The Christmas Grouch

'Twas the night before Christmas and out slipped the Grouch
To search corners and crevices in every house.
Grumbling and whining in each person's ear,
He worked to spoil the season's good cheer.

Devising a scheme in his evil mirth,
He would tear Christmas away from planet earth.
"I'll approach the Creator and plead for permission;
If I win the debate, I'll set off on my mission."

He filed a complaint and prepared his case,
Stated his arguments and started to pace,
Back and forth in front of the Throne,
His raspy voice a wearisome drone.

God granted his request, but it would quickly be stayed
If the Grouch found just one who gave thanks while he prayed.
Smirking and sneering, he left with a nod,
And laughed aloud at how he he'd fooled God.

Not a moment to waste, he sped through each city,
Invading the homes, adorned and so pretty.
He lurked in the shadows and watched as they said,
"It's been a long day, and I must go to bed."

Folks were busy, so much on their minds
That time for the Father was too hard to find.
The Grouch slipped through the houses, delighted, amazed
That no one took time to offer up praise.

Dauntless and smug, he smirked to himself,
"My case has been won, and with so much time left!
One more stop and it will be 'in the bag.'
Then I'll bombard Heaven to gloat and to brag."

At the edge of town on that cold winter's night
A scene through a window caught the Grouch's sight.
He slithered inside and what did he see?
A tiny boy, hands clasped, down on one knee,

Thanking the Father for Jesus' birth--
Praying, "Good will to all men and peace on earth."
When the child whispered, "God bless us everyone,"
The Grouch knew his case would never be won.

In an angry fit he yanked out his hair,
Then stamped out ranting, "It's not fair! It's not fair!"
The Creator smiled down, said, "You don't understand--
Salvation exists because Christmas began."

I longed for each soul to know its true worth
So I sent my Son to this desolate earth.
And because of Jesus, My gift from above,
Christmas is eternal, and so is My love."

A note from Laurean:

I hope you enjoyed this. Don't let "The Christmas Grouch" invade your home this year.

I wrote the above poem in December 2003 after I awoke one morning with the first two stanzas rambling around in my head. As the day lengthened, so did the poem, until by 4 p.m. I had finished it.

I pray that all have a very Merry Christmas, and not forget what the Season is truly about. Slow down and enjoy your family and friends. "God bless You Everyone!"

The Master of The Wind loves ME!

Hi Fellow Bloggers,

I just left Lucy Kubash's blog. If you have not read her strange incident, please take time to do so after you read this. Here's her blog address. lucynaylorkubash.blogspot.com

I had a similar supernatural experience with a tornado, late fall of '94. But let me backtrack a couple months. Have you ever heard the song, "The Master of the Wind"? In September of '94 that song kept whirling through my brain, so I bought the soundtrack with the intent to sing it during church service--if I could get up the nerve. (I'm not comfortable performing or speaking in front of a group.) Anyway,I put the tape in the car and sang it everywhere I drove.

Two months later, the Sunday following Thanksgiving, my sister and I were standing outside our mother's house when we noticed a sudden eerie calm after it had been windy. We decided it was time to leave for our homes. I had driven maybe seven miles through country backroads when I glanced to my left. About a 100 yards away in an open field, a wide band of darness stretched all the way from the sky to the ground. It wasn't your usual tornado. No funnel-shaped cloud here. Just a wide sheet that looked to be 50 feet wide.

I was scared out of my wits and started to cry out, "Lord, help me! What do I do?" It was impossible to judge whether the tornado was moving parallel to the car, or if it was headed straight for me. Keeping an eye on its position, I kept driving. I lost sight of the tornado behind tall trees when I passed a wooded area. Then the road curved to the left a half mile farther. Suddenly a thick, dark indigo cloud surrounded my car. But I kept driving slowly until I reached a low spot below a hill. I sat there about 10 minutes. Then I cranked up the car and drove home.

I had no idea of the extent of the damage until my husband drove through the area the next day. He came home to say, "You are just lucky that you and that little red car aren't stuck in a treetop."

I went back with him to survey the destruction. Where the darkness had surrounded me, the house on the left side of the road was minus a back porch. On the right side of the road, a path of trees for about 50 yards, were plastered to the ground.

All I could say was "God LOVES me! He loves ME!" Because for this to happen the way it did, the tornado must have struck the corner of that house, lifted up over my car, then came back down and ripped those trees up by the roots.

No doubt, God spared my life that day. Every time I pass the spot, I get the warm fuzzies because I can feel His love. So do you think that song, "The Master of the Wind" is connected in some way to this incident? I'll let YOU decide.

Below are the words to the chorus. If you haven't heard the song, you really should. It's beautiful. I never did sing it to the congregation, but I still have the tape, folks...to remind me how much God loves ME. He loves YOU that much, too.

I know the Master of the wind.
I know the Maker of the rain.
He can calm the storm
And make the sun shine again.
I know the Master of the wind.