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''Tis the Season' - A Commentary

By Carol Craver, KERA 90.1 commentator

Dallas, TX – At the risk of sounding sappy, I love Christmas.

I see the darkness in this world. Oh Lord, do I see the darkness. I dread it. As one who has raised two children in a world that celebrates violence, I do see the dark side of life. But in my house, on my television, radio, and Internet connection, where elaborate descriptions of cruelty, violence and injustice ricochet like bullets from a crazed sniper's weapon, I take cover.

But don't think I dodge a single bullet. That's why I've been known to declare a moratorium on death, at least in my own living room, and I have to think that other loving souls must do the same.

When violence comes across our television screen, I'm out of there. If you want to listen to the radio with me, don't tune in to Disaster Central. We've got Sunday afternoon Selected Shorts. We have Garrison Keller, Fresh Air, and Morning Edition, but mention who got shot by whom, whose precious child is no longer among us, or what war is heating up on whose sacred homeland, and I'm off to curse humanity, kick the wall, and conversely, to say my prayers for a better tomorrow.

But now, the season is upon us - 'tis the season for love and joy, for accepting ourselves and each other for what we are, for forgiving ourselves and each other for what we are not, for embracing our blessing and finding hope in the future, for setting aside disappointment and tragedy and moving on toward the light.

Sometimes I find it hard to see that glow of hope for the future, but at Christmastime, a spark of hope overpowers me with its warmth and its brightness. I see partygoers dressed in festive attire. We greet each other with smiles and handshakes. We have stories to tell and jokes to trade and I'm reminded of the feelings belted out by the memorable Louis Armstrong, who took the time to think to himself, what a wonderful world.

Can't you just hear his rasping voice and see his face filled with light as he sings "It's A Wonderful World?"

"...The colors of the rainbow,
so pretty in the sky,
are also on the faces of the people going by.

I see friends shaking hands,
Saying, 'how do you do,'
They're really saying, 'I love you.'
And I think to myself, it's a wonderful world."

Oh, Louis, you've said a mouthful and I believe every word of it. Maybe we're a reflection of heaven's beauty when our love for each other glows through. And perhaps love isn't limited to deep or lasting relationships. Could it be that it's love we feel when other people's joy gives us a jolt of happiness? Isn't it love that makes us content when we're with friends?

I hope it is. Because that elevates those simple joys which we can all grasp, to the brightest, most important level in our universe. And it is spread across this earth as surely as rainbows are spread across the sky.

Maybe that's what all this shopping and tree trimming is about. Could it be that we're reaching for the light of love that Christmas holds? Is that why we climb to our rooftops with a staple gun in one hand and a string of lights in the other? Is that tinsel that sparkles on the tree and in the carpet there to remind us of love?

As he approached his final year of life, John Keats wrote in "Ode on a Grecian Urn:" "Truth is beauty, beauty truth - that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need know." But I could never get a handle on those words. Perhaps it was my earthbound idea of beauty that kept me from hearing wisdom in his sentiment. I had never considered them in the light of Christmas before.

But if beauty is light and hope from heaven, if it is the spirit that fills us with joy and love, if it belongs to every one of us, and surrounds us all, then I suppose I do believe beauty is truth. And maybe Keats is right. That is all we need to know.

It's time to celebrate life. I hope the light of the season warms us all. Let our hearts be light. Merry Christmas. And may our tomorrows be better than today.

 

Carol Craver is a writer from Rockwall.