I was reading that book, This I Believe, which has excerpts from the thousands of stories they have collected since the 1950's. It is a wonderful collection of stories that show people's values.

One story was particularly suited to this season and I wanted to share the insight from it with you as you rush through the holidays. You might pause for a moment and reflect on where you are, who you are and what the season means to you. It is easy to get all caught up in the things that we do and it is so much fun to visit with friends and family.

As well, in the quiet moments when darkness arrives early, it might be a time to get out some paper and write down, as this person did, some words about the values that you hold during this time, if for no other reason than to remember them and in doing that, to honor them.

The story begins with the writer, Steve Banko saying that he was "moved by the magic of Christmas music since nuns in grammar school etched the words of carols into my brain."

Ten years after grammar school he found himself in a hospital at Christmas, his leg shattered in Vietnam. His body was full of shrapnel and his hands badly burned. It didn't feel like Christmas and he was in desperate need of magic as doctors struggled to save his leg.

His misery "was interrupted by a low moan coming from the next bed. All I could see was a white cast shaped like a body, cutouts for his eyes, nose, and mouth were the only breaks in the cast. The soft strains of 'Silent Night' were filling theair of the ward when the nurse made final rounds. When my nurse approached I asked her to push my bed closer to the man in the cast. I reached out and took my new friend's hand as the carol told us 'all is calm, all is bright.'"

"We spoke no words to eachother. None were needed. The carol revived the message of hope and the triumph of love for me. I felt a slight tightening on my hand and for the first time that Christmas I felt I would survive my ordeal and for the first time in a long time, I wanted to. I believe there is magic in Christmas and the music that celebrates it, because it brings us closer together and closer to our own hearts."