Angels We Have Heard on High

Emily attends graduate school in England and arrived home for a holiday visit this weekend.  She hasn’t lived at home for 5 years so I am used to not seeing her on a regular basis.  And the past 3 months went by pretty quickly; time has a way of doing that.  Usually when she flies home I just pick her up at the curb by baggage claim.  But this time, Gary and I both went to the airport, parked and waited inside.   At first we sat in the row of chairs by the baggage carousel where her luggage was scheduled to arrive.  Then we found ourselves standing at the bottom of the escalator area where she would emerge from the arrivals terminal.    She didn’t really understand my overwhelming tears when I saw her. 

 At the beginning of the holiday season I made a vow to myself and to Gary that I would not let “must do” holiday chores overwhelm or stress me.  I promised that I would enjoy the true meaning of the Christmas season, and would only honor the traditions that were meaningful to us and our immediate family.  The past few years I’ve decorated Christmas trees and every other corner of our house before the kids have come home for Christmas, with the notion that they would walk into a “winter wonderland” after a long school semester.  This year we have just one Christmas tree – ordinary and traditional – and I saved the tree trimming until yesterday, so Emily and I could do it together, something we haven’t done for years.  She hung only her favorite ornaments – we didn’t have to put every single one on the tree – perched the angel on top and declared it finished.  I believe it is the most beautiful tree we’ve ever had.  I’m so glad I waited until she was home so we could decorate the tree together.  I will forever cherish the memory of us doing so.

I have never touched a gun (literally, never touched a gun).  I don’t know what the gun laws are in Minnesota or Connecticut or Delaware or Louisiana or anywhere else.   What I do know is that there are far too many mass shootings and deaths by gun violence.  I’ve heard it said “Guns don’t kill; people do.”  I think that’s a cop-out statement.  It’s about time we the people hold our elected officials accountable to the people.  The government regulates all sorts of things.  You can’t open a checking account without providing significant documentation; there are laws against texting and driving (as there should be); some states require helmets for motorcycle riders; the government now even regulates excessively loud television commercials (Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act).  How is it that just about anyone can have access to a military style assault weapon?    And I know what the second amendment says.  Our founding fathers are rolling over in their graves.  The dialogue must begin, action must happen

 My tears of joy at the airport Saturday night that my daughter made it home were mixed with tears of sorrow for the parents whose children did not come home from school last Friday.  My 2012 Christmas tree trimming memory is in honor of all of the Sandy Hook victims who won’t be able to help their families decorate the tree this year.   My faith tends to be quiet and personal, but it is strong.  I will pray that God’s grace, mercy, and healing love be with the families of the Sandy Hook victims, the survivors, and the residents of Newtown.

 One enduring Christmas tradition in our home is Emily playing Christmas carols on the piano. As I was baking some cookies yesterday she was playing and asked me my favorite Christmas song.  I just love “Angels We Have Heard on High.”  The song’s most memorable feature is its chorus:   Glo-o-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-o-O-ri-a in Ex-cel-sis De-o (Latin for Glory to God in the highest).  The vowel sound "o" of "Gloria" is sung fluidly and sustained through a lengthy rising and falling melodic sequence.  This beautiful Christmas song commemorates the story of the birth of Jesus Christ found in the Gospel of Luke, in which shepherds outside Bethlehem encounter a multitude of angels singing and praising the newborn child.  I keep thinking about those angels.  This Christmas carol will forever be a more meaningful Christmas tradition for me.

 Just sayin’.

 Laurie