CHRISTMAS WISH BLOG HOP WITH MICHELLE PERKETT STUDIO

Hello Creative Goddesses!!!!

If you have arrived here from Nancy's blog, then you are on the right track.  If you would like to start from the beginning, hop on back to Michelle's blog.  You won't want to miss any of them.  At the end of the hop you will be voting for your favorite CHRISTMAS WISH/WISH ANGEL creation.

There is also a special lil 'something' at the end of the hop too.

My Wish Angel is colored with Copic Markers.  The stars and her cuffs are accented with Smooch.  Then the entire image was spritzed with Pearl Glimmer Mist.  The red paper is from American Crafts, the check paper is SEI and the Star paper is from my stash.

Michelle challenged us with the task of a CHRISTMAS WISH for someone other than ourselves.  As a military wife, my Christmas wish is for those families that cannot be together because of deployments, overseas tours, special duties and lost loved ones.  A wish of peace for the soldiers that are separated from their families.  The military family is a strong one.  They move, settle, make new friends, only to move again and start over.  I wish for happiness for these families and for their loved ones who serve our country.

The following poem was written by a Marine in Okinawa, Japan.

Twas The Night Before Christmas,
He Lived All Alone,
In A One Bedroom House
Made Of Plaster And Stone. 

I Had Come Down The Chimney
With Presents To Give,
And To See Just Who
In This Home Did Live. 

I Looked All About,
A Strange Sight I Did See,
No Tinsel, No Presents,
Not Even A Tree. 

No Stocking By Mantle,
Just Boots Filled With Sand,
On The Wall Hung Pictures
Of Far Distant Lands. 

With Medals And Badges,
Awards Of All Kinds,
A Sober Thought
Came Through My Mind. 

For This House Was Different,
It Was Dark And Dreary,
I Found The Home Of A Soldier,
Once I Could See Clearly. 

The Soldier Lay Sleeping,
Silent, Alone,
Curled Up On The Floor
In This One Bedroom Home. 

The Face Was So Gentle,
The Room In Such Disorder,
Not How I Pictured
A United States Soldier. 

Was This The Hero
Of Whom I'd Just Read?
Curled Up On A Poncho,
The Floor For A Bed? 

I Realized The Families
That I Saw This Night,
Owed Their Lives To These Soldiers
Who Were Willing To Fight. 

Soon Round The World,
The Children Would Play,
And Grownups Would Celebrate
A Bright Christmas Day. 

They All Enjoyed Freedom
Each Month Of The Year,
Because Of The Soldiers,
Like The One Lying Here. 

I Couldn't Help Wonder
How Many Lay Alone,
On A Cold Christmas Eve
In A Land Far From Home. 

The Very Thought
Brought A Tear To My Eye,
I Dropped To My Knees
And Started To Cry. 

The Soldier Awakened
And I Heard A Rough Voice,
"Santa Don't Cry,
This Life Is My Choice; 

I Fight For Freedom,
I Don't Ask For More,
My Life Is My God,
My Country, My Corps." 

The Soldier Rolled Over
And Drifted To Sleep,
I Couldn't Control It,
I Continued To Weep. 

I Kept Watch For Hours,
So Silent And Still
And We Both Shivered
From The Cold Night's Chill. 

I Didn't Want To Leave
On That Cold, Dark, Night,
This Guardian Of Honor
So Willing To Fight. 

Then The Soldier Rolled Over,
With A Voice Soft And Pure,
Whispered, "Carry On Santa,
It's Christmas Day, All Is Secure." 

One Look At My Watch,
And I Knew He Was Right.
"Merry Christmas My Friend,
And To All A Good Night." 

Written by Lance Corporal James M. Schmidt in 1986.

Now to continue on with the hop, you will need to head over to Kerri's blog.

If you aren't a member, we'd love to have you join our group on Paper Craft Planet.