A Treasury of Christmas Miracles by Karen Kingsbury

pace.” Anna smiled, drying her hands on a nearby towel and setting it back on the countertop. “For
     now, though, it’s not like she has no one. We’re her family. But one of these days, when she’s ready, she will meet the right
     person and then she’ll have her family. She has plenty of time yet. Watch and see.”
    But a few years later, Barbara was diagnosed with breast cancer. At forty-three, she was younger than most breast cancer patients,
     so doctors were at first hopeful she might survive. They removed a cancerous section of her breast, and when the cancer continued
     to spread they performed a mastectomy. The surgery was followed up by chemotherapy and radiation treatments, which caused
     Barbara’s hair to fall out and often left her violently ill.
    Still, she continued to work, staying home only on the days when she felt sickest. When she was at work, she put her personal
     troubles behind her and concentrated only on helping her patients.
    “That woman is amazing,” Anna said one day as she watched Barbara making dinner for her family in the kitchen.
    Lou stared thoughtfully at his sister. “She’s a fighter, all right. But I’m so worried about her.”
    “The cancer?”
    Lou nodded. “She talked to the doctor yesterday. It’s spread into her lymph system.”
    Anna hung her head and sighed, and for a long time neither of them said anything. There was no need. They both knew what the
     news meant. When cancer spreads through the lymph system, as it had in Barbara’s body, the outcome was too often certain.
    That had been in the spring, but Barbara continued to work through the first part of November before succumbing to her illness
     and taking a leave of absence. The cancer had continued to spread, this time beyond her lymph system into her entire body,
     and doctors did not expect her to live more than six months.
    Now, when Lou left Barbara at her apartment, their time together was painful for both of them.
    “You’ve got to hang in here and pull through this,” Lou would tell her as he sat at the edge of her bed and helped her take
     sips of ice water. She had lost a lot of weight and her skin looked gray and lifeless.
    “I’m trying, Lou, really I am,” she would say, never complaining about the effort it took to muster her strength.
    When Lou would leave Barbara’s apartment, he would often bow his head and pray before driving home.
    “Lord, please help me see Barbara through this terrible disease. I pray that she lives. But if her time has come to go home
     to you, I pray you make the transition easy. Please don’t let her suffer, Lord.”
    Throughout November and much of December Lou got off work early and stopped to visit Barbara. Although her body was obviously
     deteriorating, she was not bedridden, and Lou was thankful for that. After their visits he would normally return home for
     dinner and then go back to see Barbara later in the evening, sometimes bringing her a plate of whatever they’d eaten that
     night.
    “It’s getting to me, Anna,” he confided to his wife one morning. “I hate to see her falling apart. One of these days she’s
     going to be too weak to get off the couch, and then what are we going to do?”
    Anna thought a moment. “Well, we could have her come live with us.”
    Lou had thought of the possibility, but knew it would be difficult to make it work. Each of their three bedrooms was being
     used, and there wouldn’t be anyone home during the day to take care of Barbara. Still, he wanted her to feel welcome. If there
     was any way they could figure out the logistics, having Barbara come live with them was really the only option Lou could imagine.
    That week—two weeks before Christmas—he told Barbara about the idea.
    “No way, Lou. Not on your life,” she said, trying to sound firm. “You and Anna and the kids have been my family for such a
     long time; you’ve done so much for me.” She continued, struggling with each word because of her