Searching for Joy

This is Christmas, the season of peace and goodwill towards man. Last year, I wrote about the anger and frustration that I felt over the stupid things being done against Christmas in the name of PC. And this year it has gotten worse, no surprise. Add to that the corruption of the healthcare deals and the promise of higher taxes and lower care. A deep sadness had set in and the spirit of Christmas found little ground to take root within me. Depression is common during the holidays so I shouldn't be surprised about that either. However, depression for me during this season is very rare indeed. I had no joy! When our two grandkids came and opened their presents. They delighted us with smiles and their excitement infected me. My heart felt joy with every smile and burst of laughter.

Oh, how I wish that I could capture it and put it in a jar. I would sit it on my dresser. Each morning as I got out of bed, creaking old bones and screaming muscles, I would open that jar, taking a big whiff. Like Popeye eating his spinach, my body would strengthen and my mind would be filled with the freshness of my grandkid's joy. And at the end of the day, when every bone in my body is weary and my heart & mind are worn with stress, I could open that jar, taking just a little sniff to help me relax for sleep. What a nice thing that would be.

So with that image fresh in my mind, I decided that I would search for some Christmas spirit to pass on today. I can share the words; trying to give a taste of the spirit but I haven't figured out how to package it for later.

1. A 1st Baptist church in Vermont struggled to feed and help more homeless than ever before. They didn't have the money because donations were down and those in need were up. They had one thing of real value and a decision had to be made to sell a beautiful huge tiffany stained glass window worth over $75,000. As soon as the word got out, the phone began to ring with people offering money and suggestions to help the church keep the window and feed the homeless. Praise the Lord and the people who called.

2. A lost wallet containing $5,000 was found and the finders gave it back to the owner. Years ago, when I was a young mother of four, money was so tight. My husband was at the store getting a few things with the only money we had; $600 cash in his wallet. When he returned home, the wallet was not in his pocket. Panic and fear of a ruin Christmas filled out hearts as we rushed back to the store. I prayed that God would intervene and cause an honest person to find it. Miracles do occur. The store had the wallet, turned in by a person who found it in the parking lot. Every dollar was still in the wallet.

3. This is a mixed joy. A student at a high school in PA was suspended from school for wearing a Santa suit. He told the principle that he was going to wear it and hand out candy canes and the principle told him he couldn't. Well, he showed up the next day wearing the suit and cheerfully handing out candy canes. He was taken out of the school and suspended. He felt that it was harsh when all he wanted was to spread some good cheer but the principle said he was defiant. I know that the last few days of school before Christmas break is usually filled with productive things like playing games, doing busy work like crossword puzzles and crafts or watching movies yet he was called "too disruptive" I'm sorry but I think that he tried to capture joy and those kids weren't being disrupted but blessed. Sorry for the suspension but I felt joy that he wanted to do it anyways.

4. A man in Chicago returns home to find his entire apartment packed full of presents. This is great stuff. The man gave a friend his key to take care of things while he was gone. So the friend called all of his 16 friends, and they used 35 rolls of wrapping paper to wrap everything that the man owned. Yes, they wrapped the man's possessions from the beer in his fridge to the couch cushions in festive Christmas wrapping. The man was certainly surprised. It will take him days to unwrap but he is finding that everytime he unwraps a present, it is exactly what he needed.

5. Eating nuts is really good for your heart so it's okay to go nuts and indulge. I love pecans. I grew up in Louisiana where we picked nuts off our yard and along the roads all over. We spent hours cracking them and eating as many as we offered to my Mum for cooking pies. I didn't realize that other people in other states weren't blessed with pecan trees so when I moved here, I had to buy them. Oh my, buying pecans was expensive and a luxury. What made it worse was that all the talk of avoiding fat made it sinful to fill mouth with those heavenly treats. I missed that simple little nut so much and indulged so little. Today, I hear on the news that it's okay to eat nuts and it's so good for you. What joy! Okay maybe $7 is alot ot pay for a little bag of pecans, but oh what joy the memories will be as I eat them.

6. A woman called the cops to have her 6 year old arrested for shoplifting. Yeah, Mom! Scare her now and put a stop to it. I applaud you! There were times when mine were young that they stole, I made them take it back and the store people were just too darn nice about it! I have more to tell on this problem of shoplifting and kids but I am focusing on the positive things today. This mother took a stand and demanded that her child be held accountable.

7. Talk about Christmas joy. A 5 year-old abducted girl is rescued by a policeman and returned to her family unharmed.

8. Thank you Mtn Home News! In this day and age of people taking the spirit out of Christmas; your paper still has the ability and desire to post the Greatest Story ever told on the front page. While Boise buses are receiving complaints from a few because they flashed Merry Christmas on their signs and crosses across the country are being torn down, little Mountain Home can still see that wonderful story and picture on their paper. And my thanks also goes out to the fact that we still have nativity scenes, both alive or staged and the evergreen tree still gets decorated and flashes with lights. Thank God!

9. A church in Twin Falls suffered damages including destroying a $9,000 organ when some low-lifes broke in. A sad thing to occur at this time of year but the Spirit of Christmas was heeded by many who called the pastor and offered donations to help. One donation coming from Las Vegas. Way to go people!

10. And the winner for my search for Christmas joy today is Dennis Stevenson in Sydney, Australia. Last year, he gave away most of all of his own possessions to the needy last year. So this year, he opened a shop on Dec. 22 called, The Spirit of Christmas Shop and encouraged others to give away their stuff. Now where else would you go to find joy? Within 2 days, 90% of his possessions and those who donated had been claimed. Now that is what I call great Christmas Charity. I imagine the local stores felt a little pinch in their profits. Hundreds of people who needed a helping hand to give a gift to their loved ones discovered the little shop and the kindness of one man. I'm sure that his name will be said in prayers for years to come. Way to go Dennis!

I guess that no matter how bad it seems; no matter how many violent and horrible tragedies occur, there will always be people who offer joy for the taking if you look hard enough. May this new year find you reaching out to others in little and big ways, grabbing all the joy you can muster and passing that onto others on a daily basis. God bless!