Im going to start my Christmas Carol celebration a little bit early, but for good reason... Thanks to the holiday, things seem to have calmed down considerably around Ferguson the last two days. Its touching to hear stories about people from around the region traveling there to spend their Thanksgiving painting buildings and doing other things to clean up the mess of the previous two days. As today ends and we leave behind a day for remembering what were grateful for, I hope cooler heads will prevail and that poor city wont be thrown back into the inferno. Couple that wish, with the real world hope that this song has brought, even in humanitys darkest days. Normally I start my Carol Countdown with the immortal Christmas Song by Nat King Cole, because nothing quite starts Christmas for me than his silky voice inviting me to sit in front of the fireplace, but in light of things it seems appropriate to give that song second billing and let Silent Night start the season. Years ago I heard the story about how in World War I, the soldiers huddled in their trenches in Europe broke into singing this song, reminding each of them that though they spent so much time and effort killing each other, when it comes down to it they all belong to the same human race, giving them a moment of cameraderie strong enough to compel them to come out of the trenches, climb up onto the battlefield and share a true moment of brotherhood with each other, trading cigarettes and drinks, chatting and laughing, giving each other whatever companionship could be offered to someone that wanted nothing more than to be back home with their loved ones at that time of year. The officers warned against such fraternization, fearing it weakened the resolve of their men, but their warnings were routinely ignored. I guess I get from that, that even when we are at our most adversarial, our most vindictive, the heart of each of us wants to set aside our differences and come together. And before the hatemongers stoke the flames and belch out their acidic thoughts, Id like to send a message of hope. Take a moment and remember that you are brothers and sisters first, of the same beating heart irregardless of our circumstances, politics or skin color. Take to the battlefield and fight the good fight, not against each other, but against the partisanship that is making this sort of tragedy all too common. I wish for healing, community and peace... clearly we are no greater masters of these qualities than we were two thousand years ago when Jesus was born for those that believe, and for those that dont, I think we can still agree that those are tenets we could all stand to encourage. Sleep well tonight, and strive for a more graceful heart tomorrow... https://youtube/watch?v=VM8rQww53fk
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 06:39:33 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015