SKUNK IS A CHRISTMAS BLESSING
Christmas was drawing closer that cold November day
When Story's ten marvelous puppies were born.
Story tended each pup carefully,
cleaning her babies,
and using her tongue to encourage each pup
to take its first breath.
November 5th was a long, exhausting day.
But when Story had all of her puppies lined up
in an orderly fashion,
Story whispered to them:
"You are loved;
You were born to be a blessing.
A Christmas gift.
And a special person will know more about love
Because of you."
Story's puppies took this mandate seriously.
Thinking about it was exhausting,
So they rested under their heat lamp.
How were they supposed to be a blessing?
Such deep thinking made them hungry,
And they needed a snack.
Story's pups grew bigger
But they still couldn't walk.
Slithering on their bellies,
They collapsed in a heap
Amidst the evidence of Christmas approaching.
Each day, Story watched her puppies,
Nursed them and cleaned up after them,
And continued to whisper to them:
"You are loved;
You were born to be a blessing.
A Christmas gift.
And a special person will know more about love
Because of you."
Two weeks passed.
Story's puppies began to open their eyes
And set out to make names for themselves.
It was at this point that Skunk began to feel
He was at a distinct disadvantage.
Some aspects of life seem unfair.
It was embarrassing enough to have a faint white stripe on his back,
And now Skunk had an incredibly unfortunate name.
Skunk watched as his brothers and sisters
Set out to fulfill the words that had been whispered over them.
Ivy tried to learn to play ball in order to delight a special person.
Paddington and Cupid shared secrets and advice with one another to better themselves.
Gingerbread was a star, and she seemed to always glow with cleanliness and kindness.
Percy, Comet, Holly, and Blitzen grew more and more in the art of snuggling people.
While poor Skunk felt inferior.
He didn't shine, he couldn't play ball, and no one ever seemed to pick him at snuggle time.
His mother might have said he was a blessing and a gift,
but Skunk didn't see it.
All the other puppies seemed better than he was.
He wanted to cry.
And he wanted to escape.
He decided to try to climb out the door of the whelping box,
But his plans were crushed.
Skunk fell down in defeat.
But Skunk did not realize that he was being watched from above.
And although he was sad,
as he fell asleep, his mother's song rang in his ears.
"You are loved;
You were born to be a blessing.
A Christmas gift.
And a special person will know more about love
Because of you."
As the puppies grew,
People began to come,
To see if one of the marvelous puppies
Would be their Christmas blessing.
Skunk made a valiant effort at making an impression
On puppy-searching-people,
But somehow his efforts were considered a nuisance,
And he was always seen as being underfoot.
Until one day, when a new man arrived.
This new man played new games.
"You like to be rough-and-tumble, don't you, Skunk?
You like to wrestle!
I think you are just the pup I've always needed."
Skunk became a Christmas blessing,
Just has his mother had always known he would.
Because God designs us,
and He knows that in Christ,
we are each a blessing.
We are a each gift.
So that a special person will know more about love
Because of the one life we each live.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
"Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
This is how God showed His love among us:
He sent His one and only Son into the world
That we might live through Him."
-1 John 4:7-9
