Bible as they had every Christmas Eve in the past. “Yes, honey, they are. Just like Mary’s donkey.”
Naomi and Michael stroked the animals. “I think it’s wonderful we will have donkeys in our barn tonight, of all nights!” the little girl gushed.
Helen agreed, “Yes, that is special. God has given us a Christmas we will never forget.”
Michael grabbed a handful of hay and began to put it near the donkey’s mouth.
“I wouldn’t do that, Michael,” Gabriel said quickly. “That one is ornery; he might take a finger off.” Michael quickly dropped the hay and stepped back.
The empty sleigh was now in the center of the barn. All the children climbed into it, imagining all sorts of adventures.
“I’d better go check on the bread,” Helen told them. “Chad, you’ll bring the children in?”
He agreed. Helen entered the cabin, savoring her few minutes of privacy before they all returned. The men and children remained in the barn for an hour. Helen had time to put the bread in the oven, do a little cleaning, set the table, pray, mend two socks and read a little from the Bible. It was quiet time she treasured.
When they all returned, Johnathan was very fussy. Chad immediately put him to bed for a nap. “Children, time for your reading lessons,” he told the other two. It was the only way they would remain quiet long enough for Johnathan to fall asleep. Gabriel sat with Naomi, reading along from her book of poetry. Chad read quietly with Matthew, letting him sound out words from the Bible. These were the only two books in the house.
Gabriel fell asleep in his chair. Naomi had to keep her giggles quiet. She continued to read silently as the smell of baking bread filled the room.
Late in the afternoon, a meal of bread and stew was enjoyed by all. Gabriel shared with the family stories of Denver. They explained to him all their trials and troubles the year had wrought.
Losing a baby, a twister and a fire, no wonder they were destitute, Gabriel thought to himself.
After the meal, Chad read from Luke. Naomi listened carefully to the Christmas story. She smiled when her father mentioned the donkey. All the adults shared fond Christmas memories afterward.
“I have to say, I thought this was going to be our worst Christmas ever,” Helen confessed. “But God turned it around for good, and it shall be our best, thanks to Mister Davidson.” Chad nodded agreement.
“May Matthew and I sing a song for you, Mister Davidson?” Naomi asked.
“Certainly.”
Naomi and Matthew huddled together to decide on the song. They broke out in unharmonic chords of “Silent Night.” The adults smiled, hearing the tune. Chad and Helen both knew their children had little musical talent. Gabriel was a good sport though. He pretended to enjoy it.
“Fit for angels! That was great!” he boasted when the song ended. “What other songs do you know?”
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come . . .” Naomi quickly bellowed. Matthew caught up quickly. Johnathan covered his ears.
When they finished, Gabriel told them, “That was just marvelous!”
Chad wondered if the old man was part deaf. “Say, why don’t we all sing some now,” he suggested.
Gabriel had a deep baritone voice. Helen sang soprano. Chad was somewhere in between. It was an enjoyable hour spent in song and worship. It was nearly eight o’clock when Helen finally put the children to bed. They could barely settle down from all the singing and fun. Thoughts of Santa Claus filled their minds as well. Helen watched as Gabriel took Chad aside. They spoke in deep hushed tones. After half a minute, Chad cleared his throat.
“Helen, dear, Mister Davidson and I are going out to the barn for a while.”
“Fine. I have mending to do and some things to prepare for tomorrow’s meal.” Helen began work on her sons’ pants. Both had holes in the knees. She had a little more scrap material from one of her old skirts to patch them with. Helen smiled as she sewed. God was sure looking after them. “How great He is!” she said under her breath. With Mister Davidson’s gift of the food stuffs, they would survive until spring. Then they could start over somehow – plant a new crop, acquire new animals. Somehow, in time, maybe they could repay him for all he had done. “Lord we are so grateful for all you’ve done in the last day. Thank you. Please bless Mister Davidson for all the good he’s doing for us. Bring his family back to him, God. Thank you for saving us through the winter. Help us to begin anew in the spring. Please keep bein’ with us, Lord, like you said. Amen.”
Helen continued her mending. She made a mental note to ask Chad to sharpen her scissors. The children were sound asleep, finally, by the time the patches were on. It had taken thirty minutes and Chad and Mister Davidson were still in the barn. Helen snacked on a piece of bread. Maybe, she thought, the men were sorting through the food stuffs. Gabriel was probably showing Chad what they could keep. What a great man Gabriel was, an angel really. Helen was pondering this thought when the door opened. When she looked up, Chad was smiling ear to ear. There was a gleam in his eyes like she’d never seen. He held a large bundle.
“You’ll not believe what this is,” he told her quietly.
She shrugged.
“It’s a turkey!”
“A turkey?” her eyes were wide as walnuts.
Chad nodded. “Yes, for Christmas dinner. And there’s four more in the barn.”
“Oh, Chad!” Helen exclaimed as her hand came to her mouth.
“And he’s giving us a dozen chickens, a side of beef, six hams, bacon, sausage...” his voice trailed off.
Helen sat down in a chair. She had not realized how much food was in that sleigh.
“And there’s more. Potatoes, beans, rice, canned vegetables, a barrel of flour, one of oats, sugar, all sorts of everything. More food than I’ve ever seen. There’s also buttermilk and apple cider.”
Helen was speechless, stunned. They would never be able to repay him for all this. As if Chad could read her thoughts, he added, “And he refuses my ‘I owe you’. I told him we could provide future crops for him to sell in his store, but he adamantly opposes the idea. He insists this is a gift from God, not from him.”
“He’s an angel of God, Chad. That’s what I think,” she answered.
“You could be right, dear. He does have the right name for it,” he smiled.
Gabriel came back to the cabin a short time later with a second bag of food for Christmas day. Chad and Helen had placed the turkey near the fire to thaw. Helen gave their guest an appreciative hug. “Thank you, sir, for everything.”
Gabriel patted her on the back. “Let it be a blessing from God.”
A short time later, the adults settled into bed. It had been a fun, busy day, and tomorrow would be just the same. The children especially would be so excited about the turkey. Helen said her goodnight prayers, kissed Chad, and fell asleep.
Helen awoke
