Re: Merry Christmas
Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2018 12:22 am
As usual, I find some threads just too late to be on time.
Belated Christmas Greetings ...
witch's and generous11's posts both touched me .... so I thought I'd tell a Christmas Story.
The 5 Coins of Christmas
Once upon a time in a country far far away there was a young man who was returning to the city where he worked after spending a wonderful Christmas with his family. Sitting alone in a covered waggon¹ of a waggon train, he was waiting for the driver to flick the reins and get going. In his pocket a wooden medallion², to pay for the horse drawn carriage to get him to his room and bed in his new city about an hour away from where the covered waggon would drop him off.
"Is this seat taken?", a stranger said, indicating the seat next to him.
"No, help yourself!" he replied.
Silence between the two. Then the journey of three hours began and about twenty minutes later the stranger asked the young man if he would like to go for a coffee one waggon back.
"Thank you, no." responded the young man.
"Ohhhhhhh I see it now!", said the stranger, "You're broke after the Christmas holidays with your family and going back to work now aren't you?"
"Ummm yea, but it's OK, I had a great time."
"OK! Here take this and come, you can buy me that coffee." As the stranger handed over 5 coins³. While not a princely sum back then is certainly wasn't something to sneeze at. It equalled about half a day's wage for the young man who was just starting out in life.
After ordering the two coffees, costing almost half of 1 of the 5 coins the young man asked the stranger how he could possible pay him back the 5 coins.
"Well," he started, "I was broke one day and a man gave me 5 coins and told me that I had to pay it back by giving it to someone else in need." continuing he told the young man, "You to will pay that 5 coins back many, many times over in your life."
And he was right, the young man grew, paying back 5 coins here and there, then 10 coins here and there and even 15 coins or more until it included any kind of help he could possibly give. And for every recipient of "the 5 Coins of Christmas" they received the same request, to pay back the coins to someone else in need and tell them to pay it back in the same way.
One such paying back of the The 5 Coins of Christmas came one summers day while the young man was driving his own covered wagon home after visiting his sister, in the back, his wife and son of 6 months. It would be a two "long" days of driving. A few hours after starting out there was a man beside the path trying to get someone to stop⁴. His wife said "Stop and see what he wants."
Stopping, the poor man was begging a ride, he was going maybe another three hours farther than where the young family's trip would end. 'Hop in' he was told.
And they listened to his story. About three days earlier he left another covered waggon to use the 'facilities' at a Home Station⁵ and when he was finished he saw the back end of the waggon he had been on far off in the distance. In that waggon was his saddle bag, he had slipped his coin purse into it for comfort, everything he had - GONE! He had not eaten in the three days since then, just begging rides. The man glanced at his wife, sitting behind the stranger. She was making a signal of "food - eat". A stop was made and the stranger told to come and eat. He was more interested in borrowing a bar of soap and a towel as he need to clean up. When he came out all cleaned up there was a hot meal waiting for him. Grateful, he was eating and asked how he could possibly pay us back, just eat he was told that he'd be told in the waggon once the trip started again.
While in the waggon that morning the stranger was told about the 5 Coins of Christmas and asked that he repay those by helping others. Of course he agreed and the man and his wife both though that he would, he was that type of person.
The man pushed the waggon team into the dark of night until he saw a village ahead. A bed in a youth centre was acquired for the traveller and he was given 20 gold coins and told to eat an evening meal and in the morning to have an early breakfast and be ready to travel at sunup.
Next morning the family woke early, had breakfast and off they went looking for the traveller and there he was sitting of the steps waiting. He was sure that he would be picked up and grateful for us coming.
"Good morning, Did you sleep well? Did you have a good supper and breakfast?", he was asked.
"No! I'm sorry but there as a young mother in there and her baby was hungry. She had no money, so I went to the general store and bought baby food and stuff for her to eat." What a guy, one meal in three days, and he spends the money given to him to eat on a mother and baby in need.
"Mighty kind of you," he was told "but there is bad news. The horses need feeding so everyone may as well have breakfast as well." What he hadn't been told is that the horses had indeed been fed, the stop was for him. Extra food supplies were bought to keep in the waggon as it was decided that with one long day and the family’s destination could be reached.
About an hour before the end of the family's destination there was another Home Station, and the traveller rented a pigeon⁶ to message his brother and soon enough received a reply. Brother would be there within 4-5 hours. The traveller was given 50 gold coins and told to eat a proper meal and drink a lot of coffee.
With fare thee wells all said, the family continued home leaving the traveller in a safe place and with a full belly.
And that's the 45 year old story of the "5 Coins of Christmas" of a young man that grew to become LostKnight.
Now in truth it wasn't about "Coins of Christmas" but is was about the "5 coins", and it did happen 45 years ago, and quite possibly to the day, as I had to be back at work on the 30th of Dec. They really didn't like giving holidays that covered both Christmas and New Years.
To the young traveller, wherever you are, I hope you've had a good 45 years.
