A Christmas story

Once upon a  time…

… there was a little boy named Henry. Just a few weeks before Christmas, his parents had asked him to write a wish list. But somehow, he found it hard to put one together this year. Last year, he had known exactly what should be on it:  Lego, puzzles, the latest volume of his favorite book series… But this year, it felt as if he could go through all these toy catalogues without ever getting excited about something at all. In general, he was not really in a Christmas mood. Finally, he sat in front of his desk and took a sheet of paper. But then, his hands seemed to start writing this letter all by themselves:

Dear Santa,

Today, I am sending you my wish list, although I think that such gifts cannot really be delivered for Christmas.

I want friends! I don’t need a whole lot of them; just one or two, that would do. But I want friends who will stay with me and who believe that I am important.

I would also like to have peace. I wish I didn’t have to be so excited and crazy all the time. I wish this weird feeling in my stomach would stop…and all these thoughts that are making so much noise in my head!

I want peace and safety. There’s so much chaos, everything is constantly changing. It’s making me worried. I want to be able to brace myself to what is coming!

All the best and sincerely yours
Henry

He put the wish list into an envelope and gave it to his dad, so he would bring it to the post office.  When he went to bed that evening, he felt good. Writing this wish list had lightened his heart. And even the way his parents looked at him when they came to say ‘good night’ seemed warmer and filled with more love.

A few days went by, and Henry came home from school. His mother was busy in the kitchen. She briefly kissed him on his brow, and she casually said: “You’ve got some mail, Henry! Take your time; I’m still busy in the kitchen for a while.”

A letter? For him? Amazed, he picked up the letter with his address on it and went to his room. He curiously opened the letter and read:

Dear Henry,

I thank you so much for your letter. It really touched me deeply, because when I read it, I noticed that it came from your heart. I will make my best effort to give you some answers:

You say that you want friends who will stay. From this I know that before you had friends who did not stay with you. Henry, people are different. There are those who – like you – look for deep and lasting friendship, and there are people who need lots of friends. You can learn from all of them. Be happy about the children that walk with you for a while. Don’t be sad, when they move on. Be a friend to yourself, and for others, be the friend you are looking for. Most often, the most valuable people come into our lives when we least expect it. You do not have to be important for others to be important. You are important just by the fact that you are you.

You want peace. Henry, this peace is already here. It is deep within you. You just have to find it. Certainly, you felt this peace when you wrote this wish list. When turmoil becomes overwhelming, talk about or write about it. Then everything falls into place, everything becomes clearer. And if you can’t find peace within, take a break!

You want safety and order. These gifts, too, I do not need to put under the Christmas tree, because you have them already. Life sometimes seems threatening, confusing, unstable and chaotic. Often, this is reality. But you must find safety and order within. The world is what you make of it. Rest assured: Everything will be alright. Some things change. Some remain the same. You are loved, you are never alone and you are protected. You are safe.
You’re a great kid, too!

With all my heart

XXX

Henry put the letter aside and started thinking. Then he cried. He read the letter again. Finally, he blew his nose and went to his mum in the kitchen. Without a word, he allowed her to hug him. And he felt: Order and safety. Peace entered his heart. It felt so right.

Finally, Christmas Eve came. Time dragged along like a turtle. But after all, the moment had arrived for storming into the living room. There were several gifts for the boy under the Christmas tree, three of them in golden shiny giftwrap. Very curiously, he unpacked the first gift:

It was a mirror. A framed mirror. “Hero with the Super Heart Force” was written across the frame in thick letters. On a small little note, attached to the mirror, Henry read: “Never forget how valuable you are!”  The second package was square-shaped. A diary was revealed from the paper. And a message was attached to it, too: “If your thoughts get too loud, write them down. You will see: It will calm their noise if you put them on paper.”

After that, only one gift left was left, wrapped in gold and glitter. It was small and seemed misshapen. Curiously, Henry pulled the ribbon. Quickly, he realized what it was: A key fob. But when he looked closer, Henry noticed that it could be opened. His dad explained: “This is an amulet.” Its inside hid a photo Henry knew: It was taken last summer. Dad, mum, his sister Joanna and he himself happily smiled into the camera. As the other gifts, this one came with instructions, too. Henry read: “No matter what happens outside, never forget that there is a place of order and safety you always carry with you: Your family!”

And although the boy was highly pleased with the DVD, the new wrist watch and the cinema voucher, what made this year’s Christmas so special were the three presents in the shiny golden gift wrap.

Merry Christmas to all of you heroes out there with the Super Heart Force! You are never alone, you are all great and exactly the kind of people the world needs today!

Very cordially
Petra Neumann

The English E-book „Henry and his Super Heart Force“ is available on Amazon worldwide.