This the last post of the year and a great way to close the year 2012.
During the first week of January I will write about some 2013 Year´s
Resolutions that could be accomplished. Meanwhile Let´s all enjoy the end
of the Year with the last of our Christmas tales series.
Here
is a fairly well known tale. I think it is worth re-telling. It conveys a
valuable message; No matter how tough things are, don't give up. You just don't
know what lies around the corner.....!
A TRUE CHRISTMAS STORY.
Robert May was a short man, barely five feet in height. He was born in
the early part of the last century, that is to say, the nineteen hundreds.
Bullied at school, he was ridiculed and humiliated by other children
because he was smaller than other boys of the same age. Even as he grew up, he
was often mistaken for someone’s little brother.
When he left college he became employed as a copywriter with Montgomery
Ward, the big Chicago mail order house. He married and in due course, his wife
presented him with a daughter. Then when his little daughter was two years old,
tragedy struck; his wife was diagnosed with a debilitating disease. She became
bedridden and remained so until she died. Nearly everything he earned went on
medication and doctor’s bills. Money was short and life was hard.
One evening in early December of 1938 and two years into his wife’s
illness, his four-year-old daughter climbed onto his knee and asked, “Daddy,
why isn’t Mummy like everybody else’s mummy?” It was a simple question, asked
with childlike curiosity. But it struck a personal chord with Robert May.
His mind flashed back to his own childhood. He had often posed a
similar question, “Why can’t I be tall, like the other kids?” The stigma
attached to those who are different is hard to bear. Groping for something to
say to give comfort to his daughter, he began to tell her a story. It was about
someone else who was different, ridiculed, humiliated and excluded because of
the difference.
Bob told the story in a humorous way, making it up as he went along; in
the way that many fathers often do. His daughter laughed, giggled and clapped
her hands as the misfit finally triumphed at the end. She then made him start
all over again from the beginning and every night after that he had to repeat
the story before she would go to sleep.
Because he had no money for fancy presents, Robert decided that he
would put the story into book form. He had some artistic talent and he created
illustrations. This was to be his daughter’s Christmas present. The book of the
story that she loved so much. He converted the story into a poem.
On the night before Christmas Eve, he was persuaded to attend his
office Christmas Party. He took the poem along and showed it to a colleague.
The colleague was impressed and insisted that Robert read his poem aloud to
everyone else at the party. Somewhat embarrassed by the attention, he took the
small hand written volume from his pocket and began to read. At first the noisy
group listened in laughter and amusement. But then became silent and after he
finished, they broke into spontaneous applause.
Later, and feeling quite pleased with himself, he went home, wrapped
the book in Christmas wrapping and placed it under the modest Christmas tree.
To say that his daughter was pleased with her present would be an
understatement. She loved it!
When Robert returned to work after the Holiday, he was summoned to the
office of his head of department. He wanted to talk to Bob about his poem. It
seemed that word had got out about his reading at the Christmas party. The Head
of Marketing was looking for a promotional tool and wondered if Robert would be
interested in having his poem published.
The following year, 1939, printed copies of the book were given to
every child who visited the department stores of Montgomery Ward and it
eventually became an international best seller, making Robert a rich man. His
wife had unfortunately died during this time, but he was able to move from the
small apartment and buy a big house. He was at last able to provide handsomely
for his growing daughter.
The story is not quite over. In 1947, songwriter Johnny Marks used the
theme of Robert’s poem for a song. He showed the song to a famous film star of
the day, Gene Autry, ‘The Singing Cowboy’. Autry recorded the song and it
became a world-wide number one hit. You may just remember it. The first line
goes....”Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer had a very shiny nose.....!”
