Black Friday

Greetings Dear Reader,

I will be seeking out one thing this morning.  It is a gift for someone else.  It is in hope that I can obtain what I need and then get to my morning prayer time with ease. 

I have little use for the shopping side of Black Friday.  Last year it was a day of quiet and rest for me.  I had completed my NaNoWriMo work and was not wanting to pursue much else.  Today I have much to do and not enough time to do it.  I will find a way. 

Still, as I ponder those who will spend the day seeking things, I wonder if we are too far down the path.  We rush for items and go into debt trying to please others when we could find better ways to show our love.  I miss some of the things that were my traditions for years regarding this weekend.  I miss bell ringing at the grocery store I frequented.  Putting up my decorations was part of this week each year. 

I continue to ride the wave of gratitude for all that I have learned and gained since last Thanksgiving.  My heart is fully turned toward Christmas and celebrating the Advent in richness and joy.  Much of what I value about Christmas is intangible and so the rush to buy and obtain has little purchase where I am concerned.  I will spend the day working, praying, and thinking about the joy that is mine because of friends and family.  I will miss those I cannot see and fill my heart with hope for days when we can all be together.  Even if that is not until the end of our journeys, I know it will be worth the wait.

Be careful out there today Dear Reader.  No bargain is worth even the slightest slight of another human.  Be at peace with the day and find ways to encourage others.  Kindness given is always a good bargain. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Black Friday Observations

Greetings Dear Reader,

I spent the day yesterday out and about but not shopping.  I did buy some carrots for the turkey soup I am making for Sunday.  The highlights of the day were plenty.  So were the moments when I felt deep sorrow for my fellow humans.

Since it was Friday I began with my usual time of breakfast at my favorite diner.  It was great to share the morning and the Thanksgiving stories of the regulars there.  Next I got to share some time with my Daughter, Christmas giving her a lift to work.

From there I went to my customary Black Friday Bell Ringing place.  Here the day begins to be less than usual.  First, the bell ringing station had no bell.  That is one hundred percent of the task.  One goes bell ringing to ring a bell in hopes that others will share some of their funds for the needs of others.  This is the Salvation Army and they usually get it right.  But there was not bell, so I sang.  I have been told that I can do this and one pretty young lady did put a very large bill into the kettle and said I have a beautiful voice.  Perhaps the missing bell was a boon.

As I was singing a slow haunting rendition of God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen, a “lady” walked in and started yelling at me because all the Wal-Marts were out of the cheap big-screen televisions.  She seemed to have a condition where every second word was “F###ing”.  When I told her that I did not work at Wal-MartI was told to “’F’ get ‘F’ away.”   She moved on to the greeter for whom I feel great sorrow.

Then to my joy my friends Adam and Matt showed up to say hello.  They were looking for bits and bobs to fix the casing at their parents’ home.  The joy with which this filled me is inexpressible.  This led to further joy later in the day but we are not there yet.

I visited the grocer to obtain the carrots for my soup and encountered one of the young ladies who works at the store crying in the soda isle.  We talk almost every time I am at the store so I ask what the matter might be.  She explained that a customer had been very rude and crude toward her because the sale on Pepsi products had ended.  Seeking to comfort with humor I inquired if she had been promoted to “Regional Pepsi Pricer.”  

She chuckled through tears.  Hugged me then began to apologize.  I explained that I felt honored that she would be real with me.  The she chuckled again and I explained that in my family we call the time when we are both crying and laughing “crafing”.   I explained that it is a marker to the path out of sorrow.  She smiled fully as the last tear drifted down her cheek.  I went on to find my carrots thankful that she was feeling better and wondering if the TV “lady”.

I drifted through some other shops not buying but passing our smiles for free.  Then my friend Adam arranged for he, his wife Cole and their children to dine with us.  We met early and had a wonderful meal.  My Daughter Christmas and I had a great time catching up with them and getting to know their very well-behaved children well.  Encounters with this man and his family are always a blessing for me. 

I am always astounded at how refreshing it is to go out on Black Friday with no agenda but to be kind to others.  It sets my heart in motion to journey toward Christmas with the proper attitude.  When the shopping list is carrots and kindness it is quite easy to have a successful Black Friday.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Second Thoughts – Black Friday, Baubles, and Bells

Greetings Dear Reader,

Sometimes I will end the day with thoughts that are important to get out.  Usually I just write them and put them in my journal folder.  I have chosen that on occasion I will share them with you Dear Reader.

I am sitting down to write this to wind down from pepping Thanksgiving dinner.   I slow roast my turkey overnight.  It is just in the over to gently rise in temperature until morning.  The pies are cooling.  The pudding is chilling.   The dressing is in the pan well chilled and ready for the over tomorrow.  There is more but I will not belabor you now Dear Reader.

This time on Thanksgiving Eve my thoughts turn to what comes next.  My Daughter loves the entire Black Friday shopping thing.   I resist it.   We agree that shopping on Thanksgiving Day wrong.  She spends that time plotting her Friday adventure and nibbling a last slice of pumpkin pie.

I have grown weary of the avarice associated with the time between the last bite of the Thursday meal and the end of cyber Monday.  I will venture out on Saturday or Sunday more to observe than to shop. One of those two days we will decorate for Christmas.  This means that I may pick up a bauble or two for the tree.  If needed I will get some new lights. 

