color: SOME SOLDIER'S MOM: 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Saturday, December 24, 2005

'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.
I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.
I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS, NOT EVEN A TREE.
NO STOCKING BY MANTLE, JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.
WITH MEDALS AND BADGES, AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT CAME THROUGH MY MIND.
FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT, IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER, ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.
THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING, SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.
THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE, THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.
WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED?
I REALIZED THE FAMILIES THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.
SOON ROUND THE WORLD, THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.
THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS, LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.
I COULDN'T HELP WONDER HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.
THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES AND STARTED TO CRY.
THE SOLDIER AWAKENED AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY, THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;
I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD, MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."
THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT, I CONTINUED TO WEEP.
I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS, SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.
I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR SO WILLING TO FIGHT.
THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER, WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA, IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."
ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."


Merry Christmas to all Our Guys... hurry home!
And Merry Christmas to all of you!!
Peace on Earth, Good Will towards Men.
Thinking of you J, G, E, H, J, and N!

7 Comments:

At 12/24/2005 6:06 AM , Blogger barb pfister said...

Please God keep them safe as they fight to keep us free.

Merry christmas
Barb

 
At 12/24/2005 8:30 AM , Blogger Crazy Politico said...

Merry Christmas SSM!

 
At 12/24/2005 9:48 AM , Blogger Melinda said...

They have been playing this as a dramatic reading on a radio station I listen to that plays all Christmas music this time of year...makes me bawl EVERY time!

Thinking of you and the guys this day.

Merry Christmas

 
At 12/24/2005 2:24 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I ran onto your site from Doc in the Box; and so glad I did! I have someone "over there" and it's good to know that I'm not the only one here with the same fears and thoughts. I loved your advise to people on deployment; it rang so true with me, and is making me stop typing right now and write a letter to our boy Stefan. Best wishes for a full recovery for your son. - Michelle

 
At 12/24/2005 6:30 PM , Blogger Call Me Grandma said...

A very Merry Christmas is being sent your way and May God bless you and yours with a blessed and Happy New Year.

 
At 12/24/2005 9:34 PM , Blogger Stacy said...

Merry Christmas to you and your family. Our day has been just sonderful. We arrived at Camp Shelby around 0930 this morning, and finally got to see him shortly after noon. What a wonderful Christmas Present he was for me.

 
At 12/05/2006 11:12 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Praise God that there men and women willing to give the lives so that we can have the freedom to celebrate Christmas.

God Bless us, our troops, and our country!

nick

 

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