I want to share a very real Christmas miracle story that happened to me on Christmas of 2005. I’m hoping that you can share this to show peoplw to never give up on God. I have to begin my story in the spring of 2005 when I was diagnosed with a severe mitral valve regurgitation. I was told by the head thoracic surgeon at the Univ. of PA that I could die any day. My heart was that bad! My life at the time was very difficult. No different than anyone else struggling to make ends meet with four children. My wife and I lost our van due to extreme financial difficulties, and we were left with no option than to purchase a much smaller car. I am mentioning the car because it plays a role in this story. That Christmas of 2005 was going to be very difficult for the family. I had four little boys, and we took in a girl with an infant child who had no place to live. Money was extremely tight, sales were down at work, and we didn’t have much to give the boys that year for Christmas. Well, it was a couple days before Christmas, and we still hadn’t gotten the boys to get their pictures taken with Santa at the Quakerbridge Mall. I called earlier that week, and was told that Santa will be done at 9 pm that coming Sunday, and Christmas was on that coming Tuesday. So, on that Sunday, I came home from work after working all day, and it was a really bad day at work as sales were down. That night we were supposed to take the boys to see Santa. When I got home the boys weren’t dressed, and no one had eaten dinner yet. My wife always worked long hours at work, and she hardly ever slept. Sleeping 4 hours a night would have been a lot for her. She was always completely exhausted. So after I saw that nothing was done, I just was so angry, and so stressed that nothing was done yet, and we had only a few hours to get to the mall before Santa left. You see, we had only one small car, and I had 8 people to get to the mall. That meant multiple trips to get everyone there. I was fighting the clock, everyone was hungry and no one was dressed. Inside I was frustrated, angry, tired, and this heart problem was really taking a tremendous toll on me because I still hadn’t gotten my surgery yet. I can’t tell you how many times when I was alone how I use to just cry knowing death was right at my door. So… as we were sitting there eating, I am watching the clock as the night was ticking by. My oldest son Alfons, who was six years old at the time was diagnosed with autism, and he was just the cutest thing. As we were sitting there eating, he asked me in the kindest and innocent of ways, “when are we were going to go see Santa?” After feeling so frustrated with the whole situation I did the one thing I should have never done. I exploded and told him “we are not going to go see Santa because no one is ready!” After hearing myself say that, I got up, went to the bathroom and I just broke down. I was crying uncontrollably, as I begged God to please help me. I felt my whole life coming apart at the seams, and I had no one else to go to. Emotionally I felt like I was in a very dark place in my life, and I didn’t know how to get out. After getting myself together which took about 10 minutes, I came out of the bathroom, and told my wife to get the kids ready because we are going to the mall to get their pictures taken. I knew getting everyone there in two trips was going to take a long time, and we were fighting the clock. After the kids were all dressed, I knew I had to take my wife, and a couple of the kids, then come back and pick up our friend, her baby and 2 more kids. It just felt like this was going to take forever, and I just wasn’t up for it on this night. So as I am putting Aaron, my youngest in his car seat in the car I broke down yet again, and this time I said “God, please help me, please help me!” I can’t emphasize enough how this night just made me feel that I was in such dark place and so alone. As I was strapping Aaron in, I heard a running engine stop behind me in the street. I turned around, and there was a big, bright red pickup truck with a man dressed as Santa, and his wife dressed as Mrs. Claus. He stopped in the middle of the street, as my back was to him. I didn’t know what to make of it. He started waving to me, and asked me how I was. Fighting back the tears, I said to him, “I am having such a bad day.” I explained to him how we were taking the kids to see Santa at the mall. I asked him if he could help me, and come inside the house to take a few pictures with the kids. I also mentioned how it was going to take multiple trips to get everyone there. He looked at me, smiled, and said “yes.” So as I am taking the pictures of the kids, I hear my wife and his wife talking as they are standing behind me. His wife said, “we were at the top of your street”, now keep in mind it’s pitch black out, they were at the top of West McGalliard and Maddock Ave, and my house is at the very end of the block which is like ten houses away. So…as she is talking to my wife she says that her husband stopped the car at the top of the street, and told her “I have to go say hello to a man down there!” When I heard that, something happened inside to me. I knew then and there that God really did hear me. He really heard me!! As little as my problem was in the grand scheme of things, he knew to me it felt like the end of the world. I can’t say it enough how dark everything felt that day, but God really heard me. I wanted to share this story with you hoping that people never forget that there is a God that really does see, and hear everything going on in our lives. And never stop hoping, never give up, and always keep faith in God because he does care! He does listen to everyone! Attached to this story are pictures of the boys still dressed in their coats, but most important to know that on that Sunday night two days before Christmas of 2005, God heard me, and came to my house. I hope my story is a testament to many that God does listen, and he really does care.