Dawning Light is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber

Help us grow and reach many more people who would love “The Dawning Light” by GIVING GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS to family and friends…

Give a gift subscription

OR it would really help and encourage us to make A Small Donation of any amount to our non profit organization as a “tip”!

We operate on a shoestring budget, and your support helps keep “The Dawning Light” sustainable and accessible to every one.

No matter how you subscribe, I thank you for reading and being here with us!

Our donation portal: Every dollar you give us will be put to maximum benefit in our work to make a loving difference for everyone who reads or shares “The Dawning Light” through your donation to Still Mountain Meditation Center!

Besides all the goodies we are offering to you, your subscription or donation directly helps us maintain our simple life on Still Mountain so we can keep the lights on, food on the table and stay focused  on writing and publishing this labor of Love!

“Wise men still seek him!”

The Dawning Light Magazine is published daily to serve you by….

STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE

Authentic Meditation Training and Practical Spirituality For Daily Life

Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

The Dawning Light is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Get more from Chinmayan in the Substack app
Available for iOS and Android

]]><![CDATA[“CHRISTMAS DAY IN THE MORNING” a heart warming story about a young son discovering the power of love by Pearl S. Buck]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/christmas-day-in-the-morning-a-heart-60dhttps://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/christmas-day-in-the-morning-a-heart-60dWed, 10 Dec 2025 08:41:59 GMT

This is our WEEKDAY edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT NEWS # 1603

Our FREE version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

Today we are featuring our….CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 49

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Selected, edited and published by Chinmayan…May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

All images in this story courtesy of Pixabay

ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL SERIES OF “CHILD PEACE STORIES”TO CELEBRATE THE LOVING HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

A Wonderful story in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

The seventh story in our special series…

One great story everyday from now until Christmas Day!

                                CHRISTMAS DAY IN THE MORNING

                                                  By Pearl S. Buck

He woke suddenly and completely. It was four o'clock, the hour at which his father had always called him to get up and help with the milking.

Strange how the habits of his youth clung to him still!

Fifty years ago, and his father had been dead for thirty years, and yet he waked at four o'clock in the morning.

He had trained himself to turn over and go to sleep, but this morning it was Christmas, he did not try to sleep.

Why did he feel so awake tonight? He slipped back in time, as he did so easily nowadays.

He was fifteen years old and still on his father's farm. He loved his father.

He had not known it until one day a few days before Christmas, when he had overheard what his father was saying to his mother.

"Mary, I hate to call Rob in the mornings. He's growing so fast and he needs his sleep. If you could see how he sleeps when I go in to wake him up! I wish I could manage alone."

"Well, you can't, Adam." His mother's voice was brisk. "Besides, he isn't a child anymore. It's time he took his turn."

"Yes," his father said slowly. "But I sure do hate to wake him."

When he heard these words, something in him spoke: his father loved him!

He had never thought of that before, taking for granted the tie of their blood.

Neither his father nor his mother talked about loving their children--they had no time for such things. There was always so much to do on the farm.

Now that he knew his father loved him, there would be no loitering in the mornings and having to be called again. He got up after that, stumbling blindly in his sleep, and pulled on his clothes, his eyes shut, but he got up.

And then on the night before Christmas, that year when he was fifteen, he lay for a few minutes thinking about the next day.

They were poor, and most of the excitement was in the turkey they had raised themselves and mince pies his mother made.

His sisters sewed presents and his mother and father always bought him something he needed, not only a warm jacket, maybe, but something more, such as a book. And he saved and bought them each something, too.

He wished that Christmas when he was fifteen, he had a better present for his father.

As usual he had gone to the ten-cent store and bought a tie. It had seemed nice enough until he lay thinking the night before Christmas.

He looked out of his attic window; the stars were bright.

"Dad," he had once asked when he was a little boy, "What is a stable?" "It's just a barn," his father had replied, "like ours."

Then Jesus had been born in a barn, and to a barn the shepherds had come...

The thought struck him like a silver dagger. Why should he not give his father a special gift too, out there in the barn?

He could get up early, earlier than four o'clock, and he could creep into the barn and get all the milking done.

He'd do it alone, milk and clean up, and then when his father went in to start the milking he'd see it all done. And he would know who had done it.

