Hey, It's smaltzy and swarmy and I know it's after the holidays but, I like
the meaning behind the message.
Elizabeth Thiers, OTR
email: [log in to unmask]
homepage: http://www.bv.net/~john/bethsot1.html
----------
> From: [log in to unmask]
> To: Chicken Soup - Text - Weekend <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Chicken Soup for the Soul: Home Delivery
> Date: Saturday, December 26, 1998 3:02 AM
>
> The following story is brought to you from Chicken Soup for
> the Kid's Soul. These books make great Holiday presents or
> stocking stuffers. Order online now or visit your local
> bookstore for the entire selection!
>
> The Little Girl who Dared to Wish
>
>
> As Amy Hagadorn rounded the corner across the hall from
> her classroom, she collided with a tall boy from the fifth
> grade running in the opposite direction.
> "Watch it, Squirt," the boy yelled, as he dodged around
> the little third grader. Then, with a smirk on his face,
> the boy took hold of his right leg and mimicked the way Amy
> limped when she walked.
> Amy closed her eyes for a moment.
> Ignore him, she told herself as she headed for her
> classroom.
> But at the end of the day, Amy was still thinking about
> the tall boy's mean teasing. It wasn't as if he were the
> only one. It seemed that ever since Amy started the third
> grade, someone teased her every single day. Kids teased her
> about her speech or her limping. Amy was tired of it.
> Sometimes, even in a classroom full of other students, the
> teasing made her feel all alone.
> Back home at the dinner table that evening Amy was
> quiet. Her mother knew that things were not going well at
> school. That's why Patti Hagadorn was happy to have some
> exciting news to share with her daughter.
> "There's a Christmas Wish Contest on the radio
> station," Amy's mom announced. "Write a letter to Santa and
> you might win a prize. I think someone at this table with
> blond curly hair should enter."
> Amy giggled. The contest sounded like fun. She
> started thinking about what she wanted most for Christmas.
> A smile took hold of Amy when the idea first came to
> her. Out came pencil and paper and Amy went to work on her
> letter. "Dear Santa Claus," she began.
> While Amy worked away at her best printing, the rest of
> the family tried to guess what she might ask from Santa.
> Amy's sister, Jamie, and Amy's mom both thought a 3-foot
> Barbie Doll would top Amy's wish list. Amy's dad guessed a
> picture book. But Amy wasn't ready to reveal her secret
> Christmas wish just then. Here is Amy's letter to Santa,
> just as she wrote it that night:
>
> Dear Santa Claus,
>
> My name is Amy. I am 9 years old. I have a problem at
> school. Can you help me, Santa? Kids laugh at me because of
> the way I walk and run and talk. I have cerebral palsy. I
> just want one day where no one laughs at me or makes fun of
> me.
>
> Love,
> Amy
>
> At radio station WJLT in Fort Wayne, Indiana, letters
> poured in for the Christmas Wish Contest. The workers had
> fun reading about all the different presents that boys and
> girls from across the city wanted for Christmas.
> When Amy's letter arrived at the radio station, manager
> Lee Tobin read it carefully. He knew cerebral palsy was a
> muscle disorder that might confuse the schoolmates of Amy
> who didn't understand her disability. He thought it would
> be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this
> special third grader and her unusual wish. Mr. Tobin called
> up the local newspaper.
> The next day, a picture of Amy and her letter to Santa
> made the front page of The News Sentinel. The story spread
> quickly. All across the country, newspapers and radio and
> television stations reported the story of the little girl in
> Fort Wayne, Indiana, who asked for such a simple, yet
> remarkable, Christmas gift-- just one day without teasing.
> Suddenly the postman was a regular at the Hagadorn
> house. Envelopes of all sizes addressed to Amy arrived daily
> from children and adults all across the nation. They came
> filled with holiday greetings and words of encouragement.
> During that unforgettable Christmas season, over two
> thousand people from all over the world sent Amy letters of
> friendship and support. Amy and her family read every
> single one. Some of the writers had disabilities; some had
> been teased as children. Each writer had a special message
> for Amy. Through the cards and letters from strangers, Amy
> glimpsed a world full of people who truly cared about each
> other. She realized that no amount or form of teasing could
> ever make her feel lonely again.
> Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak
> up. Others encouraged her to ignore teasing and to carry her
> head high. Lynn, a sixth grader from Texas, sent this
> message:
> "I would like to be your friend," she wrote, "and if
> you want to visit me, we could have fun. No one would make
> fun of us, cause, if they do, we will not even hear them."
> Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing
> at South Wayne Elementary School. Additionally, everyone at
> school got an added bonus. Teachers and students talked
> together about how bad teasing can make others feel.
> That year, the Fort Wayne mayor officially proclaimed
> December 21st as Amy Jo Hagadorn Day throughout the city.
> The mayor explained that by daring to make such a simple
> wish, Amy taught a universal lesson.
> "Everyone," said the mayor, "wants and deserves to be
> treated with respect, dignity and warmth."
>
> by Alan D. Shultz
> from Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul
> Copyright 1998 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty
> Hansen and Irene Dunlap
>
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>
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