As we wave goodbye to Thanksgiving, commercials of "One Day Sales" scream from the T.V.
Lines proclaiming "Bonus Points" and "Limit 2 Per Customer" ooze from newspapers and glossy sales ads.
Not once is the birth of Christ mentioned. I have to strain my ears to hear the word "Christmas" in these array of jingles and flashy thirty-second productions.
Our society has been reduced to a bunch of over-sensitive, pompous politically correct whiners!
It is CHRISTMAS! A time where we celebrate the birth of JESUS CHRIST!
Yes, we've veered off the path of the true meaning, but lately we've gone on totally different trail!
We go out and brave freezing temperatures to spend hours looking for the perfect CHRISTMAS tree, NOT a "Holiday tree". Days go into planning the perfect CHRISTMAS dinner. Children agonize, revise and parents scrutinize over CHRISTMAS lists. You don't ask that special someone "What do you want for Holiday?" No, you ask them what do they want for Christmas and cringe when the item costs more than what you've saved up in your Christmas club account.
We sing CHRISTMAS carols, you know...Silent Night-HOLY Night, Joy To The World-The LORD is come (Hellooooo!)
I refuse to conform to the warped sense of pseudo righteousness of whoever started this "Holiday" nonsense.
As for me and my house, we will celebrate CHRISTMAS!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
(For Auntie Neno…for the sake of peace)
In Life there must be death. No matter how you try to prepare, nothing compares to the pain you feel when you lose someone you love. It’s irrelevant how you loved them; once that phone call is received, that awful look is given before the dreadful phrase “I’m so sorry,” the wind is knocked out of you. Your world spins out of control, and there’s nothing to break the fall.
If you’re a Christian, you go through all those emotions and then quickly remember that God’s way is the only way and He never makes mistakes. You pray, asking for strength and comfort. Strength to get through what the immediate days will bring; comfort for what the days ahead in the distant future will bring. You try to remember scriptures that will ease the suffocation. Your prayers are clipped and pieced together, causing you to pray a new prayer, asking God to search your heart for the words you can’t bring to your lips.
You wonder how you’ll make it. You wonder what will life be like without them as your mind races through all the experiences you’ve shared. The tears you’ve cried, laughs shared, glances exchanged.
Perhaps you’ll get a moment to grieve, but it doesn’t last; because now you have to guard and protect the vulnerable. You have to plan the funeral and organize visits and man the phones. You have to put on the brave front for all that knock on the door and ring on the phone. When they see you, you’re the vision of strength. When they speak about everything that’s happened, they give you the sympathetic “you’re doing a good job” look. You handle everything; you make the necessary phone calls. You put up with “church folk” that sit upon their horses waiting for you to ask permission, and you do because it keeps the peace. You ask for permission to use the facilities of a church your grandmother has been a member of for more than 40 years. You go along with their chaotic ways and you deal with their egos and go along with their power trips all for the sake of peace…
Tempers flare, time is wasted, more tears are shed; but you try and keep it together because it’s expected. You can’t lose your cool because you’re the cord of strength. They’re all depending on you to bring it all together, and you do…for the sake of peace, you go off by yourself to have a mini-breakdown. You spend 10 maybe 13 minutes to melt, but quickly pull yourself together because you have a funeral to plan and a grandmother to look after. You have to make sure your aunts and straight and that nothing is missed. You also look after for your cousins, because you’re that cord. You’re the one that’s expected to keep it together and you do for the sake of peace…
Finally the day comes, the funeral and grief overcomes you; but still you try to keep it together for the sake of peace…and for the sake of the younger ones. But after the choir sings, you have done all you could to control the pain that has been building within your heart. You try to stand and just listen to the words that are being ministered, but the Spirit has Its way and the gate is lifted. The sorrow that had been lurking around breaks loose and you allow it to flow. Visions of this same scene with your mother laying in the casket engulfs you and the pain becomes unbearable and still, you allow the tears to pour down. You allow the Holy Spirit to take control and all you remember is being comforted by soothing words of a praying woman. You have allowed your grief to be seen and it’s okay. No longer are you expected to stand strong; you can cry. The preacher says his words and remarks are made and the final prayer is said…in the church…for the sake of peace
