Getting what we need

At Home Depot a cell phone dropped on the floor behind me. It skidded to a stop at the back of my heel. “Thanks for dropping my phone!” a woman’s voice said angrily. A little boy of five responded “You’ve dropped it too, mom.” To which mom snapped back “Yeah, but its my phone!”

Both mom and son attempted to justify their own behavior, supplying reasons for why they should get a pass on the mistakes made. The son saying that he only did what his mom had done. Mom attempting to justify her anger at someone else’s careless treatment of her stuff.

I wonder what mom says if the phone stops working from the drop. If she has to replace it, will she cop to the truth, claiming ownership. “Excuse me miss, have you ever dropped the phone, or exposed it to water?” “No, it just stopped working. I don’t know what happened.”

It really boils down to saying what we need to, to justify our actions or getting our approval needs met.

Traditions and retreads

Today we went to a Christmas Eve service. It had all the trappings of tradition in it, the responsive readings, the candles, and the Christmas hymns. We responded in mass, moved as a congregation, singing and responding on cue.

At the beginning of the service the pianist and a flutist were playing “He will feed His flock” from Handel’s Messiah. I closed my eyes and the music took me away. I floated through past Christmases and association with the song. I was lifted heavenward. The melody took me from the building, away from the fancy dresses, the light chitchat and the crying babies.

I was brought back to earth after the prelude was over. The service felt like all out war between the pianist and the organist. One played in major, the other minor, there were chord wars for the right of transition, and at the end, and the organist was a mare galloping back to the barn at day’s end. The piano player was banging out the tempo, but the organist was not having any of it. The congregation remained confused as to whom to follow. The organ had the volume pedal so was able to gain the upper hand.

It’s tradition to go to this service. So why do I follow tradition? Why is it so hard to break through tradition and experience Christ’s birth one more year in my heart? The further I drive down the road of life the smoother my tires get. My tread is wearing thin,

The older I get, the more I lose the illusions that life provides us when we are young. These illusions allow us to vote, enjoy friends, participate in activities, get jobs, get married and birth children. The older I get, the less I know what I believe. So much of life doesn’t add up. Life’s twists and turns have gotten slipperier.

So part of the slipping is I show up at the Christmas Eve service. I say the words they ask me to say, I watch the faithful primp and adjust themselves to maintain appearances, and I sit back in amusement as the instruments do battle. There is less room in this inn right now to accommodate a Child of faith. I’m driving slow, following the taillights of those ahead of me. I’m not in the fast lane passing the throng. I’m driving slow, afraid of sliding off the road of life.

I pray for retreading, a new fresh layer to give me traction for my faith.

A new way to encourage a Merry Christmas

I wrote earlier about how the Pope had called the flock to more of a habit of the heart. I also talked about the American religious leaders aiding us in focusing our purchasing power. Those two ideas just coalesced into an idea that could bring the entire nation back to acknowledging Christmas.

Maybe we should follow the Pope's edict. Make Christmas more about moving away from materialism. We could stay at home and treasure family time, with reading, playing games, going out for walks, and the like. Activities could be encouraged that could be done at home and allow the families to grow closer together. It is sorely needed in this country. Maybe the idea is not to focus our purchasing power, but to stop spending.

If we stopped spending, the retailers, who are already nervous may turn all out terrified. I'll bet they would embrace anything Christmas. I could envisioning all kinds of ads: Ghosts of Christmas, images of the Christ child, Mary, Joseph, angels; all the trappings of an old time CHRISTMAS. They may even stop selling anything with the words "Season's Greetings" on it. The faithful in this country wouldn't have to decide where to spend their hard earned clams. There would be pleading and begging on every street corner, markdowns and sales galore, free give-aways, and anything else that would entice buyers into the store.

Then we could go back to the Christmases we have had in the past, forgive all and spend once again to beat the band. Only this time Merry Christmas would ring from the lips of all.

I just wonder if our attitude would be changed and we would see what we value in a different light by staying home and resisting the urge to spend?

Maybe I'll make that resolution on New Year's for next Christmas. I'm all done shopping for this year.

I didn't get it.

I have seen both Clooney movies now; Syriana, and Good night and good luck. I was just as confused at both of them. There was a lot that wasn't explained and you had to make the connection. Some of the connections were pretty elusive.

The movies are getting a lot of critical acclaim. I feel like I'm missing something. The major distiction I made is one had a bit of blood and explosions in it and the other one had a lot of people smoking in it. I got both movies, but I would be hard pressed to tell you what I got, other than Big Oil Companies run the world, and Joe McCarthy was a bully.

Other than that, it's a mystery as to why they are getting so much good press.

What do you think?

Is nothing sacred?

They’re calling it quits. Five years after Kathleen Peterson and Carolyn Conrad joined together legally in the first Civil Union ceremony in this country, they are abandoning their commitment. The pair was the first to enter into a civil union after former Vermont governor Howard Dean signed the legislation into law in 2000.

Actually some are calling what they are doing a divorce.

Okay I try to be tolerant to people different than me, but I must admit, I’m pretty peeved! A DIVORCE? What is this country coming to? Divorce is reserved for people who are married not civilly unionized. I’m sorry! You can’t just come into our world and co-opt our word for the ending of a marriage! Divorce should stay in heterosexual language and we won’t share!

