Selfish Sammi Learns To Share

“Move it!” bellowed Sammi. “That’s MY spot, and you know it!”

“But Sammi” said Greta, “My corner of the barn is wet from the rain. I thought maybe since yours was nice and dry, you might want to share? Just this one night?”

“I don’t CARE!” said Sammi. “This is my spot, and I DON’T SHARE.”

“Look, just because you’ve been in this barn a year more than I have, doesn’t make you the boss!”

Greta stomped back over to her wet pile of hay, getting soggier by the hour. 

Drip...Drip...Drip... The rain that was slowly dropping through the roof was splashing Greta right between her ears.  If only Sammi would share, we’d both be dry.

“Oh, what’s the use?” muttered Greta.   She was right. In all her three years in the barn, that cow’s never shared anything.  Not her hay bed. Not her feeding trough.  Not her sliver of sunlight that would peek in through the crack in the door at dusk. No sharing. Ever.   Greta closed her eyes, and wished for a way to teach grumbly old Sammi to share.

Creeeeeaaaak.  The door opened slowly the next morning.  Must be time for the people to come get their morning milk.  Through the barn door, Greta could hear a lot of noise outside!  She nuzzled up to Rebekah, the farm girl who gathered the milk.

“Oh don’t worry, Greta old girl, that’s nothing to be afraid of. Just some travelers coming through town.  They are here for business, and they’ll be gone soon.  No one will hurt you though, just stay here in the barn, and you’ll be just fine!” she said, patting Greta on the head.  Rebekah seemed to know exactly what Greta was afraid of.

As soon as Rebekah left, Greta walked over to Sammi. “So what do you think about all these people, Sammi? I’m kind of scared!”

“Look,” glared Sammi. “I don’t care who they are or where they came from as long as they don’t steal my spot, my feeding trough, OR my sunlight! And that means you too!” And with that, Sammi huffed off to her spot in the barn to sleep for the night, snoring loudly.

“In here!” said the human man. “Here is a soft place!  Rest here, and I’ll make a pillow for you!”

Sammi and Greta awoke with a start! Are those voices? It’s so dark  - too early for milk - and who are these humans invading our barn? Sammi huffed and gave her loudest snort to the humans. Don’t these humans know it’s time to sleep?

“I’m sorry old girl,” said the man, patting Sammi on the head, and stroking her ears. “But this is the only place for us to stay - there isn’t any room inside. Would you share your spot with us, just for the night?”  Sammi snorted an angry snort once again.  Greta looked back and forth between Sammi and the man.  Just then, a woman’s voice called out to the man.  Oh no! There were two of them! And humans never come to the barn in the middle of the night!   This was something serious!

“What do we do, what do we do?” whispered Greta. But Sammi stood perfectly still. She was staring at the man. And the woman. The woman who was laying in HER spot in the hay, just two feet away from her.  And the woman looked at Sammi, with sadness in her eyes.  The woman looked so tired.  And Sammi, gruff old Sammi, stepped back not one foot but two.  Somehow, this woman was different.  

The man looked at Sammi and Greta.  “Sorry girls,” he said, “We need just a moment by ourselves.” 

“Come with me Sammi, I’ll share my stall with you” said Greta.  And then Sammi and Greta heard another sound - a baby! Could it be? The man and woman had come into the barn to have this baby? Well that’s no place to have a baby, Sammi scoffed.  Just then, the man, looked at Sammi and Greta and said “His name is Jesus, and thank you for giving us the only thing nobody else could.”

Then Sammi understood, and gruff, grumbly, grumpy Samantha slowly walked over to the new family with a mouthful of dry, fresh hay. She laid it in her feeding trough to make a bed for the newborn baby - the only thing she had to give.  And it was at that very moment that Selfish Sammi learned to share.

THE END

In the Bible, in Luke 2, it says: 1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Sometimes it’s not easy to share, especially when something is really important to you.  Sammi had to learn to share the most important thing to her, something she had never shared before, so she could give the newborn baby Jesus and his family the only thing she could. Sometimes that’s the only thing God wants from us - to give what we can, with a sweet heart.

Merry Christmas everyone -

XXXOOO

Miss Karen

This material is copyrighted 2009-2011 and the author retains all rights. This story is made available by the author as a service to parents, teachers and libraries, and may be printed for use by the above persons, but may not be distributed, published, copied, or otherwise used without prior written approval from Mrs. Sipps.  All rights reserved.