The Real Spirit of Christmas?

Here in this happy season of enraged shoppers and rude store clerks and Target’s phenomenal credit card security system, there is the real spirit of Christmas.

It goes something like this.

Work with other nations? Why do we need them? We have no need of them. They’re all primitive countries with terrorists and taxes and people of other colors and strange cultures who don’t even observe Christmas. Who can understand a thing they say anyway. Other countries are useless. God bless America.

Obamacare? Good Lord no. We don’t need that. If people are stupid enough to get sick then let them figure out how to get well on their own. I don’t want my tax dollars helping other people. The Bible says help yourself, or something like that.

Stop war. Are you kidding? Wars are great. Some of the best movies ever made in this country are war movies. John Wayne is still a hero here. Did you not ever see “The Longest Day” for God’s sake? And besides, who gives a flip about the Germans, the Japs, the Cong, the Iraqis, the Afghanistans, and all those other people we’ve blown to bits? War is healthy. War makes men out of boys. War is sexy. Just ask a woman. A man in uniform and all of that.

What about gays you say? Christmas is a time to love everyone you say? Well, Phil Robertson answered that for us. God is offended by gays. That’s what the Bible says. Gays are all going to hell. Marriage is only for one man and one woman forever. They get married. They have kids. They fight. They run around on each other. They have it out. That’s what marriage is all about. Marriage was invented by God in the Garden of Eden to be a fairytale story of wonder intended only for heterosexuals. And I mean only. Adam and Eve. Two lovebirds. Crazy about each other. They had some trouble with the fruit and a tree and all of that. But trouble and headaches and confusion is what marriage is all about and it’s a beautiful thing only a man and his wife a woman can know. Not gays. They can’t know these things. They would only ruin marriage.

Poor people? There aren’t any poor people in this country. Just users. Just lazy drug addicts and alcoholics who are selfish and bossy. It’s their own fault if they are poor. Welfare takers. Beggars, all of them. Street corner bums wanting a handout and then driving home in SUVs. I mean, everyone knows that. Giving poor kids free breakfast and lunch at school? Really? How dumb do you think we are? We know that is a liberal plot to take from the hard working people who make Wall Street great. If those stupid poor kids want a free meal let them clean the school bathrooms and wait on the kids whose parents have money. That would be acceptable. Otherwise forget them.

Immigration? Let’s get this straight. Christmas is an American holiday. We started it and we own it and we don’t need foreigners coming in here and messing with our traditions. Jesus was white just like Santa. Both are saviors. Jesus for the Old South; Santa for Macys. What could be more American than that? You can’t sing “White Christmas” while wearing a sombrero, okay? This is our holiday. And by “our” I think you know what I’m talking about.

So go out there in these last beautiful days of this precious season and have a merry time. Drink some American eggnog. That’s ours, too. Have fun wrapping that gift for that person you can’t stand. And don’t forget to write a check at Target.

Jingle Bells all the way! Oh what fun it is when you’re in the right spirit!

If you know what I mean.

If I had five minutes to evacuate--what would I take with me?

If I was told there was a bomb in my building and I had five minutes to evacuate my apartment I’d grab a grocery bag and quickly toss these items into it: 1. A photo of my grandparents, Mom and Pop and me, when I was 15 years old. I learned what love is made of from them. I learned what it is to be kissed on and hugged in arms so tender they felt like God’s arms. I discovered self worth from those two angels in human flesh. Of all the people in my life, they were the ones who made me feel I counted. Honestly, whatever capacity I have to love others came from them. 2. A sentimental, dog-eared, stars in the margin copy of Pat Conroy’s, “The Prince of Tides.” It is a book I have read three times and often return to for its wisdom. It is a harsh, profoundly tragic novel, the story of a family so broken and tortured by such flawed and wounded people that it is sometimes difficult to turn the next page. And yet it is the story of such Herculean courage and endurance that you want...

I Saw the Delicacy of Life

I was flying Across the deep And I saw the delicacy Of life Wrinkles on the faces Of the old So pure they glistened Like awards The joy of children Running with abandon Their laughter ringing Like chimes in the wind I saw the soft moving waves Across the sea And the trees releasing Their rainbow leaves Birds joined me on my flight And I saw the surface of their wings Adorned with patterns Glorious and unfurled I saw the tears of the sad And the smiles of the glad The suffering in mourning And the celebration of birth As I descended toward the ground Slowly, slowly, softly I saw the gentle grass of the field And smelled the fresh earth It was a perfect landing © 2018 Timothy Moody

Actions Make a Difference

“We make progress in society only if we stop cursing and complaining about its shortcomings and have the courage to do something about them.” ~ Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Physician/Author Pictured here is Kikuko Shinjo, 89 years old, a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bomb blast. As a 17-year old nursing student she helped nurse victims of the carnage back to health. Many of them died in her care. She says she holds no grudge against America and encourages interaction between the Japanese and Americans. She has devoted her life to peace, saying, “I want all the people around the world to be friends, and I want to make my country peaceful without fighting.” Today she makes colorful paper cranes and donates them to the Children’s Peace Monument at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

The Unclad Soul

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