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| Sunday, 18 December 2005 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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"I am sure, Pepita, that even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes," said Pedro consolingly. Not knowing what else to do, Pepita knelt by the roadside and gathered a handful of common weeds, fashioning them into a small bouquet. Looking at the scraggly bunch of weeds, she felt more saddened and embarrassed than ever by the humbleness of her offering. She fought back a tear as she entered the small village chapel.
Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into blooms of brilliant red, and all who saw them were certain that they had witnessed a Christmas miracle right before their eyes. From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the Flores de Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy Night, for they bloomed each year during the Christmas season. Today, the common name for this plant is the poinsettia! |
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| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
A charming story is told of Pepita, a poor
Mexican girl who had no gift to present the Christ Child at Christmas Eve
Services. As Pepita walked slowly to the chapel with her cousin Pedro, her
heart was filled with sadness rather than joy. 
As she approached the alter, she remembered Pedro's kind words: "Even
the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes."
She felt her spirit lift as she knelt to lay the bouquet at the foot of
the nativity scene. 
