经过英语沙龙 圣诞节的奇迹

2021年1月14日发(作者：边贯道)
英语沙龙 圣诞节的奇迹

My Christmas Miracle

For many of us，one Christmas stands out from all the others，the one
when the meaning of the day shone clearest．My own “truest”
Christmas began on a rainy spring day in the bleakest year of my
life．

Recently divorced，I was in my ２０s，had no job and was on my way
downtown to go the rounds of the employment offices．I had no
umbrella，for my old one had fallen apart，and I could not afford
another one．I sat down in the streetcar －－and there against the
seat was a beautiful silk umbrella with a silver handle inlaid2) with
gold and flecks of bright enamel3)．I had never seen anything so
lovely．

I examined the handle and saw a name engraved among the golden
scrolls．The usual procedure would have been to turn in the umbrella
to the conductor，but on impulse I decided to take it with me and
find the owner myself．I got off the streetcar in a downpour and
thankfully opened the umbrella to protect myself．Then I searched a
telephone book for the name on the umbrella and found it．I called
and a lady answered．
Yes，she said in surprise，that was her umbrella，which her parents，
now dead，had given her for a birthday present．But，she added，it
had been stolen from her locker at school（she was a teacher）more
than a year before．She was so excited that I forgot I was looking
for a job and went directly to her small house．She took the
umbrella，and her eyes filled with tears．

The teacher wanted to give me a reward，but－－though twenty dollars
was all I had in the world－－her happiness at retrieving4) this
special possession was such that to have accepted money would have
spoiled something．We talked for a while，and I must have given her
my address．I don' t remember．

The next six months were wretched5)．I was able to obtain only
temporary employment here and there，for a small salary．But I put
aside twenty－five or fifty cents when I could afford it for my
little girl' s Christmas presents．My last job ended the day before
Christmas，my thirty－dollar rent was soon due，and I had fifteen
dollars to my name－－which Peggy and I would need for food．She was
home from convent boarding school and was excitedly looking forward
to her gifts next day，which I had already purchased．I had bought
her a small tree，and we were going to decorate it that night．
The air was full of the sound of Christmas merriment as I walked from
the streetcar to my small apartment．Bells rang and children shouted
in the bitter dusk of the evening，and windows were lighted and
everyone was running and laughing．But there should be no Christmas
for me，I knew，no gifts，no remembrance whatsoever6)．As I struggled
through the snowdrifts，I had just about reached the lowest point in
my life．Unless a miracle happened，I would be homeless in January，
foodless，jobless．I had prayed steadily for weeks，and there had
been no answer but this coldness and darkness，this harsh air，this
abandonment．God and men had completely forgotten me．I felt so
helpless and so lonely．What was to become of us？

I looked in my mail box．There were only bills in it，a sheaf of
them，and two white envelopes which I was sure contained more
bills．I went up three dusty flights of stairs and I cried，shivering
in my thin coat．But I made myself smile so I could greet my little
daughter with a pretense of happiness．She opened the door for me and
threw herself in my arms，screaming joyously and demanding that we
decorate the tree immediately．

Peggy had proudly set our kitchen table for our evening meal and put
pans out and three cans of food which would be our dinner．For some
reason，when I looked at those pans and cans，I felt broken－
hearted．We would have only hamburgers for our Christmas dinner
tomorrow．I stood in the cold little kitchen，misery overwhelmed
me．For the first time in my life，I doubted the existence and his
mercy，and the coldness in my heart was colder than ice．

The doorbell rang and Peggy ran fleetly to answer it，calling that it
must be Santa Claus．Then I heard a man talking heartily to her and
went to the door．He was a delivery man，and his arms were full of
parcels7)．“This is a mistake，”I said，but he read the name on the
parcels and there were for me．When he had gone I could only stare at
the boxes．Peggy and I sat on the floor and opened them．A huge
doll，three times the size of the one I had bought for
her．Gloves．Candy．A beautiful leather purse．Incredible．I looked
for the name of the sender．It was the teacher，the address was
simply “California”，where she had moved．