One thing I will do is spend some time bell ringing for the Salvation Army.  This is vital to the needs of so many in a time when want is more keenly felt.  It is easy, only takes a couple of hours per shift, and has the potential to benefit so many.  You can volunteer at ringbells.org .  In ten years they have never pestered me for money or put me on someone’s mailing list.  Ninety-two cents of every dollar goes to the actual charity work they do for others. 

So, as I prepare to feast with family and friends I cast my heart and mind toward the needs of others.  I do this in keeping with the idea that I have so many things to for which to be thankful that I dare not neglect the needs of others.  Join with me Dear Reader; come on ring those bells.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

A Season of Gratitude – Black Friday and Gandalf

Greetings Dear Reader,

As a writer, I cherish the value of being a reader.  One of the authors who continues to influence my life is J.R.R. Tolkien.  This matters today because I will be out there among the Black Friday shoppers briefly.  My goal is always to be kind.  I like to amp that up today.  I want others to encounter kindness and humility amidst the spending and getting.

It is really very easy.  I step outside of the hubbub and remember to see the people.  I remind my heart and mind to see them as real humans with needs far beyond the deals and bargains.  I pray and smile and show deference.  I help if I can. 

The way in which we continue to live a life of gratitude and begin to show the Christmas spirit is to be patient and kind in the small things.  We can be good to clerks and shoppers.  We can smile at children.  We let someone go first.  We can give up a parking space.  We hold back the season of greed by continuing to live in a season of gratitude.

“Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay… small acts of kindness and love.”

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Why I love Christmas – Peace on Earth

Happy Christmas Dear Reader,

It seems that the Christmas season leapt into stores directly behind the Halloween clearance this year.  It was not just the retail world that launched things “early”.  Several friends have posted that in early November they already had the tree up and the house decorated. 

I have heard both complaints and joy at the early onset of the season.  I wonder how come this year the bacchanalia is so desired.  It could be that this is one of those years where the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the shortest it can be.  Since Christmas falls on Thursday only four weeks span the time between the two holidays.  Perhaps this pressure goes unnoticed but acted upon by people.

It may be that society at large is anxious for the general lift in kindness that tends to accompany the season.  Even though depression rises so does charity, good will, and generosity.  In a world weary from war and scandal it could be that people wish to simply feel better. 

Then also there is the possibility that the internal hunger for the peace that Christ offers has grown in all of us.  This has been referred to as “the God shaped vacuum in everyone.”  Christ calls to us constantly.  He draws us to knowledge of the Father, his love, and redemption. 

We long for something we cannot always define.  The belonging and promise that is inherent in the Gospel calls a bit louder in the Christmas songs and stories.  People try to suppress it, avoid it, and squeeze it out but it remains.  The Father calls his children to him every year.  The blood that flowed through the baby in the manger will be the blood on the cross some decades hence.

The path to peace on earth is walked through the birth of Christ.  We all yearn for that peace whether we admit it or not.  I love that Christmas each year gives me opportunities for that conversation.

Another Christmas Song – Ian Anderson

Hope everybody's ringing on their own bell, this fine morning.

Hope everyone's connected to that long distance phone.

Old man, he's a mountain.

Old man, he's an island.

Old man, he's a-waking says

"I'm going to call, call all my children home."

Hope everybody's dancing to their own drum this fine morning ---

The beat of distant Africa or a Polish factory town.

Old man, he's calling for his supper.

He's calling for his whisky.

Calling for his sons and daughters, yeah ---

Calling, calling all his children round.

Sharp ears are tuned in to the drones and chanters warming.

Mist blowing round some headland, somewhere in your memory.

Everyone is from somewhere ---

Even if you've never been there.

So take a minute to remember the part of you

that might be the old man calling me.

How many wars you're fighting out there, this Christmas morning?

Maybe it's always time for another Christmas song.

Old man he's asleep now.

He's got appointments to keep now.

Dreaming of his sons and daughters, and proving ---

Proving that the blood is strong.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store." 

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

On Giving Thanks – Black Friday

Greetings Dear Reader,

I usually spend the Friday after Thanksgiving bell ringing for the Salvation Army and putting up Christmas decorations.  I really do feel that there is both wisdom and foolishness to be had in the merchandising aspect of this day. 

It is not wrong to advertise, host sales, and generate excitement about gift giving.  I do find that the statistics reflect greed more than giving.  According to one report 76% of the people out shopping this morning are shopping for themselves. 

As the shopping has bled over into merchants opening on Thanksgiving Day the greed has become more obvious.  I cannot imagine asking someone who worked for me to work on Thanksgiving Day.  I realize that emergency and care giving services are necessary.  I also know that there are plenty of businesses that do just fine without being open on holidays. I will talk more about that tomorrow.

There is also good to be done on Black Friday.  If one does go out amongst the bargain miners one can be kind and courteous.  One can remember to represent Christ in the congress had with shoppers and shop keepers.  It works best if we remember that even if we are angling for the last on sale whiz bang thing that we are obligated to represent Christ. 

I will be working all day today and then resting for the drive home tomorrow.   I will decorate my home this weekend and my get around to shopping next week. For now I will listen to my Daughter snore as she grabs a few hours sleep having been out all night shopping.   I know that whilst she was in the fray she was kind to others.  She will have stories of the people she encountered.  She will have been wise with her money 

Currently I am looking forward to a few hours of quiet whilst I wait to being my day.  I hope you are well fed and comfortable Dear Reader.   If you are out shopping when you read this let me know how you are faring.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)