December 2008 Archives

I hope you all had a cheery Christmas. Here is the lovely tree we had this year. I can say it was lovely because it was designed and decorated by my daughter. She picked through our ornaments and found ones that fit her theme. She even has a theme picked out for next year's tree.

Here is the artist with her tree:

She begged to have her picture taken while she was in her favorite costume: real fatigues purchased from Goodwill. If your child loves dress-up, you should always visit thrift stores to find wonderful outfits.

Meanwhile, I think D did a great job playing interior decorator and I hesitate to put away my tree this year.

The children have been with their grandparents this week and the house is very peaceful. I find myself reciting aloud that Yeats poem: "...And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow..."

Long ago, I was invited to a Catholic church and all who remained after the Mass were to be anointed by a visiting priest. I stayed. As the elderly priest rubbed scented oil in the sign of the cross on my forehead, he asked what blessing I asked of God. I froze, unsure, but out of the depth of my heart I blurted, "Peace!"

Of course I was not asking for the sort of peace that tags along with quiet. Nor did I wish for the sort of peace that comes when swords are beaten into plowshares. Those are very nice kinds of peace, but what I desired was the Peace that floods your soul with comfort and soothes your distresses, the kind you hear "in the deep heart's core".

Innisfree, in Yeats' poem, is a heavenly retreat from "the roadway" or "the pavements gray" and just the hope of Innisfree gave Yeats peace, though he dwelt in a dark and dreary place.

We also have the hope of Innisfree to sustain us in our dark places. Our Lord of the Lake Isle is Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and he offers to each of us comfort, serenity, and (best of all) salvation. No torment is so great, no despair so complete, that He cannot bring peace to our deep heart's core.

      For unto us a Child is born,
      Unto us a Son is given;
      And the government will be upon His shoulder.
      And His name will be called
      Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
      Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

This Christmas, and always, I wish you all Peace.

Store workers are being trained to say, "Happy Holidays!" I don't blame them for following company rules and I don't blame the companies who are trying not to step on any toes. However, Christians should reply with a jolly "Merry Christmas!" Christmas is the only chance we have each year to bring out Christ to all we meet. As Scrooge did the morning after his conversion, be sure this season to enthusiastically call out "Merry Christmas" to one and all.

And a Merry Christmas to you!

Imagine one average Monday you are off at work and tragedy strikes your home. A jet crashes into your house and you lose your entire family: your wife, your newborn daughter, your toddler daughter, and your mother-in-law who had come to America to help your wife care for your little ones. You also lose your home and everything you own.

How would you respond? With anger? With despair?

All this happened to naturalized American citizen Dong Yun Yoon and he responded with faith, patriotism, and compassion:

"Please pray for [the pilot] not to suffer from this accident," a distraught Dong Yun Yoon told reporters gathered near the site of Monday's crash of an F/A-18D jet in San Diego's University City community.

"He is one of our treasures for the country," Yoon said in accented English punctuated by long pauses while he tried to maintain his composure.

"I don't blame him. I don't have any hard feelings. I know he did everything he could," said Yoon.

We have a little custom at my house: when any family member leaves, everyone says, "I love you." Most of the time there are hugs, too. Many times there are also kisses.

It may seem silly to go to the trouble over and over, but it's comforting to know that, should the worst occur, one last opportunity to express our love was not lost.

It's a dangerous world and often the unimaginable happens. I'm sure Mr. Yoon never thought a jet would crash into his life and destroy everything he had or held dear. 

I only hope that if I am ever in Mr. Yoon's place (and Lord, I pray I'm not), that I react as nobly and honorably as he has.

God bless and keep you, Mr. Yoon.

My kids haven't gotten the chance to be finger printed and charged with felonies for playing with cap guns at school.

Poor Alandis. A cap gun is a baby toy; my kids moved on to a Glock and an M4 long ago.

Since my son was asking last night about the carol, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," I told him I would search for the lyrics. In my search I came across many related links and here they are:

• The catechism behind the lyrics
• Info from Wikipedia
• Coloring sheets
• Snopes weighs in on the matter
• Music meets math
• Free quilt pattern
• Free worksheets from About.com
• Song's cost this Christmas