31 Days of Christmas – Day #5

The Main Event

Nine-year-old Rusty had never seen a circus, so when he heard one was coming to his mid-western town, he worked feverishly to earn enough money to get in.
Finally, the big day arrived. With ticket in hand, he rushed over to Main Street!
He carefully picked out a place along the curb and watched spellbound as the circus parade marched by.
The lions scared him, the elephants enthralled him, and the tumblers astounded him.
Then, adding to this enchantment, a silly clown with a sad face walked up to him and held out his baggy pockets as if bemoaning his poverty. Without a second thought, Rusty grinned and dropped his ticket in the pocket. The clown was gone.
All too soon, the rest of the parade passed by and Rusty ran all the way home. He yelled, “Daddy! Daddy! The circus was wonderful!” He went on to describe every detail of his exciting experience.
His father realized his son’s mistake, but wasn’t sure how to break the news. Gently, pulling his son close to him, he said, “Rusty, I’m sorry. You didn’t see the circus today, just the parade.” The boy insisted, “No, Daddy! I saw the circus!”
“Sorry, Rusty, you missed the main event. There’s much more to the circus than just the parade.”
“That’s okay, Dad. I gave my ticket to the man with the sad face so he could go. Maybe he’s smiling now.”
How often do we miss the splendor and delight of the season by focusing all of our attention toward Christmas day?
This Christmas season, open your heart and take pleasure in the small joys along the way.

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