Pearl Buck told the story about a fifteen-year-old boy named Rob, a young man who was a big help on his family's farm. Farm work started early in the morning, with Rob and his father out in the barn milking the cows at 5 a.m. Rob enjoyed working alongside his father, but he wasn't thrilled about getting up so early.
Early one morning, he overheard his parents talking outside his bedroom. His father was hesitant to wake-up Rob for the morning's chores. He wanted his son to get some sleep. He wished out loud that he could do all the milking himself.
As Rob listened to his parent's conversation, he understood clearly that his father loved him. Suddenly, Rob wanted more than anything to show his father that he loved him, too.
Christmas was only a few days away, so Rob had some time to think. He couldn't afford to buy his parents something fancy. But he did have a great idea of something that would make his father happy: he would go out early and milk the cows all by himself, before his father even woke up.
So, on Christmas morning, Rob got up at 4:00 AM. He slipped out to the barn and milked all the cows and then made it back to bed before his father could suspect anything.
Soon, his father came into his room and woke him up for the morning work. Then he went on ahead as Rob got dressed. In a few minutes, Rob's father came back. He was laughing and crying at the same time. He was so touched by his son's gift that he didn't know what to say. As he hugged his son, he promised that he would never forget this gift.
This Christmas let’s look around for someone who needs a special something and then do something for that person! May God bless you as we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child.