Marissa whispered, “Oh, Daddy.” She was bursting with so much happiness that she couldn’t say anything more. And then she felt someone pat the top of her head. She looked up and there he was-her friend who wore the funny hat and who was not quite an angel, and he was smiling at her.
“Good-bye, Marissa,” he said, and then he was gone.
In a daze, Marissa climbed the stairs to her room, closed the door, pulled over her chair, and stood on her tiptoes to retrieve the presents she had pushed away. But when she pulled the boxes down, something fell from the shelf and landed at her feet.
She sank to the floor and stared at the tiny Christmas ornament that she had never seen before. It was an angel dressed just like her friend.
“You’ve got the same funny hat,” she whispered as she picked it up and kissed it. Holding it to her cheek, she looked out the window and up at the sky.
“You told me you weren’t quite an angel,” she said softly. “But I know that you are. Thank you for keeping your promise to help me. I love you.”
When Sterling entered the celestial conference room of the Heavenly Council and saw the approving looks on the faces of the saints, he knew he had completed his task to their satisfaction.
“I say, that was most touching,” the admiral said with uncharacteristic tenderness.
“Did you see that child’s face?” The nun sighed. “It shone with as perfect happiness as is possible on earth.”
“I couldn’t help staying until I saw Marissa in her father’s arms,” Sterling explained to the council. “Then I went back to Nor’s Place with them. What a wonderful birthday party it was. As you know, the word that they’d returned flashed all over town, and everyone came in to welcome them home.”
“I had tears in my eyes when Billy sang the song he wrote for Marissa,” the queen observed.
“Talk about a sure-fire hit,” the matador declared.
“As you know, he’ll be recording it and the other songs he wrote while he was away,” Sterling said. “It was a very painful year for him, but he used it well.”
“As did you,” the shepherd said quietly.
“Yes indeed. Absolutely,” they all murmured, nodding.
“You not only found someone to help and used your head to work out a solution to her problem, but you also used your heart,” the Native American saint said, clearly proud of Sterling.
“And you saved Charlie Santoli from the destructive life he was leading,” the nun added.
There was a pause.
Then the monk stood up. “ Sterling, the celebration of the birth of our Savior is about to begin. It is the judgment of the council that you have earned not only a visit to heaven, but your permanent place there. It is time for us to lead you through the gates.” He turned toward the door.
“Wait a minute,” Sterling said. “I have something to ask you.”
The monk stared at him. “What could you possibly have to ask at this moment?”
“I am so grateful to all of you. As you know, I long to be in heaven. But I so enjoyed this experience that, by your leave, I would like to return to earth every Christmas and find someone who needs help. I never knew how good it could feel to really make a difference in other people’s lives.”
“Making other people happy is one of the great joys of the human condition,” the monk told him. “You have learned your lesson even better than we realized. And now, come along.”
As they approached, the heavenly gates opened wide before them, revealing a light brighter than a thousand suns, brighter than anything that Sterling had ever been able to imagine. A profound inner peace permeated his being. He was going toward the light; he was part of the light. The Heavenly Council stepped aside, and slowly and reverently he continued to walk forward. He was aware that there was one large group of people who were gathered together.
He felt a hand touch his. “ Sterling, let me walk with you.”
It was Annie.
“The other newcomers are just ahead of you,” she whispered. “They all came together. Their lives ended tragically, and although they themselves have found eternal joy, they are deeply concerned for the loved ones they left behind. But they will find their own ways to send help and comfort to them.”
Annie paused. “Oh listen, the celebration is beginning.”
Music filled the air, rose toward a crescendo. With the angels and saints and all the other souls in heaven, Sterling lifted his voice in song as they continued walking toward the light.
“Glory to the newborn King…”
