Good morning, everyone... It is down to hours before the week before Christmas, which always has had special significance to me, both as a writer and a certifiable believer in the magic of Christmas. It means, once again, I get to tell tales of Christmas, hand-crafted stories that I have written, and talk openly of the meaning of the mystery, magic and horrible sadness of what, for most people, is one of the top holidays of the entire year.
I must admit this year is vastly different than any other Christmas I've seen in my experience for, after ten years of sharing with my own family, not just an extended family of friends and loved ones, and having a growing granddaughter that shares my home on a part-time basis, has given me an entirely different perspective on Christmas. Another change, one that has had far-reaching effects on my perception of Christmas, is that I am working harder, more frequently, as a network administrator / database designer this year than I have in nearly a decade, which leaves me only random pieces of time in which to write about Christmas. However, in looking around me at friends, family and acquaintances, I am seeing that I am not alone, for others are realizing pretty much the same impacts on their lives as I am feeling. Who has time for the mystery of Christmas, or the time to explore its subtle meanings for us all? Who has time to stand for hours in front of K-Mart interviewing people who have just punched out their credit cards to buy expensive gifts for people they don't even like? In short, people have less time than ever for the true meaning of Christmas, but try to make up for their losses with artificial sentiments, largesse and high-volume spending. That is a poor set of substitutions, in my mind, but one that nearly everyone acknowledges as being economic "progress". I am stunned at how many people do not understand the meaning of history. The recent poll among Americans that suggests that almost HALF of all Americans believe we, as a nation, should restrict the civil liberties of Muslims living in the United States makes a statement that not only do most Americans not understand history, they do not care about it, either. We have become what we fear most-- a petulant band of miscreants who refuse to admit the Muslim faith was here, active and vibrant for nearly 2000 years *before* we invented God in our own image. History decrees that those who refuse to learn the lessons of history and liberty neither deserve nor will long keep their liberties. While that vast statement is probably open to debate, and probably will be argued until long after the end of my life, the fact remains that history seems to prove the statement's accuracy. However, to this statement I add several things that its original author(s) forgot to add: 1. If we forget and neglect the meaning of Christmas, it will cease to have meaning for future generations, and eventually it will become what it nearly is now-- a merchant's miasma that is all-consuming in which the only joys left are given to the multi-national corporations that own discount department stores, trinket shops and fast food chains. 2. If, in our all-pervasive chase to achieve financial security for ourselves, we neglect or begin to ignore the joy of exploring the unknown, the rich mysteries that lie just beneath the surface of our collective spirits, we will have turned our backs on one of the most limitless sources of joy we can savor in our lackluster lives. For without mystery and the awareness of the meaning of Christmas, we begin to lose all hope of understanding uncompromising love. So, it is at this juncture in time, I step off my self-imposed treadmill for a week, and taking a long look backwards and gazing without flinching at the future, I begin what I has always observed for the past 12 years as my personal meaning of Christmas. Each day or two, I will post stories I have written about Christmas, culminating on Christmas Eve in the Western United States, by posting the Christmas Story, as is written in the Book of Luke. As in years gone by, I will be posting the Story of Christmas as transcribed in the Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible while Frank Reichert will likewise post it from the King James Version. Like all of Christmas, this is a rich ritual for us both. As in years gone by, I will see that both versions are posted to a vast variety of resources along the Internet, places where you might never expect to find the story of Baby Jesus. Then I will go back to being my typical elusive, grumpy old self for another year. Let the week of Christmas begin! Dave -- Dave Laird ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) The Used Kharma Lot Web Page: http://www.kharma.net updated 11/24/2004 Usenet news server : news://news.kharma.net Fortune Random Thought For the Minute God gives us relatives; thank goodness we can chose our friends. _______________________________________________ Libnw mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] List info and subscriber options: http://immosys.com/mailman/listinfo/libnw Archives: http://immosys.com/mailman//pipermail/libnw
