Children's Stories

It was an especially cold winter. The sky was gray each day and the nights were darker than anyone could remember. 

Children shivered inside thin coats; their white puffs of breath floating in the dreary outdoors.

The cows needed extra coaxing to leave the stalls each morning, and their moos were muffled by low dark clouds.

Frosty fields with dim brown grass stretched for miles, waiting for spring; and the sheep stayed as near to their shepherd as possible, in fear of getting lost on the glum winter days.

Even the stars in the sky were gloomier than usual. So gloomy, in fact, they decided to spark things up a bit and play a trick on the biggest star, Ed.

Ed was always good for a little teasing. He was bigger than the rest of them, and he didn’t quite fit in. 

He was not part of a constellation. 

He wasn’t as swift as the other skittering stars. 

He didn’t twinkle just right. 

Ed was just a big old clunky star.

The swift stars with the best twinkles decided hide-and-seek tag would be a good distraction from the humdrum winter days. After all, they could out-shoot Ed, trailing across the sky. 

They darted and shifted, hiding behind charcoal gray clouds. “Hey Ed, over here!” The others shouted. And he did try to catch them, but they were too fast.

“Ed, you’re so slow!” The other stars laughed at him.

And he wasn’t good at hiding. There was no place that would completely cover him, not even the biggest nighttime clouds provided a large enough shield.

It made Ed sad.

And he started to wonder about himself. ‘Why am I so slow? Why do the clouds not cover me?’

He felt like a big flop! 

He wished he could sparkle and twinkle and skitter – and shoot across the sky like his smaller neighbors. Instead, he just sat there and glowed. Like a big oaf.

Which was no fun at all. Nobody liked a droopy star, least of all Ed. So, he decided he must find something he could do well.

Several things came to mind.

He could become a planet. Like the moon maybe? 

No …  He thought, there’s already a moon.

He could learn to dance!

Except dancing shoes did not come in his size.

He tried to get in line with some constellations. 

But he messed up the rows and the constellations shook their heads – telling him he did not fit. 

Maybe he could become a gymnast! 

A grand idea!

So, he cartwheeled through the sky and went rolling and rolling and rolling. 

Carting and wheeling until he came to a stop.

Ed was verrryyy dizzy.

Once his head stopped spinning, he noticed he had cartwheeled far across the sky, and he was no longer near the other stars. 

The sky was dark, except for him. The fields below were more golden than before and there was enough light to see shepherds walking, their sheep trailing behind them. 

The shepherds traveled over hills, across small, pebbled streams, and past groves of bare trees. 

And from time to time they stopped, looking up, gesturing with small hands. 

Could it be - were they looking at him?

The closer they got to the small town, the lighter the ground became.

There ahead of the shepherds was a small stone shelter that was much brighter than the rest of the village. 

It was like a spotlight was shining in one place.

In the circle of light; Ed saw people, some sheep and a donkey. They gathered around smiling at something in the center of the shelter.

Ed looked closely. He saw a tiny baby wrapped in a blanket, a mom and a dad - and angels! He heard music floating through the night air, it looked like they were celebrating. 

Ed had cartwheeled himself right into a party!

Again, the shepherds looked into the sky and pointed. Were they talking about him?

“I wonder…” said Ed. “Are they noticing I am nothing special? I don’t belong to any constellation, and I do not fit in at all. I’m probably not invited to their party.”

He hung sadly in the sky.

Just then, something happened that made him forget about being sad. 

He heard a still small voice: 

“You are special. You shine the brightest for all to see.”

Ed looked around. He was still the only star in the sky.

“You found something you could do well.” The voice whispered.

Ed wondered. What was he doing well?

The voice continued, 

“You are the star of Bethlehem. 

Your light makes it possible for people to journey in darkness. 

Your light glows on a baby King. My Son, Emmanuel.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You.”

Ed beamed. Of course. He could see perfectly the scene below because his glow was illuminating the happy event. The shepherds bowing, the cows lowing, and the donkeys perking their ears warmed his heart. 

But the best part was the sweet baby. Emmanuel.  A name he’d never heard before. He called into the night. 

“Emmanuel? What does it mean?”

“God is with you.” Came the response. 

“Me too?” wondered Ed. 