Come up with your own word. Call it something else. Call it decoupled, dissolved, decivilized disunion. Call it anything you want, but don't call it divorce.

Sheez, is nothing sacred?

Narnia versus Brokeback Mountain

Aslan has come to the theatres. Narnia is playing the big screen. All the Christian folks are rejoicing that their story is being told. You have to hand it to Disney, that even though they haven’t been best friends with the religious at times, they had the courage to get the story right. Score one for the Christians.

At the same time Brokeback Mountain is gaining critical acclaim for its portrayal of two cowboys (emphasis on "boys") who fall in love with each other. Score one for the gay community.

Now comes the battle of words. “The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe” is being blasted as nothing more that Christian propaganda by some. On the other side “Brokeback mountain” is being referred to by the religious community as homosexual propaganda.

I’m not sure how success will be measured, if it is box office sales or an increase in professing Christians or homosexuals. The battleground for the moral compass seems to have been moved out of the church and is now being fought on the big screen.

In the end I wonder if any movie has the power to change a person’s outlook or lifestyle. Maybe we should just accept movies for what they are…entertainment.

May the best picture win!

Dogs and air marshals

Several weeks ago the news was plastered everywhere that a woman Isabelle Diroir had had a face transplant. As it turns out she had a nose, lips and chin grafted from the face of a dead woman. As the story developed, Isabelle’s 17 year old daughter stated that the reason the woman needed a face transplant was because she had overdosed on sleeping pills, Her daughter said “We don’t know whether the dog bit or clawed her, but it managed to pull her awake. In a way, it was lucky for her that the dog was there."

Two days ago a local TV news spot featured a woman who had been subdued by an air marshal several years ago. This piece was in reference to the person shot by an air marshal in Miami, last week. She stated that she had been flying to Alaska to end her life. She was drugging and her life was a mess. She spent a number of years in prison for her stint. She was upset at the air marshal that ended the unruly passenger's life in Miami. She stated her gratitude for the air marshal that saved her life. She talked about having something to live for now that she has cleaned up her life.

It strikes me about how many different ways there are to save a person’s life. I understand that when a person spirals into despair, there has to be something to shake them from their intentions. I guess it could be concluded that saviors come in different ways, and sometimes in different species as well.

A difference in focus

Religious leaders in this country are all up in arms because the word “Christmas has been taken out of much of the retail advertisements this year. It is getting humorous to see how much religion can be taken out of a religious holiday. I have been amused in years past as to how some school districts have bent over backwards to not “offend” anyone with references to Christian holiday trappings. There are only so many songs you can sing before you have to use “Christmas” carols, and there is only so much you can rework the lyrics before the integrity of the song is destroyed.

The religious leaders are striking back this year. Yessir! They are boycotting stores that don’t use the word "Christmas" in their store advertising. And there just may be enough people out there to seriously make a dent in a store’s profits.

The pope came out with a proclamation yesterday saying that materialism is destroying the Christmas season

In Rome, the religious leadership is attempting to encourage its followers to move this holiday season back to a state of the heart. In our country the religious leadership is directing people where to focus their purchasing power.

Silly Retailers

Silly retailers. You're peddling fantasy. You want us to buy your wares so you can improve your bottom line. That is admirable. We are all looking for advancing our lives and businesses. And what do you promise us in the deal? You offer us the possibilities for success, happiness, contentment, convenience, and admiration having your merchandise in our possession. Why else would we spend millions of dollars on all our purchases that we mostly live without?

So why are you so foolish now? You are avoiding using the word “Christmas” in your advertising. You are replacing it with words like holiday, winter, seasons greeting and other euphemisms. Be careful. You may capture new markets of those who don’t buy into the whole Christmas theme. However you may also be endangering maintaining the biggest fantasy of all: the belief of millions that we still live in a “Christian” nation. You might not want to imperil that fancy. There are enough that it may cut into that bottom line.

Repeat after me Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!

The wages of choice

Nguyen Tuong Van, 25, was hanged before dawn in Singapore. He was convicted of drug trafficing. I must admit I felt a sense of uneasiness knowing that he was hanged and the unwavering stance of the government.

In another land four men have been kidnapped and face death possibly by beheading. They are peace activists who were in Iraq to help improve the conditions there.

While I feel more sadness for the Iraqi hostages, I keep coming back to the simple thought that they all made choices. If I make a choice to drive into oncoming traffic with my lights off I would face tragic consequences. They all made choices. One to break the law by possessing heroin. The others made the choice to help in a land where providing that help can be very dangerous.

It is strange that when something ends badly we feel a sense of unfairness. But life is tricky. We make choices and then we have to live with the consequences.

Pain in the butt

Researchers from Dublin admitted the other day that because butts have gotten more fatty, the needles aren't long enough to place the medication where it needs to be. As a result they are adocating longer needles.

I guess I have to apologize to all you slender people out there for getting fat. I realize that because of my weight gain you may have to suffer. I could lose weight now, but the damage is done.

Umm, sure I'll take another helping.