CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Matthew stood on the grass in front of the old mobile home. The porch was falling apart, boards rotted and broken. The overhang that once provided shade for the family in the heat of the summer was torn, shredded by the wind.

“Well, this is awful,” frowned Grip.

“It is son. But we’re going to make it less awful.”

“How do we do that?” asked Jonathon.

“You both have special abilities at this time of year,” said Matthew. “Abilities that will help us give this family something they desperately need. Pride. We’re going to replace this front porch, leave the children some much-needed items, and their parents a little helping hand.”

“Won’t they hear us, Matthew?” asked Grip.

“No, son. They won’t hear us,” smiled the older man. “I cannot explain the gifts given to me and this night, to both of you. I don’t understand it all myself, but I know that this family deserves the help we are about to give them.”

“Why this family?” asked Jonathon.

“They’ve been dealt bad luck time and time again. Married faithfully for almost twenty-five years, he served his country for nearly ten years and then came home to raise their children together. Their oldest daughter died from a rare bone cancer. The mother lost her job while caring for her. The father took on a second job to pay the bills but even that didn’t help. Then, the twin teenagers got jobs, hoping to help their parents.”

“They sound like a wonderful family,” said Grip.

“They are the best. They attend church every week, praying not for themselves but for others around them. Yesterday, while the teenagers, Clark and Clara, were serving food to the homeless, they noticed two people without coats and gave them their own. They weren’t even good coats. They were tattered and torn but better than what the homeless couple had.”

“Remarkable,” said Jonathon.

“Indeed,” nodded Matthew. “We need them in our community.”

“What do we do?” asked Grip. Matthew touched the shoulders of both men, smiling at them. The twinkle in those whiskey-colored eyes made the men smile, nodding at him. It seemed only moments later, they were standing on the road looking at their handy work.

“It looks amazing,” grinned Jonathon. “That porch is beautiful now with the chairs and rug. Two huge baskets of food, boxes of holiday gifts, it’s just magical.”

“Don’t forget the new roof,” said Grip. “I’ll never understand the magic of being able to replace a roof in this amount of time, with no sound at all, but I trust you, Matthew.”

“The world is full of miracles,” he said calmly. “Look at the three of us. We are, technically, ghosts. Yet we are helping others, touching them, providing love and support where needed. The two of you have even found love. It warms my heart.”

“It doesn’t bother you that we’re two men?” asked Jonathon.

“Bother me? Love never bothers me, Jonathon. True love is too hard to find for me to question how it comes. Besides, it is not for me to question. Grip is my son. Not by birth, but in every other way, he is my son. I would give anything for him to be happy.”

“Thank you, Matthew,” smiled Grip.

“When I returned from my time in service and suddenly discovered that I’d met the woman I was to spend my life with, yet I had no life, I was upset, to say the least. My Irene, she’s the real miracle worker between the two of us. Oh, don’t get me wrong, we’re a great team, and together we can make amazing things happen. But I would be nothing without that woman in my life. That love.

“This family has that kind of love. They don’t cry at night for all the things they don’t have. They feel blessed for the things they do have. They don’t wish for more for themselves. They wish for more to be able to give to others. When they wake tomorrow and find all of this, they will wonder how they can help those around them.”

“Then this was all for nothing,” said Jonathon. “They’re going to give away everything we’ve done for them.”

“No,” said Matthew, shaking his head. “I’ve left a message for them that they will understand and something they can use to help those around them. By Monday, they will both have new jobs that will provide a greater opportunity for them to help. The twins will have after-school jobs and full scholarships to college.

“Ten years from now, this family will have impacted the lives of hundreds of other families in a remarkable way. Generations will be changed because of them. This is why we do this. This is why we help those around us.”

“To make a difference,” said Jonathon.

“To make a difference, but more than anything, Jonathon, to show love. To show others that love will always win. Always.” He kissed the foreheads of his spirit elves and moved back toward their transportation.

“He’s so special,” said Jonathon with a tear in his eye. Grip nodded, smiling at the man beside him.

“You have no idea.”

“Come along, boys. We’ve much to do before the night is done.”