Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: The Reason for the Season of Christmas (12/04/08)
-
TITLE: Angela Verilli: Changing Lives | Previous Challenge Entry
By Gilbert Backers
12/10/08 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
It was Christmas Eve. Angela and Alex stepped into the room. Angela waved her hand over the motion sensors. The room lit up. The walls were silver and white in color. On the wall opposite the windows was the Verilli Corporate logo, in blue. The main part of the Verilli Corporate logo was a combination of a V and a cross. Silver crosses also hung around Angela's and Alex's necks. They were the same style as the cross in the V and cross symbol. Angela Verilli was the head of a global consortium of technology corporations.
In the middle of the room, there was a scale model of a planned community. The community had a mixture of low income and working class housing. There were other buildings such as a community center and an elementary school. The community also had a park with a playground. A transit station connected the community to the nearby city. The community was completed several weeks before Christmas. The selected families had started moving into their new homes only a few days before Christmas.
Angela walked around the model of the newly completed community. Her husband, Alex, walked behind her. Angela still took Alex's breath away as he looked at her from her head topped with silver-gray hair to her feet wearing black shoes.
“Tomorrow, these families will spend their first Christmas in homes with heat and plenty of food,” said Angela. “They'll have security for the first time in years.”
“To think that on your 70th birthday tomorrow, you'll be giving gifts to hundreds of people,” said Alex as he stood behind her. He wrapped his arms around her.
“I should have done something like this long ago,” replied Angela.
“What matters is that you care and that you are doing something,” replied Alex.
“I grew up an heiress but you climbed out of poverty,” began Angela, “I didn't realize what these people go through until I fell in love with you.” Angela placed her hands over his as she continued. Tears welled up in Angela's eyes and her voice quivered. “I wanted to give other boys, other kids, other families like yours a chance for a better life. I could see the hope and joy in their eyes as they moved in.”
“I'm glad they can now associate a person and a face with the gifts they've been given,” said Alex. “A lot of them think all wealthy white people are evil. They've had some bad experiences in the past.”
“I'll say,” replied Angela. “A national disaster rips through the South and the federal government does almost nothing but provide excuse after excuse. I've successfully finished this community and several other are on schedule to be completed in six months. Yet, not a single person from my church besides the pastoral staff would contribute to this or any other project for the poor. You'd think that with Christmas season upon us and the new homes built, wealthy Christians would at least try to make last minute donations and then claim they were supportive of this idea all along. I expected my family to join me at the move in ceremony for these families. Yet they still want nothing to do with helping the poor.”
“You know, Angela, William Wilberforce was one man who catalyzed the abolition of the slave trade throughout the British Empire,” said Alex. “There were times when he fought with only a few on his side, but he pressed on and succeeded. Maybe you could do similar things for ending abject poverty in the US. Maybe Christmas season is a good time to start.”
“Well, I do have an advantage over Wilberforce,” said Angela as a playful smile spread across her lips. A sparkle shined in her eyes. “I have an energetic younger black husband to love me passionately day or night. Sometimes day and night,” Angela turned around to wrap her arms around his neck. “I still wonder where you get all of that energy, you're 47 you know.”
“Oh, I know,” replied Alex as he rubbed his nose against Angela's. “And one day I will slow down. Today is not that day.”
Angela kissed Alex. They walked out of the room. The motion sensors slowly faded the lights out until only the small spotlights on the model of the community shone.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
