My Heart Hurt

My heart was touched as the day was drawing to a close. An 8-year-old boy came up to me, eager to speak with SC. I was introduced, and we started our small talk, which was anything but small. He shared his excitement about the man in the red suit, telling me he'd been waiting for this moment for quite a while.

His questions were adorable—he asked, "Is Rudolph real?"

"Does Mrs. Claus iron my suit?"

"How do reindeer fly?"

"How do you get down the chimney when there isn't one?"

I could go on, but you get the idea. His enthusiasm was contagious because it was obvious he was thrilled to have the chance to sit and chat with Santa himself.

When he left, he waved goodbye and wished me a Merry Christmas, and I responded with a cheerful wave and a Ho-Ho-Ho! I sat there in amazement, thinking to myself, I had just been beautifully and playfully questioned by an innocent 8-year-old. After a few moments, he came back with his mom, who asked if he could speak with me again, mentioning he’d forgotten to tell me something important.

I motioned for both of them to come closer. As he approached, I got off the chair, knelt down, and looked into his eyes. Then he explained, "Last night I saw you on TV. I was so excited to see you that my heart hurt in my chest... it did not go away until I saw you today."

I asked how he was feeling now that we had spoken, and his face lit up with pure joy as he said, "My heart feels good and happy!" "It's all good now!" I replied warmly, "I'm glad we could share that moment—now you can keep spreading that happy feeling with everyone you meet this Christmas!" He nodded, hugged me, and with his cheerful last words—“No more hurt-only good,”—he waved to say goodbye once again.

He might not have realized that he had stirred up a bit of emotion in my heart, but I knew it was all just "only good." God bless the children of the world, if only we could see the wonderful lessons they teach us every day.