The holiday’s put me in a melancholy mood.  When I was young Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday.  Our family would travel to my dad’s cousin’s home.  They lived about 45 minutes away from us in the country.  Back in those day’s everything closed for the day.  You would be lucky to even find a gas station open.  I can remember sitting in the backseat driving to Joy and Charlie’s house and just gazing out the window at the quiet.  The trees had all dropped their leaves by this time and even though the land was barren looking with the crops harvested and a wide window to all with the leaves off the trees, there was a magic to it all. 

Family members from all over the country would arrive to spend the day together.  As kids we would spend hours outdoors playing football, sliding down the hill on the leaves, having fun.  The home had two kitchens, one upstairs and one down so there was much activity with the meal being prepared.  After dinner if you walked into the large living room there would be men in every seat half asleep with the football game on.  I was drawn to this sense of togetherness.

It is now almost 50 years later, my grandparents are long gone, my parents have passed and I still can’t drive down the road during the holiday’s without looking out the window and thinking about each home and wondering how they are spending their day.  Are they planning on family coming for the day, are they decorating, or do they not even celebrate?  I feel that sense of quiet again.  A feeling that all is right, that the love of family can overcome all.   

It is a scary time for all.  The world has changed so much in those 50 years.  I fear for my grandbabies and the world they will live in.  I wish it could all be so simple again.  I wish we could all feel that sense of quiet - all is good, all is safe. 

Yesterday in church we sang O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.  The last verse touched me so.  I looked it up and it was written in 1861.  Could it be that the fears have always been here, the desire for so much more has always been here, that the quiet has always been here.  We just need to find it within ourselves.

[Verse 7]
O come, desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease
And be Thyself our King of peace

[Refrain]
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

Merry Christmas to all.