click here to read chapter one
Eric smiled and under his breath said, "Boy, you are really bad at lying."
"What's going on?" inquired Father Jerry very softly.
Meanwhile, Mr. Decker slowly made his way to the front door. He opened the door and saw a tall gentleman with a black dress coat and top hat. "Yes, can I help you?" asked Mr. Decker.
"Are you Charles Decker?" the man asked.
"Yes."
"Well I have been hired to take you and your wife on a ride filled with Christmas cheer."
"What? I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't hire anyone. Is that a horse in my front yard?" exclaimed Mr. Decker. "Jerry come here. We have some kind of a situation here."
Eric quickly brushed past Father Jerry. "Mr. Decker this is a Christmas present for you. Do me a favor, I need you and Mrs. Decker to put on a hat, coat, and gloves and follow me outside. Trust me, you're going to like this."
The Deckers did as Eric asked and Mom and Father Jerry followed suit. As they walked out Mrs. Decker shrieked, "Oh my gosh is that a horse drawn carriage?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Decker your chariot awaits you," Eric said very dramatically.
"Eric what is this all about?" questioned Mr. Decker.
"Mr. Decker just get in and take your girl for a ride," said Eric with a smile. The Deckers climbed into the carriage and Mom ran and got the extra blankets and the picnic basket.
Mom smiled and handed the blankets to the Deckers, "Ok, you two better sit close and snuggle up in these blankets. Inside the basket is a bottle of champagne and some snacks. We want you to go enjoy yourselves and celebrate the magic of the season."
Mrs. Decker was giggling like a school girl as she pulled the blankets around both of them. Eric went up to the driver and said, "You've got the map right, Tony, you know where your going. Once you get passed these big evergreens you'll see the luminaries, just follow their path."
"Don't worry Eric, I got this. We'll be back in about 30-40 minutes," said Tony.
As the carriage pulled away Father Jerry was shaking his head in amazement. "I can't believe what the two of you just did. Where are they going?"
"Well you told me they could use some Christmas cheer and a change of scenery. They will be trotting across their own property except we've made it look amazing! Passed the evergreens we have placed a path of luminaries with lights everywhere. I'll show you later but right now we need to go ahead with part two of the plan. Come on I could use your help."
As Eric got part two underway, the Deckers rediscovered the beauty and love of Christmas. Shirley snuggled up close to Charles and smiled. Charles kissed her forehead and said, "Did you know anything about this?"
"No. I am as surprised as you are. But what a great idea." As the horse trot past the evergreens Shirley gasped, "Oh, my gosh it's beautiful!" There was a path of luminaries leading towards the back of their property. The trees were all glowing with strands of Christmas lights and the branches were decorated with over sized ornaments and sky lanterns were strung between trees. In one clearing there were four elegant shimmering white deer. Another area had an LED snowman with surrounding Christmas presents.
"How in the world did they do all this? This is astonishing!" declared Mr. Decker. As they neared the back of their property, the horse began to slow down as they traveled through a narrow path of trees. From these branches icicle lights hung down and a picnic table lit with flameless candle lanterns was nestled underneath.
Tony stopped the horse and said, "I have been instructed to stop here for a moment and suggest you might want to enjoy what they packed for you in the picnic basket."
Charles and Shirley stepped out of the carriage and enjoyed their moments of light-filled bliss as they sipped champagne and enjoyed some cheese and crackers. For the first time, in a long time, Charles forgot that cancer had taken one of his lungs away. Right now he was enjoying this magical moment with the woman he had fallen in love with so many years ago. When their glasses were empty they climbed back into the carriage. As they headed back towards the house the horse slowed down one more time. There in the clearing were probably fifty flameless votive candles in the shape of a heart and in the center were statues of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus in a manger. Artificial poinsettias were all around baby Jesus. It was breathtaking. Charles gave Shirley a gentle squeeze as he softly said, "Merry Christmas!"
As the carriage got closer to the house they heard singing. As they drew near, the Decker's were astonished to see and hear about sixty people singing in their front yard. Father Jerry came over and told Charles and Shirley to relax and enjoy some good old fashion Christmas caroling. As his friends and neighbors gathered to deliver the spirit of Christmas to the Decker household, Charles hoped no one saw him brush away a tear sliding down his face.
After the singing, everyone came inside to enjoy some hot chocolate and a multitude of Christmas cookies and treats. Charles enjoyed himself immensely. He had no idea this many people cared about him. It felt really good. After an hour or so of celebrating, people hugged and kissed the Deckers and wished them a Merry Christmas as they made their way back to their cars.
"Eric and Ann Marie, I don't know how I will ever be able to thank you for everything. This was an incredible night and completely unexpected. I have no idea how you could have done everything you did!"
"Well it was our pleasure Charles. Eric came up with the idea and everybody wanted to help. We know these last couple of months have been hard on you and we just wanted to let you know that we're here for you." Mom smiled and gave him a hug. "You know, you are actually a pretty popular guy."
"Hey Mr. Decker do you mind if I take Father Jerry for a walk and show him what we did?"
"You mean he hasn't seen it? Definitely go take him. Jerry you have got to see it. I wish I could go with you, but I am really getting tired. I need to sit down." As Eric went to grab his coat, Charles signaled for Jerry to come over. "You know since my surgery, I have asked God every day what I did to deserve this? Tonight I'm going to say the same thing, except it will mean something completely different."
Father Jerry gave his brother a big hug. "I think God inspired Eric to deliver an important message to you tonight. You are definitely loved and you are not alone in this fight. You have a lot of people who care about you. You're a lucky man."
"I know that now."
(to be continued)
