Christmas - 2011

Do you remember your first Christmas on your own?  My first Christmas on my own was during my first year in the Army.  I had been stationed in West Germany, a country that really speaks Christmas, Old World Christmas.  Whereas commercialism had long ago shown Chuck Brown that Christmas had become a victim of marketing in the United States, Christmas in Germany renewed my belief in the holiday.  The only thing missing was my family.  I, like so many others, had come to associate Christmas and family but, thousands of miles away, I spent my first Christmas on my own, utterly alone, surrounded only by a dark, hairy Greek bartender and his sister, two old drunken Staff Sergeants, and a zit-faced teenager from Nebraska.  The next Christmas, which seemed to arrive so much faster than previous ones, had come to me in the deserts of the Middle East, the true home of Christmas, near the site where Jesus Christ had been born.

Those couple holidays, spent millions of mental light-years ago, still resonate in my memory, each holiday season.  I remember the fears, the alienation, the self-imposed exile from my family, my friends, and myself.  Hidden, across Europe and the Middle East, seeking myself, seeking the real meaning behind the holiday that had come to signify greed, lust, and commercialism.  In those dark years, I found the true meaning of the holiday.  The traditions, the memories, the need to be close to loved ones, especially in times of darkness, to reach out and pull tight to you those who you can lean on, who can support you with a smile, a laugh, a kiss.  The meaning of the holiday, steeped in traditions, both religious and commercial, the shopping, the gift hunting, the trees, the lights.  The meaning of the holiday; Charlie Brown cartoons, the Grinch, the songs, Gene Autry and Burl Ives.  The meaning of the holiday; the Wise Men, Jesus, the manger, David Bowie and Bing Crosby.  The meaning of the holiday; Christmas...family...tradition.

As the holiday approaches, I remember my past, but look to the future.  One day soon, a few rotations of this old planet, will see my own grandchildren, toys & wrapping paper, Christmas hams with feasts on Roast Beast, ornaments and colored lights, children and spouses, grandchildren and diapers.  A further trip away from the battlefields of the Middle East or the lonely Black Forest, but a trip closer each day to family and memories and tradition.  Merry Christmas.

Who Are You - Close Up

A close-up of the upper left corner of #78 in the Collage Series

Mondays

Nothing accomplished today.  Boy Scout Troop meeting tonight.  Mind distracted.  Did get a package in today with gifts for the family for Christmas.  Called the phone company to improve our DSL service and create a wireless hot spot in the house.  Going to be a good year, just wish I could get motivated.  More painting & writing this week, hopefully.

Artist as a Young Man - Stage 3

more work on this piece

Artist as a Young Man - Stage 2

Second stage of progress on this one...

Artist as a Young Man

Latest in a series of Self-Portraits...number 4 in the series.  Still a work in progress.

In Memory of Sam

The Book of Psalms offers this:  The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.  He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  Psalm 18:2.  I do take refuge in that knowledge.  Today, I found out my niece passed away.  A child, only just thirty years old, she passed in her sleep on the morning of November 8th, 2011.  She leaves a husband, two daughters, a son and grandson behind.  Samantha Charlene Wade was born the eldest child of Darryl S. Abney and Elizabeth Jones.  Brought up in the 1980s, Sam was fun-loving and free spirited, especially as a youth.  Her smile was infectious and her beauty would light up a room.  She married Randy Wade, married life suited her.  Motherhood followed with her children, and motherhood suited her.  Years of medical issues began, as they so often do in many people's lives, to take their toll on her; physically, mentally, and emotionally.  On the morning of Tuesday, November 8th, The Lord brought her home to rest, her earthly pains gone, and in her wake she not only leaves an emptiness and sorrow for her loved ones, but she also leaves behind the memories, memories of happier times, healthier times, memories of peaceful times.  Paul, the Apostle, in his First Epistle to the Thessalonians wrote: For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.  I Thessalonians 4:14. Rejoice in the life of this young soul taken from our earthly prison, she will know serenity, she will know peace.  It is written by the prophet John in the Book of Revelation that after the Second Coming of Christ, when the Lord will walk among us that "He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."  Revelation 21:4.  Rejoice for Samantha's life; rejoice for the time when we will walk with her again, no more crying, no more pain.