Love and Light is the Season
Since my mailbox is overloaded with Christmas catalogs and multiple requests for donations, guess I need to go shopping and spend some special time with the Boss.
Checking out Walmart (with its larger impersonal collection of 'stuff”), Walgreens (sometimes something different), Smith's and Brooks (edibles usually don't have to be returned because they're the wrong size], I know that these gifts are things that my friends can buy for themselves. Hope they know that it's the thought that counts. And I really do want to do something nice for them. Lots of cute Christmas stuff that's fun to look at, without spending the money for things I don't need. Presents do seem so important to children, yet I don't remember much about my childhood gifts.
When there's a quiet time in the morning or at night, memories of Christmas past return. Fondly remembered are my mother, the greatest cook in the world, making apple pies while my father was sitting with me by the colorfully lit Christmas tree, telling me the fascinating story about the first Christmas. It was also a time of gathering at grandparents. One side of the family seemed to always have difficulties. Hard times often harden the heart. So, visiting my other grandparents was more fun. That family was full of aunts, uncles and cousins. One uncle, fat and round, told politically incorrect stories about work and politics that made you laugh at problems. His favorite hobbies were being a union steward and a bookie. One aunt was kind, soft-spoken and elegant, while another was loud, sexy and drank too much. But the family's foundation was my strict grandfather who tried not to laugh at his wife's constant joking. They always were honest, hard-working and selfsacrificing. Of course, the table was covered with delicious, homemade salads, vegetables, meats, cookies and cakes. After we saw the first star, we put a light in the windowin case Mary and Joseph were passing by and were hungry. I remember visiting my dear friend Vangie at Good Sam for her last Christmas, when the Knights of Columbus burst in, full of life, singing songs of the Posada. Always remembered is the Crib at Church, waiting for the Christ child to appear and bring light and hope to the dark and cold. I see all the lovely lights in many of the homes in Grants, Milan and the County. They renew the Spirit for us.
This lesson: Presents are nice, but we each have been given gifts of infinite value. Happy Season of True Love and Light.