"I am not alone at all, I thought.
I was never alone at all.
And that, of course, is the message of Christmas.
We are never alone.
Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest,
the world seemingly most indifferent.
For this is still the time God chooses."
Taylor Caldwell
Christmas in Korea 1951
I am not alone at all, I thought...
Not when the wind coldest,
There were five of us living in this tank...most of the time.
On Christmas day, we took front-line position...opposing the Chinese in what was called 'No Man's Land'...the buffer between enemy forces; looking at each other.
It was so cold, it was snowing and us? We were miserable and freezing...but...along came something designed to brighten the day. A jeep w/a trailer pulled along-side the tank and told us to pull over; for what? A speeding ticket?
Surprise, surprise!!! They were delivering a Christmas meal...I doubt we'd had breakfast...we had to get the tank in position before dark. Or...trouble ahead for us! Turkey, dressing...trimmings...a hot meal.
Thank you, Lord. Our last hot meal for weeks to come!
Some time later I received a package from my dad; his famous Fruit Bars...better believe they didn't last long! Wow...included in the package was a small carton of anchovies! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, DAD? (He really thought they were just small sardines! Guess what...the anchovies lasted a very long, long time!
I was never alone.
Christmas in Viet Nam 1966
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I was never alone, I thought
not when the night is darkest.
the world seemingly most indifferent.
Saigon port was a hustle-bustle place; fighting a war of supply and re-supply. And it was terribly hot...oh so hot. Wonderful things happened, even in Viet Nam...and we had a nice gift on Christmas Day. A small group of Americans (including me, of course) got a turkey from the U.S. Commissary; a French wife cooked it (okay, so...she had never ever seen, much less cooked a turkey). I thought it was a very small bird; she thought it was huge, didn't have a pot big enough to hold it. We celebrated the birth of Christ with candlelight, Christmas tree (w/no gifts) and turkey.
I was never alone...
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Christmas in Ethiopia 1970
I was never alone at all,
not even when the night is darkest.
Another hot Christmas...hotter than hot. Daytime temperatures were 120 degrees...nights were 98-100 degrees.
I lived in a house beside the Red Sea...barred windows...dark nights.
The nearest Americans lived 'straight up' in Asmara w/their families.
My family wasn't allowed to live in Massawa due to lack of schools, medical care, etc.
And it wasn't a safe place...dark times.
I could drive to Asmara on occasion until a member of my unit was murdered outside the city limits...after that I wasn't allowed to leave the city except by plane!
Vasca was granted permission to come for an extended visit...if you know Vasca, you know what a pleasure that was!
"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree:
the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other."
Burton Hillis
Vasca and I look forward to a wonderful occasion...the presence of all twenty-one members of a happy Beall family...wrapped in love.
We've arranged a special gift for our four sons/their wives and ten grandchildren plus one. (Alan and Leslie Ann married in October so we've expanded)
We're spending the afternoon and night together at Inn on the Lake; dinner w/an evening of loving fun and gifts...breakfast together followed by a special, family worship time.
I've spent Christmas far away from my family, my friends...everything that was and is a most important part of my life.
And yet?
"I was never alone, not at all. And that, of course,
is the message of Christmas.
We are never alone.
Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest,
the world seemingly most indifferent.
For this is still the time God chooses."
Never alone, not at all...Michael
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