THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL

One of my objectives when I started this Blog, was to share with my. family, friends and people who stumble across the Blog the things that have had a great impact on my life.  One of these things is a little short story.  The story is simple, but it never fails to bring tears to my eyes and to stimulate  me to do something. 

You may want to take a few minutes to read the story... http://www.online-literature.com/hans_christian_andersen/981/

A simple synopsis.......On a cold New Year’s Eve, a poor girl tries to sell matches in the street. She is freezing badly, but she is afraid to go home because her father will beat her for not selling any matches. She takes shelter in a nook and lights the matches to warm herself. In their glow, she sees several lovely visions including a Christmas tree and a holiday feast. The girl looks skyward, sees a shooting star, and remembers her deceased grandmother saying that such a falling star means someone died and is going into Heaven. As she lights her next match, she sees a vision of her grandmother, the only person to have treated her with love and kindness. She strikes one match after another to keep the vision of her grandmother nearby for as long as she can. The child dies and her grandmother carries her soul to Heaven. The next morning, passers-by find the dead child in the nook.


The cold of the season makes me think of all the children in our world who do not have the warmth that each of us enjoy.  In our family we have had people who have looked from outside. We have members that treasure the meaning of this story.   There are those who have experienced some parts of the story first hand. What do we do and what do we understand?

  Reading this simple story helps us evaluate our own humanity.

LOVE



LOVE