He laughed to himself as he gazed at the stars. It was what he would do, and he musn't sleep too sound.

He must have waked twenty times, scratching a match to look each time to look at his old watch -- midnight, and half past one, and then two o'clock.

At a quarter to three he got up and put on his clothes. He crept downstairs, careful of the creaky boards, and let himself out.

The cows looked at him, sleepy and surprised. It was early for them, too.

He had never milked all alone before, but it seemed almost easy. He kept thinking about his father's surprise. His father would come in and get him, saying that he would get things started while Rob was getting dressed.

He'd go to the barn, open the door, and then he'd go get the two big empty milk cans. But they wouldn't be waiting or empty, they'd be standing in the milk-house, filled.

"What the--," he could hear his father exclaiming.

He smiled and milked steadily, two strong streams rushing into the pail, frothing and fragrant.

The task went more easily than he had ever known it to go before. Milking for once was not a chore. It was something else, a gift to his father who loved him.

He finished, the two milk cans were full, and he covered them and closed the milk-house door carefully, making sure of the latch.

Back in his room he had only a minute to pull off his clothes in the darkness and jump into bed, for he heard his father up. He put the covers over his head to silence his quick breathing. The door opened.

"Rob!" His father called. "We have to get up, son, even if it is Christmas."

"Aw-right," he said sleepily.

The door closed and he lay still, laughing to himself. In just a few minutes his father would know. His dancing heart was ready to jump from his body.

The minutes were endless -- ten, fifteen, he did not know how many -- and he heard his father's footsteps again. The door opened and he lay still.

"Rob!"

"Yes, Dad--"

His father was laughing, a queer sobbing sort of laugh.

"Thought you'd fool me, did you?" His father was standing by his bed, feeling for him, pulling away the cover.

"It's for Christmas, Dad!"

He found his father and clutched him in a great hug. He felt his father's arms go around him. It was dark and they could not see each other's faces.

"Son, I thank you. Nobody ever did a nicer thing--"

"Oh, Dad, I want you to know -- I do want to be good!" The words broke from him of their own will. He did not know what to say. His heart was bursting with love.

He got up and pulled on his clothes again and they went down to the Christmas tree.

Oh, what a Christmas, and how his heart had nearly burst again with shyness and pride as his father told his mother and made the younger children listen about how he, Rob, had got up all by himself.

"The best Christmas gift I ever had, and I'll remember it, son every year on Christmas morning, so long as I live."

They had both remembered it, and now that his father was dead, he remembered it alone: that blessed Christmas dawn when, alone with the cows in the barn, he had made his first gift of true love.

This Christmas he wanted to write a card to his wife and tell her how much he loved her, it had been a long time since he had really told her, although he loved her in a very special way, much more than he ever had when they were young.

He had been fortunate that she had loved him. Ah, that was the true joy of life, the ability to love. Love was still alive in him, it still was.

It occurred to him suddenly that it was alive because long ago it had been born in him when he knew his father loved him.

That was it: Love alone could awaken love.

And he could give the gift again and again.

This morning, this blessed Christmas morning, he would give it to his beloved wife.

He could write it down in a letter for her to read and keep forever. He went to his desk and began his love letter to his wife: My dearest love...

Such a happy, happy Christmas!

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY!

A warm welcome to all of you, whether you are a new subscriber, have stumbled upon us by accident, been referred to us by a friend or are one of our wonderful community of regular readers…

Thank you for joining us on this journey to greater love and life!

You can Sign up here FOR OUR FREE or our “INNER CIRCLE MEMBERSHIP” to join thousands of folks around the world who receive this newsletter every morning to help jump start their day with a loving and grateful attitude…

If you loved this issue of the free version of “The Dawning Light”…

We invite you to consider joining our “Inner Circle”as a paid subscriber…

We are having a special “CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SALE” starting today until December 25th, 2025 ….

Everyone who becomes one of our treasured “Inner Circle” members with a new or gift paid subscription gets a full year of our PREMIUM version of “The Dawning Light” delivered to your in box everyday before dawn plus all of our amazing rewards and benefits for 25% off on a full year…that is 365 issues plus frequent special editions and offers just for Inner Circle Members….

