It was the night before Christmas,
As good a day as any to die.
I had been out drinking with friends,
And yes, I was drunk, I will not lie.

I took the curve going too fast,
And drifted off onto the shoulder.
I hit a tree at sixty five,
That’s when my car began to smolder.

I watched the scene in disbelief,
Then I noticed I wasn’t alone.
Beside me stood a being of light,
When he’d gotten there remained unknown.

He told me I must follow him,
Said he knew I was afraid to leave.
But I had denied God all my life,
He has to know that I don’t believe.

The angel smiled and took my hand,
And began leading me toward a light.
It just opened in front of us,
Like a hole was torn into the night.

A moment after I entered,
I began hearing voices screaming.
I realized this must be Hell,
Somehow I knew I wasn’t dreaming.

Then I felt water hit my face,
And there was a deck beneath my feet.
The crew was running frantically,
Claiming it was too late to retreat.

A man ran down into the hold
Saying, before we are forsaken,
We must alert Him to our plight,
And so the teacher must awaken.

The storm had gained intensity,
When the teacher emerged from the hold.
He looked up and said, “Calm thyself,”
In a tone both confident and bold.

And then the storm clouds receded,
To reveal a beautiful blue sky.
Then the crew knelt down and thanked Him,
And said they had feared that they might die.

They spoke in a foreign language,
Yet their dialect, I understood.
I listened as He rebuked them,
Saying your lack of faith isn’t good.

I felt a bit uncomfortable,
And more than a little out of place.
Then someone noticed my presence,
Claiming not to recognize my face.

But the teacher said he knew me,
He embraced me and called me by name.
Dream or not, my life changed right then,
It would never again be the same.

For the next few months I followed Him,
Witnessed miracles and heard Him preach.
I listen to each word He spoke,
And learned each lesson he had to teach.

Then He told us He must depart,
To Jerusalem we must now go.
I took him aside and said:
They will crucify you there, you know.

He told me that’s how it must be,
As he explained, it became clear,
Without His selfless sacrifice,
I doubt that I would be standing here.

And so it happened as He said,
And I watched as He was crucified.
He looked at me and said, “Its done.”
Then all went black the moment He died.

When consciousness returned to me,
I was being taken from my car.
They were shocked I was still alive,
Said I was born under a lucky star.

Then I looked across the highway,
And I saw what no one else could see.
It was Him standing all aglow,
And I saw him smiling back at me.

I heard His voice inside my head,
He told me, “Don’t forget my love.
Remember all that you have seen,
You may wish, one day, to write thereof.”

And then I saw Him disappear,
As I was placed upon the gurney.
And there is where my story ends,
At the beginning of my journey.

I return here every Christmas,
And I place flowers beneath that tree.
A thank you for the Christmas gift,
And the sacrifice He made for me.

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Copyright©2017-1999 by Rebecca R. Hammack

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