Merry Christmas, friends
: I have to tell you that there is no sweeter moment than sitting in the congregation for the church’s family service on Christmas Eve, listening to my son in the pulpit, reading the lessons, and watching my daughter as an angel, looking the part. Pride and joy and hope well up.
I read my Christmas posts over the last three years. The first, in 2001, was, of course, about recovering from September 11th. The next two were about war in Afghanistan and Iraq. This year, there is plenty of darkness we could concentrate on: continuing war in Iraq, continuing fear, continuing political animus.
But we also have hope for the beginnings of democracy in Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, even Palestine. We have hope for the small beginnings of new connections in the world as Joi Ito tells us. And I have my family, my wonderful children, the preacher and the angel. Watch your children and you cannot help but have hope.
So this Christmas for me is about small beginnings of hope and the hope children bring.
Merry Christmas, my friends. Have hope.