The Christmas Prayer, Conclusion
Here is the conclusion of last week's story about a boy and his greyhound.
December came, and Steven and Beth tried so hard to make the holiday season happy for Opie, but nothing, it seemed, would bring the sparkle back into his eyes. Oh, Opie tried to be happy - he knew that his Mom and Dad were very worried about him, but he just couldn't pretend very well. On Christmas Eve, the family went to church as usual - Opie always had a part in the Christmas pageant. This year Jess Ethridge, the minister, tried to make everything extra special for Opie. He was given the part of the first wise man. Opie had a wonderful costume, and his wheelchair was even decorated to look like a camel! But everyone could tell that this was a very different little boy than they had seen last Christmas Eve. Opie's parents had been in touch with Dr. Roper. He explained to them that depression could be very serious to kids with muscular dystrophy. He urged them to try anything they could to raise his spirits; and try they did, but it seemed that nothing could help.
As they were leaving the church, Opie looked up at his Mom and Dad and said, "I prayed really, really hard tonight that God would bring Jo-Jo back to me, and I believe he will!" Of course, Steven and Beth were pleased that Opie had some brightness back in his eyes, but they were so afraid that this was an impossible task! Even for God. They even wondered if their big, black greyhound was still alive. They knew that Opie couldn't handle much more disappointment. But they tried to be reassuring, and told him they had prayed for Jo-Jo too.
The Harrison family returned to their home, gave Opie a snack, fixed milk and cookies for Santa, and tucked the little boy into bed. It just broke their hearts to see him. He slept with a picture of Jo-Jo clasped in his little hand and it was creased from nights and nights of being held tightly by a little boy who yearned for his Jo-Jo. This night was no different.
It was around 9 p.m. when Beth fixed herself and Steven some hot chocolate, and they prepared to get the toys placed around the Christmas tree for Christmas morning. The phone rang, and casually Beth answered it. As she listened to the voice on the other end, she grabbed Steven's arm tightly, as tears came into her eyes. Steven looked at her questioningly, and she mouthed - "its about Jo-Jo!" Steven ran to the kitchen to pick up the extension, so they could both listen. After a 30-minute conversation, they hung up and ran into each other's arms. Jo-Jo was coming home!
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