Greetings
Dear Reader,
Last night I
had dinner at an old bar. It was like so
many that dot the Midwest. Most of the light came from the oversized flat screens
that constantly stream sports of one flavor or another. The walls and ceiling are smoke stained from
the decades of time where smoking was allowed there.
I could see
how many of the patrons were there more often than not. Those at the actual bar were obviously
regulars who all knew each other. The place
was quite busy for a Tuesday evening.
One could catch snippets of conversation about football, politics, and
sheepshead. For those who do not know
sheepshead is a trick taking card game very popular in Wisconsin.
The comfort
of the place was obvious. The bar stools
are well padded. The foot rail is sturdy
and usable. The food is good and the
beer cold. There is no pretense or
posturing. It is just a bar. It put me in mind of a song that is important
to me as Christmas falls into the rear view and the year wanes.
The chance
to change the world is never gone. As we
put away the lights and gear up for the coming year I will be looking for new
ways to show the spirit of Christ in everything I do. I am a pretty jolly guy anyway but I want to
make a difference. I want people to feel
like Christmas after every encounter with me.
I want to help my neighbors and strangers. I want to be a constant gift in the lives of
others. I have a long way to go.
In an old
city bar
That is
never too far
From the
places that gather
The dreams
that have been
In the
safety of night
With its old
neon light
It beckons
to strangers
And they
always come in
And the snow
it was falling
The neon was
calling
The music
was low
And the
night
Christmas
Eve
And here was
the danger
That even
with strangers
Inside of
this night
It's easier
to believe
Then the
door opened wide
And a child
came inside
That no one
in the bar
Had seen
there before
And he asked
did we know
That outside
in the snow
That someone
was lost
Standing
outside our door
Then the
bartender gazed
Through the
smoke and the haze
Through the
window and ice
To a corner
streetlight
Where
standing alone
By a broken
pay phone
Was a girl
the child said
Could no
longer get home
And the snow
it was falling
The neon was
calling
The
bartender turned
And said,
not that I care
But how
would you know this?
The child
said I've noticed
If one could
be home
They'd be already
there
Then the
bartender came out from behind the bar
And in all
of his life he was never that far
And he did
something else that he thought no one saw
When he took
all the cash from the register draw
Then he
followed the child to the girl cross the street
And we
watched from the bar as they started to speak
Then he
called for a cab and he said J.F.K.
Put the girl
in the cab and the cab drove away
And we saw
in his hand
That the
cash was all gone
From the
light that she had wished upon
If you want
to arrange it
This world
you can change it
If we could
somehow make this
Christmas
thing last
By helping a
neighbor
Or even a
stranger
And to know
who needs help
You need
only just ask
Then he
looked for the child
But the
child wasn't there
Just the
wind and the snow
Waltzing
dreams through the air
So he walked
back inside
Somehow
different I think
For the rest
of the night
No one paid
for a drink
And the
cynics will say
That some
neighborhood kid
Wandered in
on some bums
In the world
where they hid
But they
weren't there
So they
couldn't see
By an old
neon star
On that
night, Christmas Eve
When the
snow it was falling
The neon was
calling
And in case
you should wonder
In case you
should care
Why we're on
our own
Never went
home
On that
night of all nights
We were already
there – Trans-Siberian Orchestra
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."
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