Two Brand-New Bicycles

Got a Divorce don’t want to have Christmas anyway,” hollered my son Jason, as he threw down a box of orna- ments. Fragments scattered all over the floor while his brother Jeremy watched in sullen silence. Jason stormed from the room. “Daddy is Santa Claus, and he’s getting a divorce!”

I heard his door slam. “That was dumb,” Jeremy complained as he started picking up pieces of glass. The shattered decorations reminded me of the boys’ broken lives since their dad had gone. I My throat tightened with emotion, and I tried to pray.

Ob God, where are you? I felt no calming peace. Through tear-filled eyes I looked up to see the star atop the tree mocking me with its cheerful facade. Under the evergreen’s sparse branches, there were no pres- ents.

The number of gifts I had to give each boy could be counted on one hand. On my limited income, I’d managed to buy a few name-brand clothing items at Goodwill, I’d collected baseball cards, and baked some homemade goodies. Despair overwhelmed me. Santa 109 NO FOR THE LOVE OF GOD Claus and my husband’s “Ho!

Ho! Ho!” wouldn’t stop at our house this year. A loud knock startled me. Jeremy went to answer, and I wiped my eyes.

“Who could that be?” Jeremy peeked through the peephole, shouted “Mom!” as he flung the door open wide, and then ran outside.

I followed in anticipation. I looked over his shoulder and gasped in awe when I saw two brand-new bicycles on the porch.

Jeremy _ touched the silver chrome handlebars shining in the moonlight. “Is that for me?” Who knew my boys longed for bikes I couldn’t afford? I wondered.

With trembling hands, I grasped the note hanging from the seat. All at once the yard flooded with light. “What’s going on?” Jason called as he tore past me.

His eyes were as big as silver dollars. “Wow!” he shouted as he jumped on the other bike.

I could hardly read the note through my tears. “We feel Jason and Jeremy must be having it hard right now. Let them know they’re loved. We’re praying for all of you.”

Santa had come in the form of someone who cared enough to sense my children’s sadness. A person chose not to judge that sometimes divorce has to be. Jeremy grabbed me in a bear hug. “I love my bike.”

Jason punched the air. “I really like mine, too.” He gave me a sheepish look. “I’m sorry about the broken ornaments, Mom.

I’ll clean it up.” MIRACLES BIG AND SMALL mM I glanced up at the twinkling stars. “I wish all families could be blessed like we are this year,” I breathed. We all became quiet until Jeremy offered, “I’ve got some Legos I could give the orphans.”

“Me, too,” Jason chimed in. “It is Jesus’s birthday, the best time to give stuff away.” “That’s really nice of you boys to think of less fortu- nate kids.” “Why not?”

Jason shrugged. “Jesus has sure shown how much he loves us.” “Those poor kids don’t have anything or anyone,” Jeremy reflected. “We’re lucky to have you, Mom.”

I smiled. My heart overflowed with God’s love. Jason and Jeremy were experiencing the Christmas spirit because another had been willing to share the season’s joy, selflessly giving not just one but two bicycles.

God had answered my prayers.