This post Christmas Greeting to my followers one and all has moved to journojohnson.com


I would like to wish all the followers of my blog a very Happy Christmas and a good New Year. Thanks for the follow during this year and I hope you will continue to follow my progress in 2015 on my road to creative publication.

Another magazine article just published a few days ago in Inspire magazine's January edition about my husband, Angus' and sons, Adam and Luke's big bike ride of the year - Lands End to John O' Groats. It and another recent one reviewing a talk I enjoyed at the Romantic Novelist's Conference during the summer, to be uploaded in the next few days. I continue to be able to publish articles but still aspire to move into the creative sphere. Watch this space...

Meanwhile, I would like to leave you with a Christmas story I wrote recently for my writing group which seemed to be fairly well received. It's called the Christmas Angel.


Sarah, we can’t have a fairy at the top of the Christmas tree. A fairy wasn't part of the Christmas story.”
“But I don’t want a fairy, Mummy, I want an angel. They were part of the story.”
“Well, yes they were but then so was this star. It showed the shepherds and wise men where to go to find the baby Jesus.”
“The angel was more important because the angel actually told them that the baby was born.”
“That maybe true, dear but we don’t have an angel. We only have a star. So let’s put a star at the top of our tree, shall we?”
Sarah nodded but she felt sad inside. Mummy seemed to think that angels were a little like fairies and even she couldn't believe in fairies now she was eight years old. But she did believe in angels. Perhaps though she could play an angel in the school play? Greatly cheered by this thought Sarah helped Mummy to finish decorating the tree with a much lighter heart.
“Sarah, would you like to be a shepherd in our school play?” Mrs Brown asked. “I thought you might enjoy it, especially having to wear a robe and head dress.”
“No, I want to be an angel.”
“Oh, I'm sorry dear, Billy is going to play the angel, Gabriel, because Gabriel was a boy.”
“How do we know he was a boy and that there weren't others anyway? The songs all talk about the sky being full of angels singing.”
“It’s just a story, Sarah,” said Mrs Brown. “We don’t know if there really were any.”
Sarah was shocked. How could Mrs Brown say that? Of course there were angels both then and now and she was determined to prove the grown-ups wrong. After all the songs told about the angels singing – ‘Glory to the new-born King’ and one of her favourite songs, ‘It came upon a midnight clear’ said that the world should ‘give back the song which now the angels sing’ – .The world seemed to Sarah not just to have taken the angels song but also the angels themselves.
That night Sarah knelt down by her bedside and asked God to show her an angel this Christmas so that she would know they were real.
The star remained on the top of their Christmas tree but close to the performance of the play, Billy Jones became ill. Sarah knew his part of by heart. He had quite a few lines to say both to Mary to tell her that she was going to have a baby and then to the shepherds and the wise men telling them where the baby was. The shepherds didn't have any lines in the play.
“Now that Billy’s ill, would you like to play the angel Gabriel, Sarah?” asked Mrs Brown. “You seem to know his lines as well as him.”
“But I thought you said that Gabriel had to be a boy, Mrs Brown?”
“As you clearly pointed out, Sarah, we can’t be sure so I don’t think it would really matter if you want to do the part. I can easily replace a shepherd.”
Sarah nodded happily. It seemed that God had partly answered her prayer anyway. She could be an angel. But she still needed to see one.
Then their elderly neighbour, Mrs Jenkins fell on the ice and broke her arm just a week before Christmas. She was going to stay with her daughter and family over the Christmas period but not for a few days yet. Mummy sent Sarah round to ask Mrs Jenkins if there was any shopping they could do for her just to see her through until the time when her daughter came for her and Mrs Jenkins was very grateful to Sarah and her Mum.
“You are an angel,” she said when Sarah brought her the bag of shopping. “Yes, I'm the angel Gabriel in our school play,” said Sarah, and Mrs Jenkins laughed. Sarah didn't know why.
The school play was a great success and Mummy and Daddy brought Mrs Jenkins as well as Sarah’s little brother Paul. Everyone clapped and clapped and Sarah felt she was soaring in the heights like an angel.
As it got closer and closer to Christmas, Sarah kept reminding God of her prayer to see a real angel. She still hadn't managed to see one and it was Christmas Eve tomorrow. Perhaps they didn't exist after all?
On Christmas Eve Mummy asked Sarah if she would like to come with her and collect the turkey and all the other goodies from the shop, as she was now a big girl and could help her. Paul was going to stay at home with Daddy. Sarah felt so proud that she could now be a helper to Mummy.
There was so much to do and everywhere was so busy they didn't see the bus coming towards them as they crossed the road, at least, not until the very last minute. Sarah felt rooted to the spot in fear and shut her eyes. The next moment they were pulled backwards on to the safety of the pavement, just in time. Sarah opened her eyes and saw her Mummy turn around to thank the person who had saved them but there was no one there at all.
“Well Sarah,” said Mummy “I think an angel must have saved us. A Christmas angel.” And although Sarah was still shaking, she agreed. “Thank you God for answering my prayer,” she whispered “and though we didn't see an angel, both Mummy and me now know they exist otherwise we wouldn't be here at all this Christmas.”
This Christmas was going to be an especially angelic one, Sarah thought.