“Politicians compete for the highest offices. Business tycoons scramble for a bigger and bigger piece of the pie. Armies march and scientists study and philosophers philosophize and preachers preach and laborers sweat. But in that silent baby, lying in that humble manger, there pulses more potential power and wisdom and grace and aliveness than all the rest of us can imagine.”
― Brian D. McLaren
With the Thanksgiving holidays behind us, our minds and hearts turn to thoughts of holly, candles, the manger of Bethlehem, the Hope of the world.
Sean Dietrich is a good writer and he always entertains me. He recently wrote an article about a Christmas memory. In this article he stated he always knew he would receive as gifts “some necessities,” a package of socks, some underwear, perhaps a knit cap to keep your ears warm, and then, one modest gift of something you “wanted,” not something you needed.
Someone said to me not too long ago, “I’ll bet you and Jerry Lawrence swam in toys at Christmas.” Their bet would be wrong. My Daddy loved Christmas and I loved that he loved it, but he loved mostly the “getting together” with friends and loved ones. He definitely was not caught up in the commercialism of Christmas.
We did not go without. He was a good provider, but on Christmas morning, we received a bicycle and I am just using that for an example. I remember when I got a bicycle. It was for my seventh birthday and was a Schwinn bicycle! That bicycle saw me all the way into my teens. There was only one other bicycle, one with high handlebars. I think I gifted that to someone after a year when the new of the high handlebars wore off. I went back to my Schwinn. The Schwinn had a long life and eventually I gave it to a friend in White Springs who kept it for a long time. We did have games, Monopoly and Yahtzee and we played cards, oh we played cards.
Christmas and the season of Christmas, was more about being with your family on a special day. It was about programs at church, about music and about hearing, once again, the Christmas story read from the Bible.
This Christmas will be very different for many in our world. There will be families who, because of the pandemic, won’t see each other. There will be parents and grandparents in nursing home facilities who haven’t seen loved ones in some time and may not see them for some time to come. There will be joy, but there will also be loneliness. There will be hope, but also for many, a feeling of hopelessness.
As we approach the holiday season, we may not be able to do as much as we would like for everyone, but I believe if we try, we can think of someone who may need a card, a phone call, a plate of home baked cookies, a short visit, or maybe, just “I’m thinking of you,” “I care about you,” “I miss you,” or “I love you.”
A friend from Georgia, Johnathon Scott Barrett, has written a wonderful book entitled “Rise and Shine.” I wish I had written it. It is fantastic. It encapsulates the truth of growing up in the small town south and how he couldn’t wait to escape and did, moving from Perry, Georgia, after finishing college at Georgia Southern, to the big town of Savannah. He also related, though, that some of those lessons learned from his parents, aunts and uncles held him in good stead. He thought of his father who often took a churn of his famous peach ice cream to someone who would appreciate it, and how he took vegetables from his garden to others. His mother took her famous preserves and jellies or said she had too much pound cake. The book is a fabulous narrative and it contains some GREAT recipes too.
It isn’t how much something costs that should mean the most, rather, it’s the thought behind the gift. His parents did this and many times he never knew of it. I know that feeling. When I lost my daddy in November of 1993, there were many people who told me things Daddy had done for them or a visit he shared and I never knew. I believe those who often do the most good for others don’t put on, as my Grandma Bullard would say, “a holy show,” but they go about their way of living quietly with consistency.
On the other hand, there are those, and I can recall one acquaintance, and I cringe when I think of it, who wanted EVERYONE to know about good things he did for others. It did tire me out, and being flawed and who I am I finally said “Do it and keep your mouth closed about it.” Needless to say that’s one reason to this day, I pass and re-pass with this individual.
Give someone a commodity, a gift, during this holiday season that you can’t get back and that’s “time.” Time means so very much. I appreciate those who have taken time to share stories that make me smile, cry and that have enriched my life.
Our nation is struggling. We can’t do as much as we would like for everyone, but we can invest the gift of time for someone. Remember it doesn’t cost a thing and it might be priceless to someone. Remember the lyrics of the old African American spiritual and I remember the lyrics to this day when church meetings were held: “This may be the last time. This may be the last time. This may be the last time. It may be the last time I don’t know. It may be the last time we sing together. It may be the last time I don’t know,” and on the song went.
Time passes quickly. As Daddy used to say “It takes you forever to turn 21, and then you are 40 in three weeks.” There’s a lot of truth to that. Give someone a gift they will remember and cherish, and you will receive a blessing, too. Give the gift of your time and your attention when you give it, not looking at a cell phone or squirming in a chair. You’ll be glad you did.
Remember too, during this season of love and light that if your faith is dormant, find faith and hold on to it with all you have in you. During life’s storms, faith is not just something, it’s everything.
From the Eight Mile Still on the Woodpecker Route north of White Springs, wishing you a day filled with joy, peace and, above all, lots of love and laughter.