To check out all the sweet bonuses and rewards that our beloved “Inner Circle Members of paid subscribers get, just click on the button below…

Get 25% off for 1 year

The Dawning Light is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber

Help us grow and reach many more people who would love “The Dawning Light” by GIVING GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS to family and friends…

Give a gift subscription

OR it would really help and encourage us to make A Small Donation of any amount to our non profit organization as a “tip”!

We operate on a shoestring budget, and your support helps keep “The Dawning Light” sustainable and accessible to every one.

No matter how you subscribe, I thank you for reading and being here with us!

Our donation portal: Every dollar you give us will be put to maximum benefit in our work to make a loving difference for everyone who reads or shares “The Dawning Light” through your donation to Still Mountain Meditation Center!

“Christmas is all about the true joy in life, The ability to love…love alone could waken love…. And it is the gift we can give again and again.”

—Pearl S. Buck

The Dawning Light Magazine is published daily to serve you by….

STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE

Authentic Meditation Training and Practical Spirituality For Daily Life

Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

Thanks for reading The Dawning Light! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Share

Get more from Chinmayan in the Substack app
Available for iOS and Android

]]><![CDATA[“THE LITTLE GIRL WITH THE TOOTHLESS GRIN And The True Spirit Of Christmas” a sweet true story about the joy of kindness and generosity PLUS “A Man and His Dog” a story of the rewards of unselfish love]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/the-little-girl-with-the-toothless-f12https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/the-little-girl-with-the-toothless-f12Tue, 09 Dec 2025 08:14:12 GMT

This is our WEEKDAY edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT NEWS # 1602

Our FREE version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

Today we are featuring our…CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 48

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Written or Selected, edited and published by Chinmayan…May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

All images in this story courtesy of Pixabay

A Wonderful story in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

The sixth story in our special series…

One great story everyday from now until Christmas Day!

                          THE LITTLE GIRL WITH THE TOOTHLESS GRIN

                                      And The True Spirit of Christmas

                                                    By Sharon Palmer

I was doing some last-minute Christmas shopping in a toy store and decided to look at Barbie dolls for my nieces.

A nicely dressed little girl was excitedly looking through the Barbie dolls as well, with a roll of money clamped tightly in her little hand.

When she came upon a Barbie she liked, she would turn and ask her father if she had enough money to buy it.

He usually said “yes,” but she would keep looking and keep going through their ritual of “do I have enough?”

As she was looking, a little boy wandered in across the aisle and started sorting through the Pokémon toys.

He was dressed neatly, but in clothes that were obviously rather worn, and wearing a jacket that was probably a couple of sizes too small.

He, too, had money in his hand, but it looked to be no more than five dollars, or so, at the most.

He was with his father as well and kept picking up the Pokémon video toys.

Each time he picked one up and looked at his father, his father shook his head, “no.”

The little girl had apparently chosen her Barbie— a beautifully dressed, glamorous doll that would have been the envy of every little girl on the block.

However, she had stopped and was watching the interchange between the little boy and his father.

Rather dejectedly, the boy had given up on the video games and had chosen what looked like a book of stickers instead.

He and his father then started walking through another aisle of the store.

The little girl put her Barbie back on the shelf and ran over to the Pokémon games.

She excitedly picked up one that was lying on top of the other toys, and raced toward the check-out, after speaking with her father.

I picked up my purchases and got in line behind them.

Then, much to the little girl’s obvious delight, the little boy and his father got in line behind me.

After the toy was paid for and bagged, the little girl handed it back to the cashier and whispered something in her ear.

The cashier smiled and put the package on the counter.

I paid for my purchases and was rearranging things in my purse when the little boy came up the cashier.

The cashier rang up his little book of stickers and then said, “Congratulations, you are my hundredth customer today, and you win a prize!”

With that, she handed the little boy the Pokémon game, and he could only stare in disbelief. It was, he said, exactly what he had wanted!

The little girl and her father had been standing at the doorway during all of this, and I saw the biggest, prettiest, toothless grin on that little girl that I have ever seen in my life.

Then they walked out the door, and I followed, close behind them.

