sjaakie
12-12-2006, 03:51 AM
Source Mickey News.
This I read this morning and did me realyse that this was wat Walt would bring to us all. Joy and compassion.
When our boys were little, my wife and I wanted to get away for the Christmas holidays, so we decided on Disney World.
What on Earth were we thinking? Waiting for hours to ride Dumbo didn't make my bells jingle, but we had fun as we waved at Mickey and Minnie on the Christmas float and enjoyed breakfast with Goofy.
Before you could say "Ho ho ho," we were on our last day of vacation, monorail-zipping to the Magic Kingdom. We had time for one final park. I consulted my map to decide which section we'd hit first. Our sons were sitting on the monorail floor, playing with a boy of about 6 who belonged to the couple sitting opposite us.
"Monsieur, our avez-vous trouve la carte?"
"Excuse me?" I knew little French. The boy's father asked again about the map, this time in broken English.
"Vere deed you geet zee map?"
I told him he could find one easily inside the park. He nodded appreciatively.
"Is this your first time to Disney World?" I asked, to fill the silence on the way to Mickey's Main Street.
"Oh, yes. We - my son - ees with zee Make-A-Wish Foundation."
Disney World. Isn't it the place where every child's wish can come true? Can't little girls become princesses and little boys actually pull the sword out of the stone?
I am traveling to the Magic Kingdom with my wife and two healthy children, conversing with a man whose son might be dying. A little boy playing Power Rangers with my son may not be around to celebrate next Christmas.
When the monorail came to a halt, I handed the man my map and squeezed his shoulder. We parted ways, my grip on my sons' hands much firmer than before.
Looking back on that day, I am mindful of how coincidental life can be. With the Magic Kingdom hosting thousands, my family seemed to run into the French family at every turn.
We stood in line together for ice cream.
We passed each other at "It's a Small World," and the irony wasn't lost on me.
Even while our kids waited to ride Dumbo for the millionth time, I caught myself looking at the little French boy - in awe.
His father approached me once again and asked, "Umm ?Captain Hook ?ees he in zee park?"
I told him I didn't know, and he said, "My son - would like to see Captain Hook."
I turned to see a Disney "cast member" sweeping the street. I asked him if he knew if Captain Hook was available. He gave a friendly but rehearsed explanation about the characters coming into the park on different days.
Then I lost it. My throat tightened. I leaned over to the young employee and said, "There's a little boy over there who is with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He wants to see Captain Hook.
In one clean sweep the "cast member" renewed my faith in humankind. He walked over to a tree ... a tree! ... and opened it. Inside this tree was a phone. He dialed a number, spoke into the phone, hung up and closed the tree.
Pointing ahead, he smiled and said, "Captain Hook will be at that entrance in 15 minutes."
What happened then was nothing short of a miracle. It wasn't that a street sweeper had opened a tree and talked into a phone.
It wasn't that Captain Hook had actually appeared.
It was the look on a little French boy's face when he saw his favorite character coming toward him.
This child with an uncertain future became the miracle. Even today, I think I understand a little of what the Wise Men must have wondered when they left the miracle of Bethlehem.
This I read this morning and did me realyse that this was wat Walt would bring to us all. Joy and compassion.
When our boys were little, my wife and I wanted to get away for the Christmas holidays, so we decided on Disney World.
What on Earth were we thinking? Waiting for hours to ride Dumbo didn't make my bells jingle, but we had fun as we waved at Mickey and Minnie on the Christmas float and enjoyed breakfast with Goofy.
Before you could say "Ho ho ho," we were on our last day of vacation, monorail-zipping to the Magic Kingdom. We had time for one final park. I consulted my map to decide which section we'd hit first. Our sons were sitting on the monorail floor, playing with a boy of about 6 who belonged to the couple sitting opposite us.
"Monsieur, our avez-vous trouve la carte?"
"Excuse me?" I knew little French. The boy's father asked again about the map, this time in broken English.
"Vere deed you geet zee map?"
I told him he could find one easily inside the park. He nodded appreciatively.
"Is this your first time to Disney World?" I asked, to fill the silence on the way to Mickey's Main Street.
"Oh, yes. We - my son - ees with zee Make-A-Wish Foundation."
Disney World. Isn't it the place where every child's wish can come true? Can't little girls become princesses and little boys actually pull the sword out of the stone?
I am traveling to the Magic Kingdom with my wife and two healthy children, conversing with a man whose son might be dying. A little boy playing Power Rangers with my son may not be around to celebrate next Christmas.
When the monorail came to a halt, I handed the man my map and squeezed his shoulder. We parted ways, my grip on my sons' hands much firmer than before.
Looking back on that day, I am mindful of how coincidental life can be. With the Magic Kingdom hosting thousands, my family seemed to run into the French family at every turn.
We stood in line together for ice cream.
We passed each other at "It's a Small World," and the irony wasn't lost on me.
Even while our kids waited to ride Dumbo for the millionth time, I caught myself looking at the little French boy - in awe.
His father approached me once again and asked, "Umm ?Captain Hook ?ees he in zee park?"
I told him I didn't know, and he said, "My son - would like to see Captain Hook."
I turned to see a Disney "cast member" sweeping the street. I asked him if he knew if Captain Hook was available. He gave a friendly but rehearsed explanation about the characters coming into the park on different days.
Then I lost it. My throat tightened. I leaned over to the young employee and said, "There's a little boy over there who is with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He wants to see Captain Hook.
In one clean sweep the "cast member" renewed my faith in humankind. He walked over to a tree ... a tree! ... and opened it. Inside this tree was a phone. He dialed a number, spoke into the phone, hung up and closed the tree.
Pointing ahead, he smiled and said, "Captain Hook will be at that entrance in 15 minutes."
What happened then was nothing short of a miracle. It wasn't that a street sweeper had opened a tree and talked into a phone.
It wasn't that Captain Hook had actually appeared.
It was the look on a little French boy's face when he saw his favorite character coming toward him.
This child with an uncertain future became the miracle. Even today, I think I understand a little of what the Wise Men must have wondered when they left the miracle of Bethlehem.