LAmom

CALM DOWN ABOUT THE TREES!

Some Christian folks are getting really worked up about what other people call their decorated trees.  I could hardly believe my eyes when I read this:

After all, if there were no Jesus born in Bethlehem there would be no so-called holiday tree.

Really, I thought everybody knew by now that the trees were originally used in pagan rituals that pre-dated Christianity.  We Christians adapted them from the pagans to use as a part of our religious holiday.  Retailers have taken the trees to use in the service of their own religion (the worship of money).  People of other religions (or no religion) enjoy the trees as a part of the holiday season, whatever the holidays mean to them.

If we tell other people that they have to acknowledge our holiday in order to use the trees, should the pagans come down on us next and demand that we call them Saturnalia trees?

Nobody has tried to stop me from calling my own tree a Christmas tree.  And I don't have a problem with anybody else calling their tree whatever they like, be they an individual, a chain store, or a city government.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYBODY!

Count your blessings!

PLEASE DON'T CHRISTMAS ME YET

Good old Brandon said in an otherwise lovely post:

Now that Halloween (Reformation Day) is over...tis' Christmas season.

Nooooooooo!!!!!

Thanksgiving is my favorite national holiday,  It's a standalone.  It is not a suburb of Christmas.

I'll admit that on Thanksgiving I don't think very much about our national heritage and the origins of the holiday.  I focus on cultivating a spirit of contentment and gratitude.  For so many, Christmas is about wondering what we're about to get.  Lots of anticipation.  Thanksgiving is the opposite, a time to enjoy the people and things I already have.  A time to slow down and take a peaceful stroll on an autumn morning (and not see reindeer on people's lawns!).  A time to force my family to listen to Alice's Restaurant.  And, of course, a time to eat Aunt Joyce's cooking.

Ya know, maybe the reason Thanksgiving still seems like a gentle, friendly holiday to me is because the forces of commercialism have ignored it somewhat in their incessant pursuit of Christmas.  In their world, the Christmas season will continue to start earlier and earlier.  But in my heart, it will never begin until all the leftovers are gone.

FATHER'S DAY 2005

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

My father is one of the people I admire most on this earth.  I am ever thankful for the example of integrity, honesty, courage, and compassion that he has displayed throughout his life.

Recently, one of my uncles told an anecdote about their childhood.  There were 16 children in their family, and they were notorious for getting into fights when their parents weren't home, girls and boys alike.  My dad, he said, was the only one who never got into a fight with any of the other siblings.  One time, this uncle was angry about something my dad had said, and he hauled off and punched him.  Daddy looked shocked and just gasped the word, "Jesus!", and did nothing else (they were a very religious family, so when they said "Jesus," it was a prayer, not profanity).  My uncle would have known what to do if Daddy had hit him back, but after a reaction like that there was nothing to do but back off.

Everybody else just found that story amusing, but I was filled with pride.  I adore that guy.

Years ago, Dad was serving jury duty and got called in on a capital murder case.  During questioning, Dad said that he couldn't say for sure that he opposed the death penalty in all cases, but he couldn't think of a case where he would recommend it.  The prosecutor played the Nazi card: "Mr. Alexander, if Adolph Hitler were here, being tried for his crimes, would you call for the death penalty for him?"  Dad thought for a second and said, "Probably not."  No surprise, he was excused from the jury.

One last Dad story for today.  I'll link to his act of personal civil disobedience that I posted during Black History Month.

Happy Father's Day, Dad!  I love you!!

Big shout-out also to the father of MY children.  I think our nerd-jock combination is just right for encouraging our kids' development, and I think we're producing some really fabulous results.  Love you, honey!!

BILLY JOE DAY

My recuperation is going well.  Still some chest congestion, but I think I'll live.  And what's the first thing I come back to tell you?  That's it's Billy Joe Day!

Well, I've got some reading to catch up on (I presume that you all have still been writing while I've been gone!).  I'm sure you'll hear more from me before the end of the day.

MOTHER'S DAY 2005

Read the Mother's Day Proclamation of Julia Ward Howe, the originator of the holiday.  I'm planning to make copies of it to pass out on Mother's Day:

(excerpt)
From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...

This weekend is all about me, right?  Mom's special day.  Thank you so much for thinking of me.  Here I am, sitting up in bed, plumped up pillows all around me, eating breakfast from a tray table with a little vase holding a red rose.  And you all want to shower me with gifts.  You are so kind, really you are.  So what does LAmom want for Mother's Day?  I'm sure you'll think of something nice that will make me feel cherished . . .