As I walked back to my car, in amazement over what I had just witnessed, I heard the father ask his daughter why she had done that.

I’ll never forget what she said to him. “Daddy, didn’t Nana and PawPaw want me to buy something that would make me happy?”

He said, “Of course they did, honey.”

To which the little girl replied, “Well, I just did!”

With that, she giggled and started skipping toward their car. Apparently, she had decided on the answer to her own question of, “do I have enough?”

 I feel very privileged to have witnessed the true spirit of Christmas in that toy store, in the form of a little girl who understands more about the reason for the season than most adults I know!

May God bless her and her parents, just as she blessed that little boy, and me, that day!

THE MAN WHO GOT INTO HEAVEN BECAUSE

HE WOULD NOT ABANDON MAN’S BEST FRIEND

~a fictional story from our “KINDNESS DIARIES” series….

“A man and his dog were walking along a beautiful road.

The man was enjoying the scenery, when it

suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.

He remembered dying, and that the dog walking

beside him had been dead for years.

He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white

stone wall along one side of the road.

It looked like fine marble.

At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a

tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it he saw a

magnificent gate in the arch that looked

like mother-of-pearl, and the street that

led to the gate looked like pure gold.

He and the dog walked toward the gate,

and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out,

‘Excuse me, where are we?’

‘This is Heaven, sir,’ the man answered.

Would you happen to have some water?’ the man asked.

Of course, sir. Come right in, and I’ll have

some ice water brought right up’.

The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

‘Can my friend,’ gesturing toward his dog,

‘come in, too?’ the traveller asked.

‘I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t accept pets.’

The man thought a moment and then

turned back toward the road and continued

the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of

another long hill, he came to a dirt road

leading through a farm gate that looked

as if it had never been closed.

There was no fence.

As he approached the gate, he saw a man

inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

‘Excuse me!’ he called to the man.

‘Do you have any water?’

‘Yeah, sure, there’s a pump over there, come on in..’

‘How about my friend here?’ the traveller gestured to the dog.

‘There should be a bowl by the pump.

‘said the man under the tree.

They went through the gate, and sure enough,

there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.

The traveller filled the water bowl and took a

long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.

When they were full, he and the dog walked back

toward the man who was standing by the tree.

‘What do you call this place?’ the traveller asked.

This is Heaven,’ he answered.

‘Well, that’s confusing,’ the traveller said.

‘The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.’

‘Oh, you mean the place with the gold street

and pearly gates? Nope. That is Hell for the selfish

people who only thunk of themselves.’

‘Doesn’t it make you mad for them to

use your name like that?’

‘No, we’re just happy that they screen out the

folks who would leave their best friends behind…

Dogs are family.’

~This wonderful story written by Earl Hamner Jr

~title and editing by Chinmayan

AN ASTONISHINGLY BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS MUSIC VIDEO FOR YOU!

This heart warming music video features Lindsey Stirling’s exquisite version of “O Holy Night” with her performing on violin and singing the verses in the sweetest, most reverent way accompanied by scenes from “The Chosen” of Jesus’s life from his birth onwards.

“O Holy Night” by Lindsey Stirling

Calligraphy by Chinmayan

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY!

A warm welcome to all of you, whether you are a new subscriber, have stumbled upon us by accident, been referred to us by a friend or are one of our wonderful community of regular readers…

Thank you for joining us on this journey to greater love and life!

You can Sign up here FOR OUR FREE or our “INNER CIRCLE MEMBERSHIP” to join thousands of folks around the world who receive this newsletter every morning to help jump start their day with a loving and grateful attitude…

If you loved this issue of the free version of “The Dawning Light”…

We invite you to consider joining our “Inner Circle”as a paid subscriber…

We are having a special “CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SALE” starting today until December 25th, 2025 ….

Everyone who becomes one of our treasured “Inner Circle” members with a new or gift paid subscription gets a full year of our PREMIUM version of “The Dawning Light” delivered to your in box everyday before dawn plus all of our amazing rewards and benefits for 25% off on a full year…that is 365 issues plus frequent special editions and offers just for Inner Circle Members….

