Rachel Barkley
Age: 11
Uhrichsville, OH
Mary sighed. All she had ever wanted for Christmas previous years had been a horse. But now she had pushed wanting a horse to the back of her mind. Mary’s mother was horribly sick. She’d been sick for a very long time.
Every night, Mary prayed that her mother would get better. Mary never lost hope. She never thought that her mother wouldn’t get better. She just kept hoping and praying.
The night before Christmas, the Christmas Angel heard Mary praying her mother to get better. The Christmas Angel thought about it. “Well that’s a very unselfish wish,” she declared. “I will grant Mary’s wish.” With a snap of her fingers, the Christmas Angel thought hard. There must be something Mary wants for Christmas, she thought. Since Mary’s mom had always been sick, Christmas was just like any other day to Mary’s family. The Christmas Angel wanted Mary to experience Christmas.
The next morning Mary went into her mother’s bedroom to sit by her side. Mary’s mother was sitting up in bed, reading. She smiled at Mary.
“I feel much better, she declared. “Why don’t we go downstairs for breakfast?”
Mary was so shocked at her mother’s amazing recovery, that she couldn’t say a word. Once they were downstairs Mary sat down at the table. But something made her look out the window. There stood her dad holding a horse.
“Thank you!” she cried to her mom and ran outside.
