Christmas "Nutrition for the Soul"

 

T'was a month before Christmas,

And all through the town,

People wore masks,

That covered their frown.

The frown had begun

Way back in the Spring,

When a global pandemic

Changed everything.

They called it corona,

But unlike the beer,

It didn’t bring good times,

It didn’t bring cheer.

Contagious and deadly,

This virus spread fast,

Like a wildfire that starts

When fuelled by gas

Airplanes were grounded,

Travel was banned.

Borders were closed

Across air, sea and land.

As the world entered lockdown

To flatten the curve,

The economy halted,

And folks lost their verve.

From March to July

We rode the first wave

People stayed home,

They tried to behave.

When summer emerged

The lockdown was lifted.

But away from caution,

Many folks drifted.

Now it’s November

And cases are spiking,

Wave two has arrived,

Much to our disliking.

Frontline workers,

Doctors and nurses

Try to save people,

From riding in hearses.

This virus is awful,

This COVID-19.

There isn’t a cure.

Not yet a vaccine.

It’s true that this year

Has had sadness a plenty,

We’ll never forget

The year 2020.

And just ‘round the corner -

The holiday season,

But why be merry?

Is there even one reason

To decorate the house

And put up the tree,

When no one will see it,

No one but me.

But outside my window

The winter now calls,

And I think to myself,

Let’s deck the halls!

So, I gather the ribbon,

The garland and bows,

As I play those old carols,

My happiness grows.

Christmas is not cancelled

And neither is hope.

If we lean on each other,

I know we can cope

 

 

The Best We Could Hope

© Jonathan Shaw, November 2020

 

What’s the best we could hope for when Covid appeared?

Attacking the lifestyle that we all held dear

A ruthless new virus infecting our world

New phrases and habits were quickly required

A more equitable world for us all seemed in store

As we focussed on others and cared for them more

We saw nature revived after years of neglect

We cherished its beauty and gave our respect

The first phase united as we flattened the curve

Supporting the front line was our way to serve

Re-opening the schools was then our resolve

Despite all the work we knew it would involve

What’s the best we can hope for as year-end draws near?

Will the country re-open and permit Christmas cheer?

A glimmer of hope that restrictions might end                                     

Once more see our loved ones - our family and friends

An uncertain Christmas was faced that first year

With Joseph and Mary and due date come near

Their treacherous travel by night and by day

An essential journey far beyond their 5k

Hospitality industry brought to its knees

As the village was crowded at Caesar’s decree

A shortage of beds led to desperate trouble

And the two were confined to their own social bubble

And while they cocooned in their hay-filled pod

That night was birthed the unique son of God

A hope for the nations, the Saviour appeared

The way back to God now through Jesus secured

The prophets foretold the forgiveness of sin

Death being defeated through his rising again

“Cheated death many times” as some might say

For 33 years till that fateful day

But the author of life they couldn’t suppress

As he rose from the grave with unmatched success

Died but then risen and true hope secured

Now death need not have the final word

What's the best we can hope for as we try to move on?

Will all this be over? Will Covid be gone?

We’re still here together caught up in the struggle

Unable to rescue ourselves from this trouble

‘All in this together’ but parted by choice

Divided by preference - no unified voice.

It was all in our hands to defeat this attack

But the progress soon stalled, before being pushed back

What if Covid is not the main thing we all fear

But the death that it leads to, it's ugly head reared

Behind closed doors we’d supressed it away

Brought out in the open as Covid held sway

Our new main objective: to suppress once again

The truth of mortality, journeyed with pain

The death rate may slip as the cases decline

But the truth still remains: one in every one dies.

We push it aside and prefer not to think

What lies just beyond when we come to the brink

Yet fear is defeated when death holds no fear

Not just for Christmas but all through the year

This truth lights the way through the darkness of life

And always gives hope through the struggle and strife

Jesus at Christmas – you mightn’t think twice

But had you considered this hope could suffice?

Jesus the Saviour is truly good news

Death is defeated and true life ensues

What’s the best we can hope for at Christmas this year?

A socially-distanced, uneventful affair

But “lift your eyes higher”, that’s Christmas’s call

Fear of death cancelled. That’s the best hope of all.

The Best We Could Hope

© Jonathan Shaw (2020)

 

" Make a Difference " - Dolly Parton never forgot her roots !

 

“ Make a Difference”

In 1990, the high school dropout rate for Dolly Parton's hometown of Sevierville Tennessee was at 34% (Research shows that most kids make up their minds in fifth/sixth grade not to graduate). That year, all fifth and sixth graders from Sevierville were invited by Parton to attend an assembly at Dollywood. They were asked to pick a buddy, and if both students completed high school, Dolly Parton would personally hand them each a $500 check on their graduation day. As a result, the dropout rate for those classes fell to 6%, and has generally retained that average to this day.