To check out all the sweet bonuses and rewards that our beloved “Inner Circle Members of paid subscribers get, just click on the button below…

Get 25% off for 1 year

The Dawning Light is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber

Besides all the goodies we are offering to you, your subscription directly helps us maintain our simple life on Still Mountain so we can keep the lights on, food on the table and stay focused  on writing and publishing this labor of Love.

Help us grow and reach many more people who would love “The Dawning Light” by GIVING GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS to family and friends…

Give a gift subscription

The Dawning Light Magazine is published daily to serve you by….

STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE

Authentic Meditation Training and Practical Spirituality For Daily Life

Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

“Christmas, my child, is Love in action.” —Dale Evans

Thanks for reading The Dawning Light! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Share

Get more from Chinmayan in the Substack app
Available for iOS and Android

]]><![CDATA[“WAITING FOR CHRISTMAS—The Miraculous Results of a Child’s Innocent Prayer” a beautiful heartfelt True story by Elizabeth English]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/waiting-for-christmasthe-miraculous-8eehttps://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/waiting-for-christmasthe-miraculous-8eeMon, 08 Dec 2025 08:06:54 GMT

This is our WEEKDAY edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT Magazine # 1601

Our free version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 47

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Selected, edited and published by Chinmayan…May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

Get 25% off for 1 year

All images in this story courtesy of Pixabay

ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL SERIES OF “CHILD PEACE STORIES”TO CELEBRATE THE LOVING HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

To celebrate this Christmas Holiday season,

we are launching a special series of magical and miraculous stories

That are perfect for READING ALOUD to children of all ages

With the publishing of 22 “Child Peace” stories, one for

Each day from now until Christmas Day.

I have been collecting these stories for a long time…

all from different authors, and different times…

All stories you probably have never heard of

But which are well written, powerfully heart opening and

Inspiring stories that will move you to tears….

These special stories about amazing acts of kindness,

Caring, compassion and Love have been carefully chosen

And edited by me to help you get into the Christmas spirit…

This series of mind blowingly good stories is our

Christmas Gift to our wonderful community of readers,

Subscribers and supporters and everyone who discovers them

Here in our newsletter and labor of Love “The Dawning Light”….

During these crazy and tormented times, and with all the

Fears and uncertainties about what our future will be like,

I feel it is vitally important to tap into the true meaning

And purpose of Christmas which to my mind and heart

Always is, always has been and always will be to open

Our hearts to share Love, Caring and compassion in

Daily life now and in all the days of change and challenge ahead!

A Wonderful story in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

The fifth story in our special series…

One great story everyday from now until Christmas Day!

 

Get 25% off for 1 year

WAITING FOR CHRISTMAS—THE MIRACULOUS RESULTS

OF A CHILD’S INNOCENT PRAYER

A True Story

                                               By Elizabeth English

After a very long and busy day of working in our Toy Store serving many many last minute shoppers, Herman and I finally locked our store and dragged ourselves home.

It was 11:00 p.m. Christmas Eve.

We’d sold almost all of our toys; and all of the layaways, except one package still waiting to be picked up.

But the person who had put a dollar down on that package never appeared.

Early Christmas morning, our 12-year-old son Tom and Herman and I were out under the gaily decorated Christmas tree in our cozy living room, opening up a mountain of gaily wrapped packages and  gifts.

But there was something humdrum about this Christmas.

Tom was growing up, and I missed his childish exuberance of past years.

As soon as breakfast was over, Tom left to visit friends, and Herman disappeared into the bedroom mumbling. “I’m going back to sleep.”

 So, there I was alone on Christmas Day.

It was nearly 9:00 a.m. and sleet mixed with snow cut the air outside.

Sure glad I don’t have to go out on a day like today, I thought to myself.

And then it began.

Something I’d never experienced before.

A strange, persistent urge, “Go to the store,” it seemed to say.

That’s crazy, I said to myself, no one opens shop on Christmas Day.

For an hour I fought that strange feeling.

Finally, I couldn’t stand it any longer, and I got dressed. I put on my wool coat and cap on my head, then my galoshes and scarf and gloves.

Once outside the wind cut right through me and sleet stung my cheeks. I felt ridiculous. I had no business being out in that bitter chill.

There was the store just ahead.

