Nerd's Words | A Short Story Collection

Meaning

   Zach looked at the tree one last time. Tomorrow morning, it would be buried under a pile of presents left behind by some other homeless shelter volunteer. He wondered if he would receive anything as a little surprise. Not that he really cared about Christmas. Ever since he had found out that Santa wasn't real, there wasn't anything really special about the holiday. So, what was the point?

An old lady sat down in front of the tree and put her hands together. Zach watched her curiously. The lady had always stayed cooped up in her room throughout the year, so why did she come out tonight? And what was she doing? Praying? Was she a Buddhist or something?

After a minute or so, the lady stood up and turned to Zach. There were tears in her eyes, but she still found the strength to genuinely smile. Zach was so confused. What made her so happy that she cried? From his point of view, it had appeared that her eyes were closed, so what could she have been thinking about?

The old lady spoke. "Young man, why are you not happy? Don't you know what tomorrow is?"

Zach answered "Yes ma'am. Tomorrow's Christmas, right?"

"Tomorrow is the birthday of Jesus Christ. Do you know who that is young man?"

Zach's mind was absolutely blank. Jesus? Who the heck was that? "No ma'am, I don't know who that is."

The lady began talking about all that Jesus has done in the world, and all of the things He's promised to do in the future. Zach was mesmerized. He had never heard of such a person. This Jesus person healed people with just a mere touch of his fingers? It seemed impossible, but something inside told him that what the lady said was true. If only he could learn more about this magical man.

The next day, Zach arrived earlier than usual, eager to help the homeless enjoy their holiday. The tree, just like last year, was practically buried in presents of all shapes and sizes.

Zach began handing out gifts to their recipients. When the old lady, from the night before, walked up to the tree, Zach immediately dropped everything to assist her. Handing the lady her gift, he was surprised to find another box in his hands. He looked at the lady, who just smiled at him as she walked to a table with some of her companions.

Unwrapping his present revealed what was possibly the greatest gift Zach had ever received in his life. In his box lay the New International Version of the Holy Bible, and a fresh copy no less. Had his dream been fulfilled within hours of his original wish? It was truly a miracle.

Zach was suddenly overcome with happiness and joy. He spent the rest of Christmas jumping around the shelter in joy, helping everyone with much more enthusiasm than ever before. He couldn't wait to go home and read his new Bible, and learn about all the miracles Jesus made. It was as if the old lady had finally given the holiday meaning for Zach.