“You too. When you’re lonely, sad, upset or even happy - or when you feel like you don’t fit in, God is with you. He loves you.”

It was a lot to take in, this voice telling Ed - he was a good star, even when he'd felt he didn't fit in.

“No matter what?” asked Ed.

“No matter what."

"And Ed? … Your name means ‘witness’. You are a guide and a witness to something magnificent.”

Could it be? Him? A witness to something magnificent? 

That would mean he was not a big flop! He was the biggest star! His big bright glow meant everyone could journey to the baby. 

The baby whose name reminded people God was with them.

He was not a sparkler or a twinkler – he did not skitter. He glowed. Over a beautiful, magnificent event. 

The birth of the child, Emmanuel! 

Ed smiled. He had found his purpose. 

And to this day, when people see the biggest star, they remember that night long ago. When a star bigger than all the other stars lit the sky above the birth of the baby King, Emmanuel. 

Reminding everyone, God is with us always. 

All of us. Including Ed. Including you. No matter what.

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God is with us.

Matthew 1:23

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Matthew 2:9-11

Leonard is a boy who likes all kinds of socks.

It may have started when he was a baby, and he wore learning-to-walk socks.

Or when he was a bit older and he wore hop, skip, and jump socks. 

He just likes socks!

He likes thin socks and wide socks. 

And upside down, tie-dyed socks.

He has red socks, brown socks, polka dot and clown socks.

And then there are missing socks, one of a kind. Lost-and-hope-to-find socks.

(He doesn’t like to lose a sock – but sometimes it is just lost).

He wears knee socks, ski socks,

And his famous hanging-from-a-tree socks.

He just likes socks!

His mom likes socks that are clean, but not ones that are dirty,

She wears socks that are green, ruffled, and flirty.

Leonard has socks for school and socks for play,

And special socks for his Birthday.

His soccer socks have shin guard masks –

They help him when he stops a pass.

Sometimes he goes for striped and crazy socks,

On weekends it’s stretched out and lazy socks.

His dad wears socks to go to town,

With argyle shapes in gray and brown.

His Grandma has bunched up silly socks,

and fuzzy warm for when the day is chilly socks.

She wears stocking socks, walking socks and in-the-chair and rocking socks.

Leonard likes left socks and right socks and riding on your bike socks.

He has socks in the laundry.

Socks in the drawer.

Socks on the chair.

Socks on the floor. (They must be picked up, of course).

I guess you could say Leonard is a sock expert. 

He has:

Socks to run in.

Socks to skate.

Lonely socks that can’t find a mate.

Socks rolled up and socks rolled down.

But the most important socks…

MISSING SOCKS … finally found!

Yay! says Leonard – putting on the pair.

I was just wondering what socks to wear.

Yes, Leonard is fortunate, it’s easy to see,

But does he need so many socks, really? Does he?

I mean, he only has two feet. How many pairs can you wear? 

One at a time – maybe two in cold air?

Leonard makes a decision; he’ll need a big box,

A box that will fit all kinds of socks.

He fills the box with so many good pairs – and stares. 

He didn’t wear all of them – just the pairs he could use, 

For soccer and climbing and his favorites in twos -

He’ll give them away – of this he is sure, 

But one thing’s for certain – he’ll let grandma keep hers!

So off to the store of slightly used clothes.

Maybe his socks will find happy new homes.

The lady reviews them, “these look practically new.”

Leonard nods, “These are the best ones and socks I outgrew.”

She thanks him and smiles - Leonard walks to the door.

“There’s more where those came from. Yes, definitely more!”

And it seems in that moment, though not spoken aloud.

Leonard seems happily, joyfully, proud.

Because he didn’t just think it or dream it to be.

He’d taken some action and done some giving, 

Leonard had plenty, it was easy to see –

And sharing his socks made him amazingly, cheerfully – VERY happy!

Then wouldn’t you know, he started to see – 

His socks everywhere that socks possibly could be:

On little kids and big kids.

On puppies and cats - and curiously tied to his old neighbor’s hat. 

He was giddy and pleased and somewhat amused –

And happy to see his socks put to good use.

But to tell you the complete and actual truth - 

He was not sure how they’d made it onto grandma’s pet moose!