Good Riddance, but Now What?

Come, children, gather round my knee;
Something is about to be.

Tonight's December Thirty-First,
Something is about to burst.

The clock is crouching, dark and small,
Like a time bomb in the hall.

Hark! It's midnight, children dear.
Duck! Here comes another year.

Ogden Nash, "Good Riddance, but Now What?"

Merry Christmas!

From A Fairy To A Child

Lady, dear, if Fairies may
For a moment lay aside
Cunning tricks and elfish play,
'Tis at happy Christmas-tide.

We have heard the children say -
Gentle children, whom we love -
Long ago on Christmas Day,
Came a message from above,

Still, as Christmas-tide comes round,
They remember it again -
Echo still the joyful sound
"Peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Yet the hearts must childlike be
Where such heavenly guests abide;
Unto children, in their glee,

All the year is Christmas-tide!

Thus, forgetting tricks and play
For a moment, Lady dear,
We would wish you, if we may,
Merry Christmas, Glad New Year!
Lewis Carroll

Christmas Eve

Finally the night before Christmas has arrived and I have just finished playing Santa for my Aunt, my elderly friend, and two of my neighbors. As I make my rounds today I am grateful that I am able to give a little something to so many people. I feel abundantly wealthy even though, by today's standards, we have little. No house, no car no Maui vacations for me this year or next or probably ever, but as I look around at our old rented house and the jalopy in the driveway and the presents under the tree I am mindful of the fact that I have much more than a lot of people and much more than I have had in years in the past. For me Christmas is not about what I can get it is about what I can give. As I went about dispensing my little bit of Christmas joy I wondered what I would do if the day again comes when I cannot buy a box of chocolates for someone or give my neighbors children a little surprise gift. Pondering this I began to realize that while these little gifts are fun and tangible in the moment they are not the lasting gifts and I began to think of all the lasting gifts I would like to give to everyone.

My wish is that every person in the world would always have enough to eat every day of their lives.
My wish is that every person have a roof over their heads and clothes on their backs.
My wish is that every child be cherished for the unique little person that they are.
My wish is for an end to wars, freedom from corrupt governments and peace all around the world.
My biggest wish is that everyone everywhere would feel loved deeply and unconditionally.
Can you imagine what a difference these few wishes would make in the world if they were to become a reality. A world with out homelessness and hunger. A world with out corruption and war. A world where everyone felt unique and valued and loved unconditionally. Yes - that would be a lasting Christmas gift and maybe if all of us wished for these things all year.... maybe just maybe we would begin to see a world we could all be proud of.

Christmas Has Only Begun

When the Baby is gone from the manger
And the shepherds are back on the hill,
When the hosts have returned to the heavens
And the grand hallelujahs are still,
And the Wise Men gone back to the Orient,
When the Star of midnight is gone,
And when Bethlehem's streets are all silent,
Christmas has only begun.

The News must be told from the housetops,
The Gospel of Christ must be spread,
The blind and the lame must be lifted,
the poor and the hungry be fed;
The power of Death must be broken,
The will of the Father be done.
When Bethlehem's streets are all silent,
Christmas has only begun.

O follow the Lord from the manger
To Galilee's beautiful shore;
Climb with Him the mountain of glory
In wonder to kneel and adore;
For Christmas is just a beginning
Of a joy that awaits those who come.
For when Bethlehem's streets are all silent,
Christmas has only begun.

Margaret Penner Toews

Four Days till Christmas Eve!

Four days till Christmas eve and I feel absolutely overwhelmed. Everyday there seems to be more and more to do and less and less time. The decorating is done... at least all I plan to do of it. I finally got all the shopping done except for one gift and at least half of the gifts are wrapped. I have not hardly begun to do any grocery shopping and the living room is covered in wrapping paper and bows and bits and pieces of everything making it look more like Christmas threw up on it than that Christmas is going to be celebrated. I have company over the weekend and next week. We are facing more high winds and possible power outages and I am beginning to feel completely out of control.

So... at times like that I like to try and look for the gems that I am missing. One of those gems is the birds that are along the freeway I travel to work. Yesterday I saw three eagles one doing a very beautiful soar through the air and two more sitting in their usual tree looking like a loving couple. I saw two hawks and two of my favorites - blue herons. The herons always seem to be just loligaging on the side of the road and they move so slowly.
When I took Lucy for a walk by the Fraser River there was another eagle sitting on a snag fishing the river. These moments are true gifts of winter. They shine like sparkling gems through the wind, snow and ever present rain making the winter go a little more lightly and a little more quickly!

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