Every Christmas season, Santa Claus brings joy to all the children who believe in him. Besides just being a character in storybooks though, “real-life” Santa Clauses can be found in malls and stores across the country, helping make kids’ worlds a little more magical.
Some even show their gigantic hearts in different ways.
A woman from Texas got an up-close look at a very genuine and compassionate Santa Claus while she was at work one day. She was so moved in fact, that she decided to snap a photo of him.
However, it wasn’t when Santa was delivering gifts or reciting his famous, “Ho, ho, ho.” Instead, it was during a peaceful moment when he didn’t know anyone was watching…
Mariana Whitley Tumlinson works at the Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville, Texas.
The hospital hired a Santa Claus to visit their facility and spread happiness to all the young patients. But before leaving that day, he approached Mariana with a special request.
Santa had been walking out towards the exit when he spotted the hospital’s chapel. According to Mariana, he wanted to go inside and pray for the children he’d just spent time with.
Posted by Valley Regional Medical Center on Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Mariana told the guy in the red suit “yes.”
Santa entered the chapel by himself so he could say prayers for the patients. Mariana left him alone at first, then walked inside a short time later. What she witnessed melted her heart.
It was a powerful sight.
The Santa character was on one knee in the chapel, with his head bowed down in prayer. Above him was a portrait of Jesus Christ.
Mariana was so moved by what she saw that she snapped a photo to capture the beautiful moment.
She wanted to share it with the rest of the world.
That very day, Mariana posted the soul-stirring photo on Facebook along with the following message:
“I keep getting choked up with this photo. Today, after Santa visited our patients and was on his way out, he noticed our Chapel. He asked if he could go in and pray for the kids he just visited. I, of course, said yes. I didn’t walk In with him right away but when I did I was so moved by this image I had to capture it.”
https://www.facebook.com/mariana.tumlinson/posts/10217662370372050
The photograph of the praying Santa went viral and Mariana’s post currently has over 42K shares. She concluded it with the following:
“What a great reminder of the reason for the season. #reasonfortheseason #myfavoritesanta”
While there are many fun characters associated with Christmastime – the holiday honors the birth of Jesus Christ. It’s a season for being kind, giving, and thinking of others. This big-hearted Santa was doing just that when he stopped to pray for the sick children in the hospital.
Many people have been equally touched by the photo of Santa Claus praying. One person commented on Facebook:
“Very heart warming. Should remind us to very thankful for our health. Always pray for others”
Another wrote:
“What am amazing image you captured. God bless this man!”
Thank you to all the people who practice kindness and care for others. Hopefully, it’s not just during the holiday season, but instead year-round!
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