The food arrives and it’s more than you expected. Everyone has gone above and beyond because of the love and support they saw displayed amongst the family during and before this loss. They’ve seen the fights, the disagreements, but above all, they’ve seen the love. You push on until the very end. Your friends and loved ones all pitch in to help because they feel your pain, the grief and trials you went through for it all to go smoothly for the sake of peace…
And when it’s done, you can barely stand. Your sentences are slurred from lack of sleep and nutrition. You make confirm that all is well with everyone else and you finally find a quiet place and you allow yourself to rest..finally…for the sake of peace…
(For Auntie Neno…for the sake of peace) S. R. P. ©
If you’re a Christian, you go through all those emotions and then quickly remember that God’s way is the only way and He never makes mistakes. You pray, asking for strength and comfort. Strength to get through what the immediate days will bring; comfort for what the days ahead in the distant future will bring. You try to remember scriptures that will ease the suffocation. Your prayers are clipped and pieced together, causing you to pray a new prayer, asking God to search your heart for the words you can’t bring to your lips.
You wonder how you’ll make it. You wonder what will life be like without them as your mind races through all the experiences you’ve shared. The tears you’ve cried, laughs shared, glances exchanged.
Perhaps you’ll get a moment to grieve, but it doesn’t last; because now you have to guard and protect the vulnerable. You have to plan the funeral and organize visits and man the phones. You have to put on the brave front for all that knock on the door and ring on the phone. When they see you, you’re the vision of strength. When they speak about everything that’s happened, they give you the sympathetic “you’re doing a good job” look. You handle everything; you make the necessary phone calls. You put up with “church folk” that sit upon their horses waiting for you to ask permission, and you do because it keeps the peace. You ask for permission to use the facilities of a church your grandmother has been a member of for more than 40 years. You go along with their chaotic ways and you deal with their egos and go along with their power trips all for the sake of peace…
Tempers flare, time is wasted, more tears are shed; but you try and keep it together because it’s expected. You can’t lose your cool because you’re the cord of strength. They’re all depending on you to bring it all together, and you do…for the sake of peace, you go off by yourself to have a mini-breakdown. You spend 10 maybe 13 minutes to melt, but quickly pull yourself together because you have a funeral to plan and a grandmother to look after. You have to make sure your aunts and straight and that nothing is missed. You also look after for your cousins, because you’re that cord. You’re the one that’s expected to keep it together and you do for the sake of peace…
Finally the day comes, the funeral and grief overcomes you; but still you try to keep it together for the sake of peace…and for the sake of the younger ones. But after the choir sings, you have done all you could to control the pain that has been building within your heart. You try to stand and just listen to the words that are being ministered, but the Spirit has Its way and the gate is lifted. The sorrow that had been lurking around breaks loose and you allow it to flow. Visions of this same scene with your mother laying in the casket engulfs you and the pain becomes unbearable and still, you allow the tears to pour down. You allow the Holy Spirit to take control and all you remember is being comforted by soothing words of a praying woman. You have allowed your grief to be seen and it’s okay. No longer are you expected to stand strong; you can cry. The preacher says his words and remarks are made and the final prayer is said…in the church…for the sake of peace
The food arrives and it’s more than you expected. Everyone has gone above and beyond because of the love and support they saw displayed amongst the family during and before this loss. They’ve seen the fights, the disagreements, but above all, they’ve seen the love. You push on until the very end. Your friends and loved ones all pitch in to help because they feel your pain, the grief and trials you went through for it all to go smoothly for the sake of peace…
And when it’s done, you can barely stand. Your sentences are slurred from lack of sleep and nutrition. You make confirm that all is well with everyone else and you finally find a quiet place and you allow yourself to rest..finally…for the sake of peace…
(For Auntie Neno…for the sake of peace) S. R. P. ©
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