The Angels of Christmas Cheer often looked
in on Joseph and watched over his shoulder.
Joseph never saw the angels, but in his kind
heart he knew they were there.
One very cold Christmas eve, during a
blizzard, Joseph heard a muffled noise at his
door. When he opened it, there, in a basket in
the freezing cold, lay a tiny brown puppy with
a pink nose. A bright red ribbon with a tiny
bell was tied around its neck, and it barely
looked old enough to be away from its
mother. Joseph peered out into the viciously
falling snow to see if he could spot anyone,
but the storm was so intense that it was
impossible to see. Quickly he gathered up the
pup, brought it inside and warmed it by the
fire. This tiny life came into his and his days
were never to be the same.
Joseph looked at the tiny creature and spoke
to him: "Where did you come from little
guy?" The puppy just looked at him with
huge sad and frightened eyes. Joseph's heart
was stolen. He scratched the pup behind the
ears and said: "I guess it doesn't matter
where you came from, you are safe now. I am
going to call you Jingles, for the tiny bell
around your neck. Do you like that?" The
puppy just looked up at Joseph, but slowly a
little brown tail began to wag. The tiny pink
nose sniffed the warm air of the cabin, and a
shy little paw came out from the basket.
When Joseph petted Jingles' head the puppy
licked his hand. It was love, and thanks to
Jingles, Joseph would not be lonely for a
long time again.
As the years passed, the old man and the dog
became inseparable. Jingles would sit by
Joseph as he tended his garden. He would
walk by Joseph's side through the woods and
into the little town for supplies. Jingles sat
with Joseph in the deep winters as Joseph
read his books aloud to the dog. Jingles did
not understand the words, but he knew it was
good to hear his master's low droning voice.
He would sleep at the foot of Joseph's bed,
and even fetch him his slippers in the
morning, and Joseph seldom thought of
being alone with much sadness anymore,
because the wagging of Jingles' tail always
brought him a smile. Time passed and
Jingles' grew into a big dog with brown fur,
deep and soulful brown eyes, floppy large
ears and a pink nose. Joseph thought his dog
was the most beautiful and loyal dog in the
world, and Jingles was. God granted these
two happy years together.
So the days passed in perfect harmony and
peace until on a Christmas eve, several years
later, Jingles worriedly looked up at his sick
master laying in a bed coughing. The night
was very cold and Jingles knew he needed to
keep the master warm, but he did not know
how to start the fire. Every time Joseph
coughed Jingles was alert. He did not know
what to do, and his concern had caused him
to completely forget he had not eaten a meal
all day.
Late in the night Joseph stopped coughing.
Joseph never moved again. Several days went
by but Jingles never left his master's side.
When they were finally found both Jingles
and Joseph were in a better place.
Many who hear this tale cry at the loyalty of
an old man and his dog, and at the unfairness
of life, but few know that both Joseph and
Jingles were granted a Christmas gift.
Joseph and Jingles are united once again,
forever in Christmas Cheer, where they will
never get older, never get sick, and never die.
This is so because it was planned long ago,
on that very same night the little angels
brought Jingles to Joseph on that one snowy
night long ago...
They now live here with the Christmas Cheer
angels. Somewhere in between the Heavens
and the earth...
Moral: "sometimes sad things have to happen
before true happiness can come."
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