Aah! 7 a.m. Christmas morning!

A morning like none other . . . One can't help feeling with/for those many who must be in less favorable circumstances, of whatever kind, this Christmas morn. Yet we know that Heaven's blessings rest on all. "Share the Gospel!" must head the list of 2011 resolutions.

Never having had an allegiance to the Catholic church, I still believe that a church gathering on Christmas eve/morning would be the most beautiful tribute to our Father in Heaven and to His glorious Son, Jesus Christ. Each year one stops to reminisce--and I find myself inevitably marveling in gratitude at my Austrian Christmas experience in 1969. Barbara Pekar, an intelligent young intending-engineer, and I had been corresponding for some years; she had visited us in Scotland and I was excited when I learned I would be working in her home city. Upon arrival I was bowled over by the Pekar family's kindness: when I was ill they tended me constantly, and Barbara often came by to keep me company. There was such love in their home, a tiny apartment with fold-out beds and scant water facilities. You could tell that the Pekar family cherished each other.*

I was thrilled to be invited to share the Pekar family's special time of celebration--as was traditional, on Christmas Eve night. The Spirit of Christ shone through our humble proceedings there. From the dimness of the interior of the apartment, not long before the hour of midnight, the family first lit tall candles in the window--and we looked up and down the street to find candles in each family's window, all joining in commemoration of men lost in battle. Then the Pekars lit the simple, white wax candles on their tree of natural splendor, and soon we were bathed in their soft, warm light, and in love.

What a special and unforgettable moment this was! The few presents were opened. Somehow my bottle of expensive liquor, though received with expressed gratitude, seemed out of place.

I am grateful for the Pekars and for the opportunity to feel deeply of the true Spirit of Christmas that night so long ago.

*Only a short time later, Barbara became ill with an undiagnosable problem. After I had returned home, I received a sad intimation of her passing.