The "W" in Christmas

I thought the following story, attributed to an unknown author, would be appropriate to this season, so I decided to publish it here:

"Last December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations - extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.

My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant." I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.

So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song. Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas", I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment - songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer.

So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love", I was slightly taken aback by its bold title. Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front row - center stage - held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class would sing "C is for Christmas", a child would hold up the letter C. Then, the "H is for Happy", and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love."

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her, a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter"M" upside down - totally unaware that her letter "M" appeared as a "W". The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W". Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities. For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear:

"CHRIST WAS LOVE"

And, I believe, He still is.

The importance of time change

Who invented Daylight Savings Time (DST)? It appears that in 1784, Benjamin Franklin was documented as the first person to propose the idea of DST. In those good old days Franklin estimated that by moving the clock forward one hour in April and back in October 64 million pounds of candle wax could be saved.
How important this practice has become in everyday life shows an incident that happened in far away Israel: On September 3, 1999 Palestinian bomb makers connected a timer to thirty pounds of explosives, setting it to go off September 5 at 6:30pm. On September 5 the terrorists Ibrahim Salah and Krayem Nazal took delivery of the bomb package, got into a Fiat and drove to Jerusalem to place it on the 6:30pm bus. Salah looked at his watch. It read 5:25pm. Thinking they had an hour to kill, they parked and sat in the car to wait for the bus. Five minutes later their car exploded. It seems that both the bomb makers and the terrorists had forgotten that Israel falls back from daylight savings time earlier than the rest of the world.
Food for thought: 1. Be a contrarian, not a conformist - ask yourself: am I doing what everybody else is doing, and if so, am I successful? If the answer is no, change.
2. If you are a parent, be a parent, not a friend. Some day your children will thank you for it.
3. All organizations evaluate their staff, few their processes. Just imagine, if processes were evaluated the same way people are, you might never have to wait in line in a restaurant, hospital ER or traffic light.
"I don't mind going back to daylight savings time. With inflation, the hour will be the only thing I've saved all year." (Victor Borge)

Shall We Remember Together?

You no doubt will remember forever, where you were and what you were doing on the morning of September 11, 2001. I know, I do.
But did you know, that in 2002, President Bush declared September 11 Patriot Day? His proclamation reads:
"On this first observance of Patriot Day, we remember and honor those who perished in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. We will not forget the events of that terrible morning nor will we forget how Americans responded in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in the skies over Pennsylvania - with heroism and selflessness; with compassion and courage; and with prayer and hope. We will always remember our collective obligation to ensure that justice is done, that freedom prevails, and that the principles upon which our Nation was founded, endure.
Inspired by the heroic sacrifices of our firefighters, rescue and law enforcement personnel, military service members, and other citizens, our Nation found unity, focus and strength. From the tragedy of September 11 emerged a stronger Nation, renewed by a spirit of national pride and a true love of country.
Those whom we lost last September 11 will forever hold a cherished place in our hearts and in the history of our Nation..."
Let's honor the memory of those we lost on September 11, 2001 by celebrating our freedom today - and every day. Thank God that He has and does continue to bless the United States of America.

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