A Blog of Cheer

Christmas kinda snuck up on me. Ask my bank account. Usually, right after Thanksgiving, Christmas comes over me in full effect. I decorate my house (OK, that I did do), my desk at work, and start the joyous process of purchasing thoughtful gifts for my friends and family.

I never got around to decorating my cube at work. I was entirely too busy. I only just finished purchasing gifts, and now, RIGHT NOW, the day before Christmas Eve, I am writing this blog on a break from wrapping gifts. It seems the last week or so has been so busy, that I haven't even had much time to sit down and contemplate the season. So, here I am...contemplating for you lovely people.

Though I no longer identify myself as a Christian, this season still has a funny way of filling me with hope. Just now, in the bathroom ('cause one of my best friends, Q, and I can attest that is where we do some of our best thinking), I think I have figured out why. Hannukah celebrates the miracle God performed, allowing a candle that should have only burned one day to burn 8 days. Kwanzaa is a celebration of culture. Christmas is the celebration of the hope that surfaced about 2000 years ago in the form of a tiny newborn. It seems that hope is stitched into the fabric of all these stories. Hope that we will be provided for, that our history will live on, that the simple and mundane can contain majesty and wonder.

I have had some simple and majestic moments over the last few days...

- In RE (Sunday School for us UU's), we asked the children what holiday was coming up, and they answered overwhelmingly...Hannukah. That was interesting. Then, of course, Fletcher felt the need to explain to me what Hannukah is. He said, "Hannukah is when Santa comes and puts presents in shoes."

- We had quite a debate on the proper plural form of the word "Mongoose". Is it still Mongoose? Is it Mongeese? Fletcher insists it is Mongoosees.

- Shailie and I spent a good part of the weekend together. Saturday, she made quite a killing, getting to go to the mall, getting her Christmas present while we were there, having dinner, and then going out for Christmas lights. Sunday we went out for more Christmas lights, and we even rode a carnival ride there at the park. It was called Dizzy Dragons, and we spun and spun and laughed and laughed. She's an awesome kid, and is always grateful for what I give her. I hope she knows what she gives me.

- I blew out a tire on our car, and I freaked out. Beau, of course, met this dilemma with patience and unconditional love. I am always so surprised by that, for some reason, even though he is never anything but patient and understanding and loving. His first concern was calming me down, making sure that I was ok. Only then did he go out to deal with the tire. The tire thing sucked completely, but it was kind of an avenue to showing me how much my love loves me, even when I massively screw up. (Yes, the blowout was absolutely my fault.)

Anyway...that was kind of random and discombobulated, but here's a poem. Maybe it'll get my message across better than I can.

Now is the moment of magic,
when the whole, round earth turns again toward the sun,
and here's a blessing:
the days will be longer and brighter soon,
even before the winter settles in to chill us.

Now is the moment of magic,
when people - beaten down and broken,
with nothing left but misery and candles,
and their own clear voices
kindle tiny lights and whisper secret music.
And here's a blessing:
the dark universe is suddenly illuminated
by the lights of the menorah,
suddenly ablaze with the lights of the kenara,
and the whole world is glad and loud with winter singing.

Now is the moment of magic,
when an eastern star beackons the ignorant toward an unknown goal.
And here's a blessing:
They find nothing in the end but an ordinary baby,
born at midnight, born in poverty,
and the baby's cry, like bells ringing,
makes people wonder as they wander through their lives,
what human love might really look like,
sound like, feel like.

Now is the moment of magic.
And here's a blessing:
We already possess all the gifts we need;
We've already received our presents:
ears to hear music,eyes to behold sights,
hands to build peace on Earth,
and to hold each other tight in love.

- Victoria E. Safford