How Far Is It to Bethlehem

 we have spent the past week decorating our home for christmas.  perhaps it is a bit early for getting out all the christmas decor, but we began the custom of decorating before thanksgiving many years ago.  my work as a musician meant that december was the busiest month of the year, with multiple performances and church services every week.  having all the christmas trappings in place before the first of december made the month less hectic.  now that we no longer have so much busy-ness in december, we still continue our custom of decorating early so that we can enjoy the advent and christmas season more.

both my wife and i are christmas nuts of a sort.  we love beautiful christmas decorations, and we have many santa statues throughout our home once the decorating is complete.  we have a huge collection of ornaments and bought a second tree last year so we can use more of them.  every time we make a trip, we buy a new ornament that reminds us of our adventure.  we also have several ceramic trees and nativity scenes scattered throughout our home.  my wife has a collection of little jeweled christmas boxes and snow globes that she loves to display.  she is an expert gift wrapper, and her goal each year is to have all the christmas gifts wrapped before thanksgiving.  she usually realizes that goal, and this year is no exception.

we tell ourselves each year as we begin to empty the christmas closet and move everything into the house that we won't buy any more christmas decorations.  then we see something that we think we can't live without and add it to the mix.  this year, it was three metal christmas trees for outside.  i spent yesterday spray painting them because we wanted them to be white rather than the bare metal that they were when we bought them.  because of the weather, i had to paint in the garage, which meant that much of the garage floor was covered with a fine powder of white particles that was left after the painting was complete.  i spent about two hours on my hands and knees with a pail of water beside me and a cloth in my hand mopping up the residue from the spray paint, but i guess the labor will be worth it once the lights are on the new trees and they join our other outdoor decorations in the front of our home.

all that is left is decorating the indoor trees, positioning garland on the fireplace mantle, and adding some lights to a couple of outdoor wreaths.  i think our christmas decorating mission will be complete before thanksgiving, as we intended.  needless to say, my wife and i are exhausted but we're ready to enjoy the coming season.  we all need some cheering up at the end of a year that hasn't been so great.  the pandemic is raging, and the current president continues to live in a dream world where he believes he has won re-election despite all the evidence to the contrary.  seeing the many lights, angels, santas, manger scenes, and all the other images of christmas is just what we need to remind us that there is always hope in the darkest of times.  whether we believe that the origin of christmas in a manger in bethlehem is true or not, it is a time of wonder that takes us away from our day-to-day lives to a magical place and series of events.

may we allow some of that wonder and magic in our lives.  may the light of christmas brighten our lives during what is literally the darkest time of the year.  may the ideal of peace on earth and goodwill to humankind become alive in our hearts.  shalom.

Yet the Truth Alone Is Strong

 it is amazing that the most rabid supporters of donald trump believe the conspiracy theories coming from the white house as trump refuses to concede or to work with joe biden to transition to the new administration.  these diehards actually think that mr. biden has stolen the election through a widespread plot to manipulate the votes cast in many states despite proof from both democratic and republican election officials that nothing of the sort has happened.  how can so many be taken in by the claims of trump and his inner circle of advisers?

in his last days in office, trump is doing all he can to make it difficult for the president-elect to prepare to take over the administrative branch.  trump has now placed yes-men in the highest positions of the military where they may do great harm to our security.  he has refused to provide mr. biden with information from our intelligence services, a customary practice during the interim period between the election and the inauguration of a new president.  during the time before mr. biden takes over the reins of government while trump is a lame-duck president, those who wish to do our country harm will try to exploit the lack of coordination between the old and new administrations, and our government will be unprepared to face those challenges.

the spread of covid continues unchecked with no national plan to deal with it, as trump ignores it and refuses to share information with mr. biden and his advisers about the plans for vaccine distribution.  trump's actions are proof that he cares little about the welfare of the country and a great deal about himself.  still his hardcore followers rally on his behalf, ranting on about "stolen elections" and "socialist plots."  they live in an alternative reality as trump milks them for contributions to his "defense fund," little of which will actually go to defending his baseless claims in court.

unsurprisingly, trump is exploiting this period at the end of his presidency to his own profit.  doubtless, he will continue his rallies, but will use them to make money off his gullible followers.  he will hire a ghost writer to tell his tale of lies and will devise other ways of monetizing his four years in office.  what is puzzling is how so many americans are so full of hate and suspicion and can buy into the manipulations of such a demagogue.  that this hatred is directed at fellow americans is deeply troubling.  mr. biden will have a difficult time winning over a significant number of those who voted for trump, but we must hope that he is able to demonstrate that, despite the venom they are now directing at him, he is a president for all americans, not just those who voted for him.

may we come together as a nation.  may joe biden's term in office be a time of healing and reconciliation.  may republicans who have been elected to national office work with him for the good of the nation and may both democratic and republican public office holders reach compromises that allow the people who elected them to benefit from their time in office.  may the era of hate, far-fetched conspiracy theories, and attempts to suppress the free press end with mr. biden's inauguration.  shalom.