• A racial truce in Los Angeles?  Oh, that would be lovely!

• A moratorium on the death penalty?  How thoughtful!

• Nuclear disarmament?  Ooh, I've wanted one of those for as long as I can remember!  I know there are a lot of newer gift ideas out there, but this one never goes out of style.  It would be prized for generations to come.

• A plan for cleaning up the mess we've made in Iraq?  Hmmm, the one you gave me last year isn't working that well.  You can give me another one if you like, but what really needs to be addressed is your behavior problem.  First, you need to apologize for making the mess and apologize for lying to Mommy, OK?  When you're ready to talk, I'll be here.

• A culture of life?  I've been hearing that that's the hot gift for this year, but there are some defective models on the market.  Don't blow this!  If you decide to get me one, do take some of my friends along when you go shopping.

See?  I'm not so hard to please.

Happy Mother's Day to me and to all of the other moms out there.  I hope you get something that's on your list.

JUST FOR FUN

I was driving around today shopping for the Christmas dinner (after researching a bit, I've decided that the pozole might be too hard for me; I'm going to attempt a leg of lamb).

Anyway, a song came on the radio. "Must Be Santa".  I started singing along and then making up my own words.  For Christian families who have kids, this could be fun to sing around the tree.

(And yes, I know that the Bible doesn't specify how many wise men there were.  But I couldn't think of any better verses.)

Yes, It's Jesus (to the tune of Must Be Santa; if you don't know the tune, here it is )

     Who came down to save the world?
          Jesus came down to save the world.
     Who was born to a virgin girl?
          Jesus was born to a virgin girl.

     Virgin girl
     Save the world
     Yes, it's Jesus
     Yes, it's Jesus
     Yes, it's Jesus, Jesus Christ

     Who was laid in a manger low?
          Jesus was laid in a manger low.
     Who was wrapped in swaddling clothes?
          Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes.

     Swaddling clothes
     Manger low
     Virgin girl
     Save the world
     Yes, it's Jesus
     Yes, it's Jesus
     Yes, it's Jesus, Jesus Christ

     Who was adored by wise men three?
          Jesus was adored by wise men three
     Who was held on Joseph's knee?
          Jesus was held on Joseph's knee

     Joseph's knee
     Wise men three
     Swaddling clothes
     Manger low
     Virgin girl
     Save the world
     Yes, it's Jesus
     Yes, it's Jesus
     Yes, it's Jesus, Jesus Christ

SOME CHRISTMAS MUSIC

This very cool Christmas song is by Tim Samoff.

So I'll go ahead and share a couple of Christmas songs that I've written.  These are performed by me with some friends and relatives, recorded after hours at my church.

 Glory

 When_Christ_was_born

BEST OF THIS YEAR?

Bob Carlton is asking bloggers to submit their five favorite posts of the year to be listed on his site.

Here are his instructions for any other bloggers out there who want to participate:

1. Create an entry with your best 5 entries of the year.

2. Send me the entry link at [email protected]

3. I am going to repost your entry on The Corner

4. Subscribe to the RSS feed

5. Spread the word

6. Enjoy the fun.

Now, I haven't been in the blogosphere very long at all, so I don't have as much depth to choose from as I hope to have next year.  But I'll go ahead and submit four:

My new anti-war campaign!
That which is conceived in her . . .
How to ruin a beautiful moment
So what do you mean by "pro-life progressive"?

What the heck, I'll pick this for a fifth one, just because very few people blog about foraging in their backyards:

L.A. power breakfast

THAT WHICH IS CONCEIVED IN HER . . .

(ADVISORY: This post has religious content)

Matthew 1:20 -- But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. (emphasis mine)

In the Christmas story, Mary has stuff is going on in her life that nobody understands.  She is the object of criticism and blame.  She alone knows that what she's going through is not the result of man's doing, but rather the result of God working in her life.

Joseph, her fiance, is not openly criticizing or blaming her, but still he is troubled, an understandable reaction if Mary's pregnancy were the work of man.  The angel tells Joseph that he can have confidence in the situation because it is not of man, it is of God.  Joseph is then willing to submit himself to the plan of God, regardless of what others might say.

Now, how about you?  Maybe you have something: a goal, a dream, a calling, that God has impregnated you with.  People looking at it from the outside may have all kinds of opinions about it, but you know that God gave it to you.  Right now your purpose might still be in the embryonic stage, barely visible to the naked eye.  "Fear not," the angel says.  If the thing conceived in you is of God, it will grow and be brought to birth in God's time.

Isaiah 46:11 -- Yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.