But what in the world, I wondered? In front of the store stood two little boys, huddled together, poorly dressed and half frozen.

One about nine, and the other six.

“Here she comes!” yelled the older one. “See, I told you she would come,” he said.

 The younger one’s face was wet with tears, but when he saw me, his eyes opened wide, and his sobbing stopped.

“What are you two children doing out here?” I scolded, hurrying them into the store.

“We’ve been waiting for you,” replied the older. “My little brother Jimmy didn’t get anything for Christmas.

We want to buy some skates. That’s what he wants.”

I looked at the three dollars in his hand, and at their expectant faces.

Then I looked around the store. “I’m sorry,” I said, “But we have no ska. . . “

Then my eye caught sight of the layaway shelf with its one lone package. Could it be. . .?

I walked over and unwrapped the package. Miracle of miracles, there was a pair of skates!

Jimmy reached for them, “Dear Lord,” I said silently, “let them be his size. . .”

And miracle added upon miracle, they were his size.

When the older boy finished tying the laces and saw that the skates fit perfectly, he stood up and presented the dollars to me.

“No, I’m not going to take your money,” I told him. “I want you to have these skates and use your money to get some gloves for your hands.”

What I saw in Jimmy’s eyes was like a blessing. It was pure joy, and it was beautiful.

My low spirits rose.

As I locked the door, I turned to the older brother and said, “How lucky that I happened to come along when I did. How did you boys know I would come?”

I wasn’t prepared for his reply.

His gaze was steady, and he answered me softly, “I knew you would come,” he said, “I asked Jesus to send you.”

The tingles in my spine weren’t from the cold. I knew God had planned this.

As we waved good-bye, I turned home to a brighter Christmas than I had left, and deep gratitude that I had heard the intuitive call to come to our store in answer to a little boy's innocent prayer of faith.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY!

A warm welcome to all of you, whether you are a new subscriber, have stumbled upon us by accident, been referred to us by a friend or are one of our wonderful community of regular readers…

Thank you for joining us on this journey to greater love and life!

You can Sign up here FOR OUR FREE or our “INNER CIRCLE MEMBERSHIP” to join thousands of folks around the world who receive this newsletter every morning to help jump start their day with a loving and grateful attitude…

If you loved this issue of the free version of “The Dawning Light”…

We invite you to consider joining our “Inner Circle”as a paid subscriber…

We are having a special “CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SALE” starting today until December 25th, 2025 ….

Everyone who becomes one of our treasured “Inner Circle” members with a new or gift paid subscription gets a full year of our PREMIUM version of “The Dawning Light” delivered to your in box everyday before dawn plus all of our amazing rewards and benefits for 25% off on a full year…that is 365 issues plus frequent special editions and offers just for Inner Circle Members….

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The Dawning Light is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Besides all the goodies we are offering to you, your subscription directly helps us maintain our simple life on Still Mountain so we can keep the lights on, food on the table and stay focused  on writing and publishing this labor of Love!

Help us grow and reach many more people who would love “The Dawning Light” by GIVING GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS to family and friends…

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The Dawning Light Magazine is published daily to serve you by….

STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE

Authentic Meditation Training and Practical Spirituality For Daily Life

Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

“Christmas is all about truly loving and caring for each other! Peace on earth will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day.”

—Helen Steiner Rice

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]]><![CDATA[“A CHRISTMAS PRAYER—How I Learned That The Greatest Joy In Life Comes From Giving”… a beautiful story about discovering the real joy of Christmas is in giving and caring for others in need]]>https://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/a-christmas-prayerhow-i-learned-thathttps://thedawninglight.substack.com/p/a-christmas-prayerhow-i-learned-thatSun, 07 Dec 2025 08:03:21 GMT

This is our WEEKDAY edition of THE DAWNING LIGHT Magazine # 1600

Our FREE version of our “Daily Journal of Transformational Writing”

Today we are featuring our…

CHILD PEACE STORIES Section # 46

Inspiring READ ALOUD STORIES for children of all ages…

Selected, edited and published by Chinmayan…May your Christmas be bright, loving and full of kindness and miracles of every kind as these magical stories for you and your family and everyone on earth!