Lift Up A Living Nation

 what we've hoped for has happened.  donald trump has been defeated in the presidential election, and joe biden will become our next president.  in the two speeches he made last week, he spoke of his vision of a country where we could work together even when we disagreed, a country where those who had other views were not our enemies but rather our fellow americans, a country that embraced and honored our heritage and our diversity, a country where all were respected regardless of their skin color, ethnicity, gender identity, or religion.  he spoke of the leadership of abraham lincoln, franklin roosevelt, john f. kennedy, and barack obama and how each had called us to become our best selves at crucial times.  he spoke of the work ahead: controlling and defeating the corona virus, building a prosperous future for every person, providing quality affordable health care for all, and ending systemic racism in our society.  he called on us to refrain from demonizing those who disagree with us.  rather, he implored us to allow our "better angels to prevail."

these were speeches of conciliation and optimism.  they asked us to put aside the rhetoric of division, to stop pitting one group against another, to see ourselves as one people, to listen to each other again rather than shouting over one another.  as people celebrated in the streets of many cities after the election was called in biden's favor, there was a sense that a dark period was coming to an end.  americans let off pressure that had been built up during the trump presidency and expressed our relief that the noise, the hatred, the constant controversy emanating from the white house were soon to be no more.

mr. trump has a few more weeks to press his lawsuits and conspiracy theories.  he may take actions that are dangerous for the country, but he can't reverse the decision of the people to turn him out of office, and any actions he takes can be undone once the new administration takes office.  one thing the voters did not do is give mr. biden's administration power to act precipitously in making decisions about the laws and programs which affect our lives, since the democratic majority in the house of representatives was diminished, while the senate will probably still be controlled by a razor-thin republican majority that will be a check on too-hastily-conceived legislative initiatives.  if anything is accomplished it must be through compromise and cooperation, and mr. biden is a master of those skills.  if the senate remains under republican control, let us hope that the republican senators will see that those who elected them want progress that can only be achieved by a willingness to work with their democratic colleagues and with the new president.

may we move forward with a resolve never to return to the dark days of trumpism.  may we conquer the demons that were unleashed during trump's presidency.  may we listen to and learn from our scientists and health care experts.  may our new president be successful in seeing his vision for our country brought to fruition, and may we all share that vision.  shalom.

To Know You Is to Love You

 hatred is a destructive emotion, especially when directed toward another human being, harming both the person who harbors it and the person or persons who are its object.  when we hate another, there is an element of fear that is at the root of the hatred.  one has only to watch a few minutes of a trump rally to see the corrosive effect of hatred.  we recall the "lock her up" chants directed at hillary clinton, the invectives hurled at latin american immigrants, the cruel nicknames trump uses for people he dislikes.  those who participate in these expressions of hate are afraid of electing a woman like hillary clinton to high office, afraid of those whose ethnicity is different from theirs, afraid of those who disagree with them.  we americans have been caught up in a political climate where hate is given free rein.  political opponents are both figuratively and physically assaulted, and the most vile racist elements in the nation have been brought out of the shadows.

just as hate injures individuals, it injures a society.  hate is infectious and easy to give into.  it provides easy solutions to complex problems by scapegoating other groups of people.  our failures and difficulties must be the fault of another group.  "mexican immigrants are taking our jobs," or  "blacks are all living off the taxpayers," the haters proclaim.  we crave leaders who will endorse such notions rather than thoughtful public servants who are willing to do the hard work of getting to the roots of problems and finding ways to solve them.  those who encourage the worst parts of ourselves never solve problems.  they simply create new ones to distract us.

we are not so far from pre-nazi germany, when the slogan "hitler--our only hope" exemplified an easy way to resolve the many problems the german nation faced.  i was reminded of that slogan when trump proclaimed that he was the only one who could solve the problems facing our country.  history has shown us where such thinking leads.  we cannot allow it to fool us.  we must see ourselves as one people, not as a collection of disparate groups all vying for the limited resources that are available.  we must turn from the politics of division and hatred and embrace compassion for one another and for all the world.

on this election day, may we reject the politics of hate.  may we show one another and the world that we are better as a people than those who are filled with hatred and fear of those who are different from us, those who speak other languages, those who are members of other ethnic groups, those who embrace different political views or religions.  may we embrace the ideals on which our nation was founded.  shalom.