Shortly after the success of The Buddy Program, Parton learned in dealing with teachers from the school district that problems in education often begin during first grade when kids are at different developmental levels. That year The Dollywood Foundation paid the salaries for additional teachers assistants in every first grade class for the next 2 years, under the agreement that if the program worked, the school system would effectively adopt and fund the program after the trial period.

During the same period, Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995: The idea being that children from her rural hometown and low-income families often start school at a disadvantage and as a result, will be unfairly compared to their peers for the rest of their lives, effectively encouraging them not to pursue higher education. The objective of the Imagination library was that every child in Sevier County would receive one book, every month, mailed and addressed to the child, from the day they were born until the day they started kindergarten, 100% free of charge. What began as a hometown initiative now serves children in all 50 states, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, mailing thousands of free books to children around the world monthly.

On March 1, 2018 Parton donated her 100 millionth book at the Library of Congress: a copy of "Coat of Many Colors" dedicated to her father, who never learned to read or write.

 

 Coat of many Colours.

Back through the years
I go wonderin' once again
Back to the seasons of my youth
I recall a box of rags that someone gave us
And how my momma put the rags to use
There were rags of many colours
Every piece was small
And I didn't have a coat
And it was way down in the fall
Momma sewed the rags together
Sewin' every piece with love
She made my coat of many colours
That I was so proud of

As she sewed, she told a story
From the Bible, she had read
About a coat of many colours
Joseph wore and then she said
Perhaps this coat will bring you
Good luck and happiness
And I just couldn't wait to wear it
And momma blessed it with a kiss

My coat of many colours
That my momma made for me
Made only from rags
But I wore it so proudly
Although we had no money
I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colours
My momma made for me

So with patches on my britches
And holes in both my shoes
In my coat of many colours
I hurried off to school
Just to find the others laughing
And making fun of me
In my coat of many colours
My momma made for me

And oh, I couldn't understand it
For I felt I was rich
And I told 'em of the love
My momma sewed in every stitch
And I told 'em all the story
Momma told me while she sewed
And how my coat of many colours
Was worth more than all their clothes

But they didn't understand it
And I tried to make them see
That one is only poor
Only if they choose to be
Now I know we had no money
But I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colours
My momma made for me
Made just for me

 

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dolly+parton+coat+of+many+colors

Franz Kafka

 

At 40, Franz Kafka (1883-1924), who never married and had no children, walked through the park in Berlin when he met a girl who was crying because she had lost her favourite doll. She and Kafka searched for the doll unsuccessfully.

Kafka told her to meet him there the next day and they would come back to look for her.

The next day, when they had not yet found the doll, Kafka gave the girl a letter "written" by the doll saying "please don't cry. I took a trip to see the world. I will write to you about my adventures."

Thus began a story which continued until the end of Kafka's life.

During their meetings, Kafka read the letters of the doll carefully written with adventures and conversations that the girl found adorable.

Finally, Kafka brought back the doll (he bought one) that had returned to Berlin.

"It doesn't look like my doll at all," said the girl.

Kafka handed her another letter in which the doll wrote: "my travels have changed me." the little girl hugged the new doll and brought her happy home.

A year later Kafka died.

Many years later, the now-adult girl found a letter inside the doll. In the tiny letter signed by Kafka it was written:

"Everything you love will probably be lost, but in the end, love will return in another way."

 

" What we should be, all of us "

 

What we should be, all of us!

“Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus.

Finally, there was only one other family between us and the ticket counter. This family made a big impression on me.

There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. The way they were dressed, you could tell they didn't have a lot of money, but their clothes were neat and clean.

The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns, animals, and all the acts they would be seeing that night. By their excitement you could sense they had never been to the circus before. It would be a highlight of their lives.

The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband's hand, looking up at him as if to say, "You're my knight in shining armour." He was smiling and enjoying seeing his family happy.

The ticket lady asked the man how many tickets he wanted? He proudly responded, "I'd like to buy eight children's tickets and two adult tickets, so I can take my family to the circus." The ticket lady stated the price.

The man's wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, the man's lip began to quiver. Then he leaned a little closer and asked, "How much did you say?" The ticket lady again stated the price.

The man didn't have enough money. How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn't have enough money to take them to the circus?

Seeing what was going on, my dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill, and then dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word!) My father bent down, picked up the $20 bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket."

The man understood what was going on. He wasn't begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heart breaking and embarrassing situation.

He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied; "Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family."

My father and I went back to our car and drove home. The $20 that my dad gave away is what we were going to buy our own tickets with.

Although we didn't get to see the circus that night, we both felt a joy inside us that was far greater than seeing the circus could ever provide.

That day I learnt the value to Give.

The Giver is bigger than the Receiver. If you want to be large, larger than life, learn to Give. Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything.

The importance of giving, blessing others can never be over emphasized because there's always joy in giving. Learn to make someone happy by acts of giving.”

~ Katharine Hepburn