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All images in this story courtesy of Pixabay  

  ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL SERIES OF “CHILD PEACE STORIES”TO CELEBRATE THE LOVING HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

A Wonderful story in our special series…DAYS OF MAGICAL and MIRACULOUS READ ALOUD CHRISTMAS STORIES for children of all ages…

The fourth story in our special series…

One great story everyday from now until Christmas Day!   

     A CHRISTMAS PRAYER (Christmas eve 1881)

How I Learned That The Greatest Joy In Life Comes From Giving                     

                                               By Rian B. Anderson

Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities.

But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors.

 It was from him that I learned that the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not receiving.

It was Christmas Eve 1881.

I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas.

We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible, like we usually did after supper.

After supper was over, I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible.

I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read Scriptures.

But Pa didn't get the Bible, instead he bundled up again and went outside.

I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores.

I didn't worry about it long though; I was too busy wallowing in self-pity.

Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard.

"Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight."

I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, but now Pa was also dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see.

We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this.

But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens.

Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what.

Outside, I became even more dismayed.

There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job.

 I could tell.  We never hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load.

Paw was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him.

The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy.

When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed.

He got off and I followed. "I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me."

The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high side boards on.

After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood - the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all Fall sawing into blocks and splitting.

What was he doing? Finally, I said something. "Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?"

“You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked.

The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road.

Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what?

“Yeah," I said, "Why?"

"I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips.

They're out of wood, Matt."

 That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him.

We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it.

Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading, then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon.

He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait.

When he returned, he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand.

"What's in the little sack?" I asked.

“Shoes, they're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy."

We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence.

I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards.

Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it.

We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy?

Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it shouldn't have been our concern.

We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible, then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door.

We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?" "Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt, could we come in for a bit?"

Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp.

"We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time.

There was a pair for her and one for each of the children - sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last.

I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out.

"We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said.

He turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up."

I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood.

I had a big lump in my throat and as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too.

In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak.

My heart swelled within me and a joy that I'd never known before, filled my soul.

I had given things at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people.

I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared.

The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time.

She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "I know the Lord has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us."

In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again.

I'd never thought of Paw in  those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it, I could see that it was probably true.

I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth.

I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.

Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.

Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their Pa, and I was glad that I still had mine.

At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell."

I was the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away.

Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to say, May the Lord bless you, I know for certain that He will."

Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold.

When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough.

Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square.

Your ma and me were really excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that, but on the way, I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do.

Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand."

I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it.

Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities.

Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children.

For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered,

and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night.

Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life.

LET US BE AS WISE AS ONLY CHILDREN CAN BE AND BECOME SHINING BEACONS OF LOVE and LIGHT

“Christmas is the season when kindness and caring

and being loving at every opportunity

is like a great light that grows brighter and brighter

as we pass through our days with our hearts open

and our minds feeling the awe and wonder of

the Christmas Spirit growing stronger on earth…

and if we are as wise as only children can be,

we find that we are changed forever from the

old selfish person we were once into a shining

beacon of Love and Light whose greatest joy

will always be doing good and helping others

in whatever way we can, great of small…”

~Robert Alme McGraw

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If you loved this issue of the free version of “The Dawning Light”…

We invite you to consider joining our “Inner Circle”as a paid subscriber…

We are having a special “CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SALE” starting today until December 25th, 2025 ….

Everyone who becomes one of our treasured “Inner Circle” members with a new or gift paid subscription gets a full year of our PREMIUM version of “The Dawning Light” delivered to your in box everyday before dawn plus all of our amazing rewards and benefits for 25% off on a full year…that is 365 issues plus frequent special editions and offers just for Inner Circle Members….

Get 25% off for 1 year

The Dawning Light is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Besides all the goodies we are offering to you, your subscription directly helps us maintain our simple life on Still Mountain so we can keep the lights on, food on the table and stay focused  on writing and publishing this labor of Love!

Help us grow and reach many more people who would love “The Dawning Light” by GIVING GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS to family and friends…

Give a gift subscription

The Dawning Light Magazine is published daily to serve you by….

STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE

Authentic Meditation Training and Practical Spirituality For Daily Life

Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.

We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.

Thanks for reading The Dawning Light! This post is public so feel free to share it.

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]]>