Three years ago, a little boy & his grandmother came to see Santa at the
Mayfair Mall in Wisconsin . The child climbed up on his lap, holding a
picture of a little girl.

"Who is this?" asked Santa, smiling. "Your friend? Your sister?"
"Yes, Santa," he replied. "My sister, Sarah, who is very sick," he said
sadly.

Santa glanced over at the grandmother who was waiting nearby, &saw her
dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "She wanted to come with me to see you, oh,
so very much, Santa!" the child exclaimed.

"She misses you," he added softly.

Santa tried to be cheerful & encouraged a smile to the boy's face, asking
him what he wanted Santa to bring him for Christmas. When they finished
their visit, the Grandmother came over to help the child off his lap, &
started to say something to Santa, but halted.

"What is it?" Santa asked warmly.

"Well, I know it's really too much to ask you, Santa, but ." the old woman
began, shooing her grandson over to one of Santa's elves to collect the
little gift which Santa gave all his young visitors.

"The girl in the photograph... my granddaughter well, you see .. she has
leukemia & isn't expected to make it even through the holidays," she said
through tear-filled eyes. "Is there any way, Santa . any possible way that
you could come see Sarah? "That's all she's asked for, for Christmas, is to
see Santa."

Santa blinked & swallowed hard & told the woman to leave information with
his elves as to where Sarah was, & he would see what he could do. Santa
thought of little else the rest of that afternoon. He knew what he had to
do.

"What if it were MY chi ld lying in that hospital bed, dying," he thought
with a sinking heart, "this is the least I can do."

When Santa finished visiting with all the boys & girls that evening, he
retrieved from his helper the name of the hospital where Sarah was staying.
He asked the assistant location manager how to get to Children's Hospital.

"Why?" Rick asked, with a puzzled look on his face.

Santa relayed to him the conversation with Sarah's grandmother earlier that
day.

"C'mon.... I'll take you there," Rick said softly.

Rick drove them to the hospital & came inside with Santa. They found out
which room Sarah was in. A pale Rick said he would wait out in the hall.

Santa quietly peeked into the room through the half-closed door & saw little
Sarah on the bed. The room was full of what appeared to be her family; there
was the Grandmother & the girl's brother he had met earlier that day. A
woman whom he guessed was Sarah's mother stood by the bed, gently pushing
Sarah's thin hair off her forehead.

And another woman who he discovered later was Sarah's aunt, sat in a chair
near the bed with weary, sad look on her face. They were talking quietly, &
Santa could sense the warmth & closeness of the family, & their love &
concern for Sarah.

Taking a deep breath, & forcing a smile on his face, Santa entered the room,
bellowing a hearty, "Ho, ho, ho!" "Santa!" shrieked little Sarah weakly, as
she tried to escape her bed to run to him, IV tubes in tact.

Santa rushed to her side & gave her a warm hug. A child the tender age of
his own son -- 9 years old -- gazed up at him with wonder & excitement. Her
skin was pale & her short tresses bore telltale bald patches from the
effects of chemotherapy. But all he saw when he looked at her was a pair of
huge, blue eyes. His heart melted, & he had to force himself to choke back
tears.

Though his eyes were riveted upon Sarah's face, he could hear the gasps &
quiet sobbing of the women in the room. As he & Sarah began talking, the
family crept quietly to the bedside one by one, squeezing Santa's shoulder
or his hand gratefully, whispering "thank you" as they gazed sincerely at
him with shining eyes.

Santa & Sarah talked & talked, & she told him excitedly all the toys she
wanted for Christmas, assuring him she'd been a very good girl that year.

As their time together dwindled, Santa felt led in his spirit to pray for
Sarah, & asked for permission from the girl's mother.

She nodded in agreement & the entire family circled around Sarah's bed,
holding hands. Santa looked intensely at Sarah &asked her if she believed in
angels.

"Oh, yes, Santa... I do!" she exclaimed.

"Well, I'm going to ask that angels watch over you, "he said. Laying one
hand on the child's head, Santa closed his eyes & prayed. He asked that God
touch little Sarah, & heal her body from this disease.

He asked that angels minister to her, watch & keep her. And when he finished
praying, still with eyes closed, he started singing softly, "Silent Night,
Holy Night.... all is calm, all is bright."

The family joined in, still holding hands, smiling at Sarah, & crying tears
of hope, tears of joy for this moment, as Sarah beamed at them all.

When the song ended, Santa sat on the side of the bed again & held Sarah's
frail, small hands in his own.

"Now, Sarah, "he said authoritatively, "you have a job to do, & that is to
concentrate on getting well. I want you to have fun playing with your
friends this summer, & I expect to see you at my house at Mayfair Mall this
time next year!"

He knew it was risky proclaiming that, to this little girl who had terminal
cancer, but he "had" to. He had to give her the greatest gift he could --
not dolls or games or toys -- but the gift of HOPE.

"Yes, Santa! "Sarah exclaimed, her eyes bright. He leaned down & kissed her
on the forehead & left the room.

Out in the hall, the minute Santa's eyes met Rick's, a look passed between
them & they wept unashamedly.

Sarah's mother & grandmother slipped out of the room quickly & rushed to
Santa's side to thank him.

"My only child is the same age as Sarah," he explained quietly. "This is the
least I could do."

They nodded with understanding & hugged him.

One year later, Santa Mark was again back on the set in Milwaukee for his
six-week, seasonal job which he so loves to do. Several weeks went by & then
one day a child came up to sit on his lap.

"Hi, Santa! Remember me?!"


"Of course, I do," Santa proclaimed (as he always does), smiling down at
her.
After all, the secret to being a "good" Santa is to always make each child
feel as if they are the "only" child in the world at that moment.

"You came to see me in the hospital last year!" Santa's jaw dropped.

Tears immediately sprang in his eyes, & he grabbed this little miracle &
held her to his chest. "Sarah!" he exclaimed. He scarcely recognized her,
for her hair was long & silky & her cheeks were rosy -- much different from
the little girl he had visited just a year before. He looked over & saw
Sarah's mother & grandmother in the sidelines smiling & waving & wiping
their eyes.

That was the best Christmas ever for Santa Claus. He had witnessed --& been
blessed to be instrumental in bringing about -- this miracle of hope. This
precious little child was healed. Cancer-free. Alive & well. He silently
looked up to Heaven &>humbly whispered, "Thank you, Father. 'Tis a very,
Merry Christmas!

If you believe in miracles, you will pass this on...I did