She was a single mother, her husband sentenced to a lifetime in prison. She stood alone. 22 years old, A high school dropout, working 3 jobs to provide for her beautiful daughter, Elena. She had always wanted to be a teacher, but that was no longer an option.
Elena was no ordinary girl. She had been diagnosed with leukemia at the age of four, and went on the next three years, a fighter. She was sent to St .Jude’s Hospital in Tennessee. She had gone through eight sessions of chemo, and four bone marrow transplants. On the Christmas during her second year at the hospital, her mother received news that the cancer cells were gone. She was overjoyed. Unfortunately, only three months later, the cancer cells returned. This time, it was worse. The doctors tried everything in their power to save this little girl, but soon enough, all hope was lost.
It was Christmas Eve, and her mother received the news that Elena only had 6 weeks to live, at the most. Longer than the doctors had expected. Elena was hanging in there.
It was a cold night, the wind howling , sending shivers down her spine. She sat in the cold hard pews, in the small hospital chapel. She was alone. Praying for her daughter. She had been there for three hours. Hoping.
Later that night, a tall man walked into the chapel. He stopped when he reached the pew she was seated in.
“Mind if I sit here?” He asked, as he snuck a quick smile.
“Okay.” She muttered quietly and continued praying.
“You have a child here?” He sat stiff, with his hands in his pockets
“Yes. A daughter, Elena.”
“I take it there’s not much time?”
“That’s right, not that it’s any of your business.” She snapped and scooted further away.
“The man relaxed and took of his jacket. “You see, I lost my wife to this many years ago. It’s a terrible thing, really. I understand. Now, ill never experience the loss of a child, as she passed before we had children. But I understand loss…It will be okay, I promise.”
She looked up at him and shook her head. “No, it won’t be okay, nothing will ever be okay again. I can’t even afford to pay off her hospital bills and ---”
“Do you mind if I pray with you?”
“I'm sorry?”
“Id like to pray with you, if that’s all right, of course.”
She nodded her head slowly and the man moved next to her. He held her hands and began to pray.
“Lord, I pray that you will help her through this terrible time, help her with her grief. I hope yyou will help Elena Survive this and that—“
“Stop.” The woman said, and pulled away. He looked at her, puzzled.
“I'm not praying for her to survive. That would be selfish.”
“I don’t understand…”
“Asking for her to survive, would be so that I could have more time with her, so I could experience her company, but the longer she lives, the more pain she experiences. No child should have to go through that.”
The man smiled at her. “Then why spend all your money on the treatment?”
“Because every child deserves a chance to live a full life, and if the treatment was to work, she would live a happy life.”
“So why don’t you pray for God to heal her completely, so she can live that long and happy life.”

The woman smiled for the first time that night. “Because God doesn’t grant those sorts of wishes, if he did, there would be no pain, there wouldn’t be hope, there wouldn’t be suffering followed by joy. If he responded to all those kinds of prayers, no one would know to cherish the time that they have.”
The man revealed a smile, and stood up. “I have to go.”
“But where are you going?”
“I have some unfinished business to take care of, I’m sorry.” He nodded his head at her, and then quickly walked out of the room.”
That night, she spent lying in bed, with Elena in her arms. Crying, and praying for God to take care of her. The next morning, Christmas day, she woke to find that Elena had passed. She would never get to see another Christmas. Her mother would never hear that beautiful laugh again, or play tea party with her. She wouldn’t get to tell her stories about princesses, or of magical forests. Never again would she see her daughters smiling face, beautiful blue eyes. Her daughter was gone. Finally, her pain was gone; it had been lifted off of her daughter’s shoulders, and put onto hers.
A nurse walked in with a clipboard, giving her the procedure for moving out and paying the bills. But then all of a sudden, the nurse paused, with a surprised look on her face. “It seems like all of your bills have been paid. You’re free to go.”
“But I don’t understand, I never paid any of them.”
“Well someone must really care about you, they paid them all, and I think they left you this note.” The nurse handed her a crumpled envelope and left the room.
She sat down on the bed and opened the letter.
What you told me last night, was the most inspiring thing I had ever heard. You opened my eyes. I decided to return the favor by paying for Elena’s hospital bills. She really is beautiful. I wish you the best with the rest of your life, and enclosed is a little gift from me. I hope we meet again someday.







-Nicholas.
Inside the envelope was a check for 15,000 dollars, a receipt for 14 nights in a hotel, and a letter confirming an offer for a teaching job and an elementary school near by.”
“How did he know…” She whispered.
The nurse came back into the room and looked at the envelope in her hands. ‘
“Wow, I guess you can consider than a Christmas miracle “
“Yes. It really is, isn’t it?