A Christmas Poem

Twas the day before the night before Christmas with little snow on the ground,
Green grass showing through with just a touch of some brown

A day off for me, so sleep in I did
Wearing my Christmas pajamas like a wee little kid

Drinking some coffee, watching the news
Trying to figure out just what I should dos(it's supposed to rhyme)

Just a couple more presents to wrap and make pretty
While watching the dog bark at our barn kitty

Mama baking my favorite- cranberry bread
And papa working hard, as well as our 40 head (of cattle)

Decorations have been hung, cards all have been sent
My wallet is nearly empty, but money well spent!

Tomorrow, back to work I go
Helping kids learn to ski on lots and lots of snow

Yes, I work on Christmas, but don't you worry
It's a quiet day usually, and I drive home in a hurry

Christmas isn't about tangible things that you and I buy
But about love and family and oh The Big Guy

Jesus- that's him- the one we really celebrate
For some that actually sing and eat birthday cake

For my family, we celebrate when all are drawn near
It might not be the 25th, but no problem my dear!

In many countries Christmas is more than one day
They celebrate all month or just for 12 days!

So though I work at Christmas time
I'm not the only one working for a dime

We few are lucky to have a job, to find ourselves work
There are still many who can't find jobs and feel like a jerk

With that in mind, be happy! Be merry!
Just don't eat all the chocolate covered cherries!

Remember the real reason of Christmas- the ultimate gift
A little baby born in a manger, our hearts do lift

With love from Vermont, Merry Christmas to you!
Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Boxing Day, too!

Significance

I haven't written a blog for a while. I look back and I haven't written since Thanksgiving. Well, here it is December 17. More than half-way though the month. The fifth birthday of my wonderful niece, Selah. The anniversary of the Wright Brothers flight. Lots of cools stuff happened on this date. And some not cool things.

As you look around and hear all about the massacre at the elementary school in Connecticut, its hard not to think about life and death and our short time here on Earth. A wise person once said that we are all put here on Earth for a reason. At 34, I'm still trying to figure that one out. But what about the 20 six and seven-year-olds? What was their reason? Some might be quick to say that they didn't get to make an impact. Au contraire. Just look at the media with the videos and pictures of these children. They've obviously have made an impact. Let's talk about how.

This tragedy has left dozens of families without their child. It has awakened many other families to the importance of their children and how precious they are. That is such an important impact. To me, this is probably the most important, though many politicians will point fingers at gun control, and educating school staff about safety, and the health field about mental health conditions of young people. While political pundits argue and point fingers about what they think is the root to this evil that was caused, 26 families will mourn the loss of their family member. We can never loose sight of that.

I remember 9/11. I seemed to cry for days and days and I didn't know anyone personally who died. That didn't matter. What mattered was that I wanted my dad home safely with my mom and I. Family. Safety. Love. Those are the things that are important. And freedom. Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave many "Fireside Chats" during the early part of World War II, mostly in efforts to keep the American people calm during such a turbulent time. One of his famous quotes from a "chat" was, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." How I wish that were true.

One other point that I've heard is that this wouldn't happen if we had God back in schools. I agree to an extent- we shouldn't push God out of our schools and then when tragedy strikes, have moments of silent prayer and reflection. The great Satchel Paige said, "Don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines." I personally do too much praying when it rains- when things are tough, I then go to God. Many parents are counting their blessings tonight. It's about time! We as a nation need to go back to church, where our communities grew and are strongest. I've heard people say, "this stuff didn't happen when I was growing up." No, it didn't because we had strong GOD FEARING communities- Jew, Gentile, Black, White, what have you. We need to put God back in our lives, not just in parts of our lives. Call me a Bible Thumper, that's fine. If I die tomorrow, I know where I'm going and I'm good with that.

My hope is that we can use tragedies such as these to refocus on what is really and truly important in our lives. What is important to you?