In Honor of Those Who Were Lost

I'm still in shock, as I'm sure most of you are, about the shootings that took place on Friday in CT. Those sweet little angels are being taken care of now, and the heroic teachers who helped save others will never be forgotten. 

I hope we don't take one day for granted, because we never know what will happen. I will be hugging each of my Kindergarteners a little tighter this week and laughing a little more with each of them too. Life is so precious, and we never know when it will end. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of all of those who were taken.

I'd like to share a poem I saw today:

twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38
when 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.
their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air.
they could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.
they were filled with such joy, they didn't know what to say.

they remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.
"where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.
"this is heaven." declared a small boy. 

"we're spending Christmas at God's house."
when what to their wondering eyes did appear,
but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.
then He opened His arms and He called them by name.
and in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring
those children all flew into the arms of their King
and as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,
one small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.
and as if He could read all the questions she had
He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad."
then He looked down on earth, the world far below
He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe
then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,
"Let My power and presence re-enter this land!"
"may this country be delivered from the hands of fools"
"I'm taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!"
then He and the children stood up without a sound.
"come now my children, let me show you around."
excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.
all displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.
and i heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,
"in the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."

Written by Cameo Smith, Mt. Wolf, PA

 In honor of all those that were lost I'd like to give you this Reindeer Craft freebie for you to make and enjoy with your kiddos this week.

I hope that you may find joy in your journey through life this holiday season and may we all remember the true reason for the season.

(UPDATE: I apologize, but due to some graphic images used I cannot offer this as a freebie. It is now posted in my TPT store for $1.00 if you are still interested. I also have other Christmas freebies in my store if you'd like to check those out. Sorry!)

Merry Christmas!

 -Melissa