This is a repeat of a post I did in December 2012. It moves me so much during this time that I felt it was needed again. Merry Christmas everyone!
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Although today’s post is a bit longer than my previous ones, I couldn’t excerpt parts of this without destroying the meaning of the story. Please bear with me and read the whole story. This story is a song by Trans-Siberian Orchestra and every time I hear it, I get a bit teary-eyed. Reading the lyrics below will hit you hard but try to listen to the song and get the full effect of it and understand why one can get a bit teary-eyed and understand that miracles do happen and that we all have goodness in our hearts. ~ GM Universe
OLD CITY BAR
In an old city bar, that is never too far
From the places that gather, the dreams that have been
In the safety of night with its old neon light
It beckons to strangers and they always come in
And the snow it was falling; the neon was calling
The music was low, and the night Christmas Eve
And here was the danger, that even with strangers
Inside of this night it’s easier to believe
Then the door opened wide and a child came inside
That no one in the bar had seen there before
And he asked did we know that outside in the snow
That someone was lost standing outside our door
Then the bartender gazed through the smoke and the haze
Through the window and ice to a corner streetlight
Where standing alone, by a broken pay phone
Was a girl the child said could no longer get home
And the snow it was falling, the neon was calling
The bartender turned and said, not that I care
But how would you know this?
The child said I’ve noticed, if one could be home, they’d be all ready there
Then the bartender came out from behind the bar, and in all of his life he was never that far
And he did something else that he thought no one saw when he took all the cash from the register draw
Then he followed the child to the girl cross the street and we watched from the bar as they started to speak
Then he called for a cab and he said J.F.K., put the girl in the cab and the cab drove away
And we saw in his hand that the cash was all gone from the light that she had wished upon
If you want to arrange it this world you can change it
If we could somehow make this Christmas thing last
By helping a neighbor or even a stranger
And to know who needs help you need only just ask
Then he looked for the child but the child wasn’t there
Just the wind and the snow waltzing dreams through the air
So he walked back inside, somehow different I think
For the rest of the night no one paid for a drink
And the cynics will say that some neighborhood kid
Wandered in on some bums in the world where they hid
But they weren’t there so they couldn’t see
By an old neon star on that night, Christmas Eve
When the snow it was falling the neon was calling
And in case you should wonder, in case you should care
Why we’re on our own
Never went home
On that night of all nights
We were already there. ” (‘Old City Bar’ lyrics, Trans-Siberian Orchestra)
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“Here are a few suggestions for special gifts: a firm handshake to a shaky soul, a kind word to a lonely person, a warm smile to the disheartened, a sincere concern for someone troubled, a feeling of compassion for the neglected, a comforting thought for the bereaved, a respect for the dignity of others, a defense of the rights of individuals, a word of witness to help a seeking soul, a Merry Christmas to all.” (Source Unknown)
Catalyst Quotes 