Life in my own hands

I took my life into my own hands last Saturday, and went to Target. I was there fairly early, which I think was the sole reason for my survival, but it was still touch and go. During my escape I found myself in line behind a woman writing a check, and not just writing a check but writing a check to supplement a gift card. The gift card did not cover the cost of her goods, and in a vain attempt to accelerate the process she performed some mental math and wrote the check before the difference had been calculated. The computer disagreed with her about how much the check should be worth, so the cashier called a manager to find out if they could give the woman three dollars back. The manager was not immediately available, and after waiting long enough for the manager to begin making her way toward us, the woman wrote another check for the proper amount.

I will be the first to admit that watching this spectacle was like watching someone tell a very long, humorless joke, complete with nervous laughter, but with the added pain of knowing that I could not leave that place of quiet chaos until the joke was finished. However, I was still a little surprised when I suddenly heard very audible expletives being muttered behind me. The man just a person back from me apparently found the joke to be not only humorless, but cause for enough anger to growl some words generally reserved for times much more desperate than these. As I say, I was a little taken aback by this and so shared my experience with my wife later that day. She said that she had heard a man in a coffee shop tell another man that he gets angry this time of year because his wife always "outdoes" him in their gift exchange.

Now, I'm not one who would claim to be capable of explaining the "reason for the season", at least not the reason for America's season, with all of her very confusing Santa, Things, Jesus, Economy, Love, Objectors messaging. But, I think it would be safe to say that audibly cursing in Target and being angry with your wife for "outdoing" you do not fall into anything loosely defined as the "reason".

It would be pretty easy to finish up here with a little admonition to remember the spirit of Christmas over the next few days (and from what I understand the spirit of Christmas to be, that's probably a fine idea), but I think I'm going to be so bold as to suggest that we define that a little. Let's take the opportunity over the next few days to discover (or re-discover) those things which last forever; our relationships with people. After all, what was the original Christmas greeting if not a joyful proclamation of the value of every human life? So, should you somehow find yourself in a large retail store, or (may you have strength) at the mall on the evening of the twenty-fourth and you feel tensions are becoming too high, I would encourage you to jump up onto the nearest checkout counter or bench and shout, "Joy in heaven, and on earth, peace and goodwill toward everyone!" It's a wonderful thing to hear, and who knows, maybe it will lead to a scene from a musical...which I for one would really like to see.

A little closer

We just returned from a very big trip. At least, it felt really big; and I guess in terms of miles traveled and the difference between the world we live in and the one we entered, it was in fact quite big. A group of us traveled to Southeast Asia with the goal of bringing a little Christmas cheer to people who might not find it so easy to be cheerful, mainly kids who live on the street or in an orphanage of some variety. Very kind people donated money to our trip, both for our travel costs as well as for gifts and activities we could provide for the children. The generosity of these people was sincerely overwhelming and we are very grateful for their wonderful hearts. In case you're curious, the trip was amazing.

But I'm not quite ready to write about most of my experiences there; about the kids who live at the garbage dump, the detention facility where the Pol Pot regime imprisoned, tortured and murdered hundreds of their countrymen (and millions across the country), the beggars who have lost limbs to landmines, spirit houses that very poor people buy because they believe it will keep evil spirits out of their home, and the kids on the street who have only other kids to watch over and protect them. No, I'm not ready because those are very hard things and the jet-lag is severe.

However, I will say I am honored and privileged to have been a part of this adventure. I am honored to have been able to, with the incredible assistance of others help make kids laugh and smile, and perhaps bring them a little hope in some cases. I am privileged because having seen this other world affords me the invaluable opportunity of adjusting mine just a little closer to real.