By: Cindy Meyers

Out of the Nazi death camps comes a message of the true meaning of Christmas – God’s Love.

This weekend my husband and I took our great granddaughter to Wal Mart to let her enjoy some good old fashion “”window shopping” in the toy department.  She is just 19 months old and loves dollies!  Of course, her eyes lit  up at all the bright Christmas trees!  It was lots of fun.

While we were looking I saw dozens of  parents searching for just the right presenst to give their children.  I overheard one mother and father discussing what they already had purchased and the cost.  Followed by, “She needs something else.  We spent more on him.”  I realize this is a situation many deal with but the rows of  toys and watching these parents got me to thinking about older times when children were thrilled to receive just one special gift on Christmas.  In many cases the present was homemade or purchased at great sacrifice.

As my mind wondered around these thoughts I remembered one story I had heard many years ago.  It is a story of one mother’s gift to her son.  It wasn’t at Christmas, although the gift was full of the true spirit of Christmas – that of Love.

It was during the terrible days of the Nazi death camps.  One family of four had found themselves prisoners and slaves in one of these camps.  Each day the father and daughter were taken out and forced to work while the mother and son were left in the barracks.  The son was very young and there was hardly any food.  He became weaker and weaker.

Each day the guards would walk through the barracks and  select the weakest people.  They would be forced to leave the barracks and follow the guards.  Of course, they never returned.  Those left behind were sure of what had happened to them.  During these visits by the guards the mother did everything she could to cover up her son’s frail condition.

One night when the father and daughter returned they could not find the mother and son anywhere.  As they asked around this story was told to them.  The guards had come as usual.  This time they had selected the tiny boy.  He was frightened.   As he cried to his mommy she wrapped her arms around him and said, “It is ok.  I will go with you.”

Yes, this story of a mother’s love is true.  It was told by the her daughter who survived.

In that moment she gave her son the greatest gift she could.  It didn’t come from Wal Mart, it came from her heart.  In that moment she gave her son all the love God had taught her to give.  Let us in all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season not forget the true meaning of Christmas is God’s Love and the wonderful gift he gave to us.  His Son.  May we too live our lives sharing God’s Love each and every day.