A Christmas Miracle

By Marilyn Knowles Wilke

Christmas morning was near and most people were busy with the hustle and bustle of shopping and decorating. It was different for Jonathan. He gazed out the window of the old broken down orphanage that everyone seemed to have forgotten.

The orphanage was located at the end of their small town in Colorado. The woman who ran the place was heartless and cruel. It was like a forgotten place as far as the children were concerned. No one seemed to care.

Jonathan was thirteen and had given up hope of ever having a family. He tried to stay positive, remembering his sweet mother raised him to have faith. She died at the hands of his father when he was five. He cherished her memory, but hated his father who was in prison for life.

His mother loved church and always prayed and read the Bible to him. He even remembered some of the verses she taught him, but now, he blamed God for everything. In the back of his mind, he wanted to believe God cared, but looking at his tortured life, it was difficult to believe in anything. Still, he held onto a fragment of faith in his mother.

“Get to breakfast!” Miss Kale's scratchy voice interrupted his thoughts. He knew if he didn't move quickly, she would beat him until he couldn't.

Breakfast was always the same. The cook served them a bowl of corn mush and a cup of water. All eighteen kids would leave the dining area hungry. Then, she sent them out into the cold to beg for money. The town had a lot of rich folks in it, but none of them seemed to really care. Sure, they would drop a few pennies in the orphan's cups, but nothing more.

Jonathan stood on his usual corner, shivering. It was getting colder and the snow began to fall more profusely. He tried to pull his tattered coat around him, but it barely kept the snow from hitting his chest. He wanted to cry, but decided it was time to run away. He looked around to see if anyone was watching. He knew Miss Kale would send her sons to check up on him any minute. He slipped into a dark alley and sat there for a moment, pulling boxes around him to keep warm and hidden.

As he watched her sons appear through a small hole in the box, he smiled to himself. He knew they wouldn't look for long, not in the cold. Several of the orphans were already sick and still in bed from the cold. They would probably die like always. No one cared.

He felt a warmth come over him and a voice was heard that sounded vaguely familiar. It was his mother. He tried to shake it off, thinking he was only hallucinating due to hunger. The voice continued to speak his name. He finally spoke, “Mother?”

He passed out, feeling someone lifting his frail body. He thought he was dreaming. His dream turned into something else. It felt like maybe he had died and was being taken to another place. He remembered his mother describing Heaven, hoping God would forgive him for losing his faith.

He awoke to the smells of muffins and butter. As he tried to raise his head, there was music playing like a symphony. He opened his eyes and sat up. It was the most beautiful place he'd ever seen. His eyes met another beauty standing before him. She reminded him of his mother, but she was much older.

“Well, dear boy, you finally join the living,” She brushed his hair from his face with her soft hand. He could smell her perfume. It was like fruits and flowers mixed together. He liked it very much.

“Where am I, Miss?” He Spoke softly and politely.

“Alive and lying in our spare bed. She smiled, handing him the nicest clothing he'd ever seen. “You wouldn't have been breathing if Master Gordon and I hadn't found you, love.”

“It was you?” He smiled.

“Yes, dear,” Her accent complimented her voice. It made him smile. “Well, get dressed, me boy, and we'll have a nice, big breakfast. Does that sound good?”

“Oh, yes-mam,” He grinned, widely. He jumped to his feet, but fell backwards. She steadied him and sent in a woman who looked to be the maid of the house. She was cheery and kind. She helped him dress and walked him downstairs. He realized that he'd been bathed, which made him blush. “Um...how did I..”

She interrupted him. “Don't ye worry, lad,” She patted his head. “It ‘twas the doctor and nurse who took care of you. You been out for a few days.”

He was shocked to find out this bit of information. He now knew why he was so weak. He spotted the dining table, all covered with foods he hardly remembered. A picture of his mother serving him eggs and ham came to his mind, but this was much more elaborate.

He gazed at the man sitting at the head of the table. He'd seen him before on the streets. This was the only man who had given him more than a penny. He feared that they had contacted Miss Kale and began to shiver.

“Are ye cold, lad?” Master Gordon asked, kindly, touching his shoulder. “Lad?”

“My name is Jonathon, sir,” He informed. “I suppose I will be leaving soon.”

He knew he was being bold, but wanted to prepare himself for the worst. Master Gordon stood up, helping him into his chair. “You eat and enjoy! You're not going anywhere.”

He was surprised by his reply, but waited for the explanation. They all joined hands and prayed a sweet blessing over the food. He stared from one to another, wondering what he should say next.

After he had filled his stomach with all the wonderful foods, he sat back, waiting for their conversations to stop so he could speak. He finally started to open his mouth to talk, but was interrupted by the pretty lady. Her name was found to be Sarah.

“You have nothing to fear from that animal anymore,” She smiled. “None of the children do. They've all been placed in homes for the holidays and the sick children are in the hospital being taken care of. Miss Kale is in jail where she belongs along with her two sons.”

“You are serious, Miss?” He choked on his orange juice for a moment. He wanted to shout a loud praise to God, but he held it in while she continued to explain.

“When we found you in this horrible state, we notified the authorities and several of our friends,” She went on. “We're all ashamed of ourselves for allowing this to go on. It is this town's fault that all of you were so badly neglected; therefore, it is our duty to make it right. We have decided to adopt you, if that's all right with you.”

He felt as if he would faint. It was quite a shock to wake up to such a miracle. He felt like he owed God an apology and whispered one to himself. They all stared at him, wondering why he was saying he was sorry, but he smiled and began to explain.

The couple explained to him how they ended up in that alley. They thought they were hearing a familiar voice crying out someone's name. Jonathan's eyes widened as they continued to tell their story.

They had lost their daughter when she ran away with some crazy man she thought she loved. He had murdered her, telling the police that his wife had no known relatives and gave them a false last name. They didn't discover this until one of their friends came across an old newspaper showing a faded picture on the front. It was discovered while they were vacationing in another town miles away. It was where Jonathan was born.
As they spoke, Jonathan was about to bust, wanting to tell them who he was, but to his surprise, they had already figured it out from his records at the orphanage. They knew God had given them all a miracle for Christmas. Jonathan and his new family would always remember this Christmas morning, for it was the season of a miracle.

Now, even though she was much older than his mother, he knew why she was so beautiful to him. Her age didn't hinder her beautiful face, nor did her riches hinder her lovely heart. Jonathan not only renewed his faith in God, but realized that it was always there, just hidden by pain. He would spend many Christmas mornings with his family and stayed in touch with his many orphanage friends who now resided in homes of their own.