No Greater Gift

Thursday, Dec. 25, 2003 - 3:37 a.m.

People around the world are waking up today and it's Christmas.

The gifts that I have loved the most this year are the ones that have not cost very much, but because they are gifts from the heart, they are priceless to me.

The most recent of these gifts dear Jamie Lord managing to make me laugh when I thought that was the last thing on the planet that I'd ever feel like doing; webcamming with my brother and pretending to catch kisses bestowed by my niece and nephew and seeing their reaction; a call from Cher1 H3ys3 when she had a Funny Feeling about me last week and just wanted to see if I was okay, and the trust shown to me by JJ when I photographed her body art.

Those are things that no amount of money could replace.

---

One of the people I met at last year's family gathering found out that I was a Pagan, and began sending me Christian centered humor and anecdotes in email. I thanked her for her correspondence, and then I sent her the words to this song.

She never emailed me again. I have no idea why.

The Christians And The Pagans

by Dar Williams

Amber called her uncle, said "We're up here for the holiday,
Jane and I were having Solstice; now we need a place to stay."
And her Christ-loving uncle watched his wife hang Mary on a tree,
He watched his son hang candy canes all made with Red Dye No. 3.
He told his niece, "Its Christmas Eve, I know our life is not your style,"
She said, "Christmas is like Solstice, and we miss you and its been awhile."

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table,
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able,
And just before the meal was served, hands were held and prayers were said,
Sending hope for peace on earth to all their gods and goddesses.

The food was great, the tree plugged in, the meal had gone without a hitch,
Till Timmy turned to Amber and said, "Is it true that you're a witch?"
His mom jumped up and said, "The pies are burning," and she hit the kitchen,
And it was Jane who spoke, she said, "It's true, your cousin's not a Christian,"
"But we love trees, we love the snow, the friends we have, the world we share
And you find magic from your God, and we find magic everywhere,"

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table,
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able,
And where does magic come from? I think magic's in the learning,
'Cause now when Christians sit with Pagans only pumpkin pies are burning.

When Amber tried to do the dishes, her aunt said, "Really, no, don't bother."
Amber's uncle saw how Amber looked like Tim and like her father.
He thought about his brother, how they hadn't spoken in a year,
He thought he'd call him up and say, "It's Christmas, and your daughter's here."
He thought of fathers, sons and brothers, saw his own son tug his sleeve, saying,
"Can I be a Pagan?" Dad said, "We'll discuss it when they leave."

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table,
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able,
Lighting trees in darkness, learning new ways from the old, and
Making sense of history and drawing warmth out of the cold.

---

I think the best gift that's happened this year is the restoration of my trust in people, after the year I've experienced. So many people have been instrumental in this. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I hope that if you are observing today's holiday, that you all have a peaceful day.

Merry Christmas to all of you.

---

what you missed - what's next - leave a note
first post - cast page - diaryrings - top ten

THE LEGAL STUFF: All content on this site that was created by me is copyright 2003-infinity by Brin Marie McLaughlin. Steal my stuff and I'll squash you like a bug. All incoming email or any other form of communication with me is subject to publication or other distribution by me in whole or in part at my sole discretion. This diary features the sole opinions and experiences of one person, namely me, the person who is paying for this space. In the interest of safety and accountability, no anonymous input will ever be allowed here, ever, for any reason in the entire history of ever. Whenever there is a comments section appearing in this diary, it's to be considered part of my paid presence on the web, and shall be used by my readership to supplement the things I have written here with relevant information in a polite manner. Comments that do not fall in that category are subject to deletion at my whim. Your visit to my diary along with your use of my comments section constitutes the understanding of this statement. Anything else on these pages including any comments belongs to whoever created it. All external links are current as of the date of the entry in which they are first featured, but at no other time. News excerpts used here are for educational purposes and are permitted under the Fair Use Doctrine. Hold hands when you cross the street, and play nice.