__________________________
¹ - train
² - subway token
³ - $5.00
⁴ - hitchikking
⁵ - a highway gas station
⁶ - long distance phone call
Belated Christmas Greetings ...
witch's and generous11's posts both touched me .... so I thought I'd tell a Christmas Story.
The 5 Coins of Christmas
Once upon a time in a country far far away there was a young man who was returning to the city where he worked after spending a wonderful Christmas with his family. Sitting alone in a covered waggon¹ of a waggon train, he was waiting for the driver to flick the reins and get going. In his pocket a wooden medallion², to pay for the horse drawn carriage to get him to his room and bed in his new city about an hour away from where the covered waggon would drop him off.
"Is this seat taken?", a stranger said, indicating the seat next to him.
"No, help yourself!" he replied.
Silence between the two. Then the journey of three hours began and about twenty minutes later the stranger asked the young man if he would like to go for a coffee one waggon back.
"Thank you, no." responded the young man.
"Ohhhhhhh I see it now!", said the stranger, "You're broke after the Christmas holidays with your family and going back to work now aren't you?"
"Ummm yea, but it's OK, I had a great time."
"OK! Here take this and come, you can buy me that coffee." As the stranger handed over 5 coins³. While not a princely sum back then is certainly wasn't something to sneeze at. It equalled about half a day's wage for the young man who was just starting out in life.
After ordering the two coffees, costing almost half of 1 of the 5 coins the young man asked the stranger how he could possible pay him back the 5 coins.
"Well," he started, "I was broke one day and a man gave me 5 coins and told me that I had to pay it back by giving it to someone else in need." continuing he told the young man, "You to will pay that 5 coins back many, many times over in your life."
And he was right, the young man grew, paying back 5 coins here and there, then 10 coins here and there and even 15 coins or more until it included any kind of help he could possibly give. And for every recipient of "the 5 Coins of Christmas" they received the same request, to pay back the coins to someone else in need and tell them to pay it back in the same way.
One such paying back of the The 5 Coins of Christmas came one summers day while the young man was driving his own covered wagon home after visiting his sister, in the back, his wife and son of 6 months. It would be a two "long" days of driving. A few hours after starting out there was a man beside the path trying to get someone to stop⁴. His wife said "Stop and see what he wants."
Stopping, the poor man was begging a ride, he was going maybe another three hours farther than where the young family's trip would end. 'Hop in' he was told.
And they listened to his story. About three days earlier he left another covered waggon to use the 'facilities' at a Home Station⁵ and when he was finished he saw the back end of the waggon he had been on far off in the distance. In that waggon was his saddle bag, he had slipped his coin purse into it for comfort, everything he had - GONE! He had not eaten in the three days since then, just begging rides. The man glanced at his wife, sitting behind the stranger. She was making a signal of "food - eat". A stop was made and the stranger told to come and eat. He was more interested in borrowing a bar of soap and a towel as he need to clean up. When he came out all cleaned up there was a hot meal waiting for him. Grateful, he was eating and asked how he could possibly pay us back, just eat he was told that he'd be told in the waggon once the trip started again.
While in the waggon that morning the stranger was told about the 5 Coins of Christmas and asked that he repay those by helping others. Of course he agreed and the man and his wife both though that he would, he was that type of person.
The man pushed the waggon team into the dark of night until he saw a village ahead. A bed in a youth centre was acquired for the traveller and he was given 20 gold coins and told to eat an evening meal and in the morning to have an early breakfast and be ready to travel at sunup.
Next morning the family woke early, had breakfast and off they went looking for the traveller and there he was sitting of the steps waiting. He was sure that he would be picked up and grateful for us coming.
"Good morning, Did you sleep well? Did you have a good supper and breakfast?", he was asked.
"No! I'm sorry but there as a young mother in there and her baby was hungry. She had no money, so I went to the general store and bought baby food and stuff for her to eat." What a guy, one meal in three days, and he spends the money given to him to eat on a mother and baby in need.
"Mighty kind of you," he was told "but there is bad news. The horses need feeding so everyone may as well have breakfast as well." What he hadn't been told is that the horses had indeed been fed, the stop was for him. Extra food supplies were bought to keep in the waggon as it was decided that with one long day and the family’s destination could be reached.
About an hour before the end of the family's destination there was another Home Station, and the traveller rented a pigeon⁶ to message his brother and soon enough received a reply. Brother would be there within 4-5 hours. The traveller was given 50 gold coins and told to eat a proper meal and drink a lot of coffee.
With fare thee wells all said, the family continued home leaving the traveller in a safe place and with a full belly.
And that's the 45 year old story of the "5 Coins of Christmas" of a young man that grew to become LostKnight.
Now in truth it wasn't about "Coins of Christmas" but is was about the "5 coins", and it did happen 45 years ago, and quite possibly to the day, as I had to be back at work on the 30th of Dec. They really didn't like giving holidays that covered both Christmas and New Years.
To the young traveller, wherever you are, I hope you've had a good 45 years.
__________________________
¹ - train
² - subway token
³ - $5.00
⁴ - hitchikking
⁵ - a highway gas station
⁶ - long distance phone call
