Christmas: A Time of Hope

(Here it is: the shamelessly-plugged "special post." And before anyone berates me for making a trite-and-sappy post, let just say that everything that follows, like everything I post, is genuine and from the heart (and/or mind). If it sounds cliche, that's only because I happen to be agreeing with some people who came before. End disclaimer.)

Around Christmas last year, I posted the lyrics to one of my favorite songs. It seemed a fitting way to mark the occasion. I like to think that I have a certain way with words, at least in writing, but I'm enough of a realist to admit that I can't compare to the masters (at least not yet ;-)). With that in mind, I'm doing something similar this year, but I'm going in a slightly different thematic direction.

Christmas is a joyful time for me, as I hope it is for all of you. But there are many people who suffer at this time of year, who are haunted by painful memories: of loved ones lost, of family and friends far away, of good times past, of happier days that cannot be reclaimed. I know of a handful of people in particular: two of my friends have lost grandfathers in recent months, and two friends of another friend lost their son over the summer; this will be their first Christmas without those loved ones, and I can imagine how hard it will be. (Last Christmas was the first one after my father's mom died, so I do have some idea of the pain.)

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of America's greatest poets, struggled with loss and despair throughout his life. During the Christmas season of 1864, in the midst of the American Civil War and three years after watching his wife die, Longfellow was crushed by the violence and horror he saw around him. Yet he found hope in the knowledge that God has a plan and that His plan is good. Longfellow wrote the poem "Christmas Bells," which was later set to music (minus the fourth and fifth stanzas) and renamed "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," to describe those conflicting feelings. The tune of the song is beautiful; if you don't know it, you can find a MIDI of it here (it's not great, but it should give you the idea).

"Christmas Bells"

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Sorrow is an unavoidable part of life. We cannot escape it, but we can endure it with the support of friends and the knowledge that pain and death are not the end. In the midst of difficulties, we can find hope and strength in the love and grace of God, who sent His only son as a baby to live and die for us and for our salvation. The peace Longfellow predicts is foreshadowed in the last stanza of another popular Christmas song, "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear":

For lo! the days are hast'ning on,
By prophet-bards foretold,
When with the ever-circling years
Comes round the age of gold;
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests!" (Luke 2:14)

Merry Christmas, and may God's peace be with you and yours.

Farewell to Fall '05

After a 35-minute delay in Dallas, I arrived in California only 20 minutes behind schedule. The flights were smooth and uneventful, which is always nice. I'm rather proud of myself: between 3pm Central Time (when I checked in at the Longview airport) and 12:15am CT (about 25 minutes before landing in CA) I read John Grisham's The Last Juror. It was my first Grisham novel, and I can see why so many people like his work. Of course, I may have been slightly biased thanks to it being my first for-fun read in four months. The first of many planned for this break. *contented sigh* If inspiration strikes, I might write up a little review of the book, but that won't be for a while yet. Tonight I'm being taken to a concert of some sort; my folks haven't told me what yet, but I'm sure it'll be a blast. Updates as time and motivation permit. ;-)

To you, my friends: May your travels be safe and your breaks restful and fun.

Previews and Ponderings

As long-time readers may know, I usually try to have special (i.e. thoughtful, moving, entertaining, etc.) posts up for various occasions: Easter, Christmas, New Year's, Start of Summer, etc. Well, I've got this year's "Christmas Special" ready to go (and I'm fairly pleased with it), but I think I'll wait to post it until closer to Christmas; probably around the 21st or so. Mark your calendars, I know you won't want to miss it. [/sarcasm]

In the meantime, I don't expect to have any particularly deep posts in the near future. I'll probably post something to let those of you who care know when I arrive safely at home after Finals. There might be a post or two about the things I do in those first few days off. After Christmas will probably see an account of what I do on C-Day, and hopefully I'll get something else worthwhile up at some point before I return to school. It might depend on whether anyone else is actually reading blogs over the break; little point in posting if nobody sees it.

Now, before I sign off this time, I'd just like to throw out some quick thoughts in preparation for the madness that this week will bring:
The Net Stress Level on campus is pretty high, and I suspect the NSL in our circle is a little higher than the campus average. We all have lots of things on our minds--academic and otherwise--and it's easy to fall into hysteria and/or despair in such circumstances. With that in mind, I think we would all do well to remember the so-called "Serenity Prayer," attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference;
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Amen.

Good luck to all during final exams and other stresses; don't forget to make time for God and for rest.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." --Proverbs 3:5-6

Almost...there...

Well, my friends, we're almost there. The last weekend of the semester is nearly upon us, and Finals Week will be over before we know it. All that remains for me is to finish my Undergraduate Research paper, a process which I hope to complete by tomorrow night. After that, it's just a matter of sailing through finals week (and by "sailing" I mean "studying").
*sighs* I'm ready for Christmas to be here. Most of you have heard me whine about how the last time I actually had a break from school was last Christmas, so I hope you'll forgive me if I seem a little overly anxious.

While we wait, here's a little something to keep you distracted for about 5 minutes: By now, I'm sure you've all seen the crazy lights-and-music display that's been going around the internet for a while. Well, it seems the man responsible has shut it down for safety reasons. While it's somewhat sad that he had to do that, it was good of him to recognize the problem and fix it (apparently) of his own volition.

What Lies Ahead

For my benefit and your information (in case you care), following is a list of the projects that I have left to complete before this semester is over. If there's enough of a lull that (1) I have time for something interesting and (2) I have time to write about it, I'll come up with another post between now and the end. Otherwise, this is likely to be it for a while.

So, my friends, here's to the end of the semester: May we be full of strength, endurance, patience, and good humor to the end, and may our projects be successful. L'chayim.

Date Due -- Course -- Assignment -- (Status)

Saturday, December 3 -- n/a -- Literary Conference -- (done, and it rocked)

Monday, December 5 -- Spanish 3 -- 1-on-1 interview -- (done)

Wednesday, December 7 -- American History -- Homework #4 -- (done)

Thursday, December 8 -- American Lit -- Research Paper -- (done)
Thursday, December 8 -- Journalism -- Publications Project -- (done)
Thursday, December 8 -- Fine Arts -- Research Paper -- (done)

Monday, December 12 -- Undergraduate Research -- Everything (journals + research paper) -- (journals done; paper started)