This story was told to me by one of my customers. This gentleman is a very serious, quiet natured, older man, who never jokes around about anything, a very “salt of the earth” person, so, I take the story he shared with me to be a true tale…

One Christmas time, several years ago, “Will” went by to check on “Janie”. Janie was now a widow, she had been since earlier in the year when her husband “David” had passed away rather suddenly of a heart attack at a relatively young age, he was only in his 40s. Will was a little bit older than Janie and David and as they were all from the same community, they had known each other their entire lives. All were from people of modest means, with old time values, like “treating their neighbor as themselves”; Basic, nice, people from the Alabama countryside.

Will had been making a point to check on Janie since her husbands passing. If he had extra veggies from his garden, he would take her some. When he chopped firewood for his wood burning stove he would take her some for her fireplace. If there was some repair that she needed on her car or on her home he would try to do it for her. All with the intent of a “Big Brother” looking after a “little sister”.

He told me that when he got home that night, he decided to lie down on his sofa, and relax, in the soft glow of his Christmas tree lights. His wife and daughter had gone to bed, he was alone in the living room, relaxing on the sofa, watching television, he drifted off to sleep. Then he found himself waking up around 3 am, he felt like someone was looking at him, he thought he would awaken to his daughter standing over him. Instead he woke up to his surprise to “David” standing at the end of the sofa, looking at him. He said that at first he just blinked and rubbed his eyes thinking that he was still asleep, when he opened his eyes and looked again “David” was still there.

Will told me that “David” looked as “real” as you or I. He was wearing a red and black flannel shirt and blue jeans, which were his favorite clothes and what he had been buried in. Will knew that because as he explained he had “seen him lying in his casket at the funeral home.”

They looked at each other for a moment, when “David” spoke to Will, he said “Will, I want to thank you for looking after Janie.” Will said that he didn’t know what to say, but, “Alright”. Then he said that “David” just faded away, and he was alone in his living room.

After sharing his story with me, Will asked me what I thought about it. I told him that I believed that “David” really appreciated all he had been doing to look after Janie, and wanted him to know it. I asked him if “David” had ever come back to speak with him again. He said “No”, that was the one and only time.

Will has shared a couple of other stories with me over the years, partly due to the fact that I have told him that I think that my father’s presence comes to visit us in our store, which was his store, and the place that he passed away about 20 years ago. This is likely why Will felt he could share his tale with me, I in turn have shared his tale with you.

The moral of the story is that good deeds are appreciated, not only by those that are receiving them in the present, but, also, by their loved ones on the other side.

Try to keep the spirit of the true meaning of Christmas year round, the gift of caring is the best gift of all.

Thank you for reading “Will’s Christmas Visitor”. Merry Christmas to ALL.

Sent in by Camille, Copyright 2009 ChristmasChimney.com