When it's darkest, hang on!
By PAT WICK
© Another Day in the Country
Today is the Solstice, as I write, when earth passes through her darkest, longest night. In days of old, the folks held celebrations at this time of year for fear the darkness would get longer and overwhelm them completely. Their prayers and offerings worked. Gradually the darkness decreased.
They tell me that it is always darkest just before dawn, that it is always coldest just before dawn — and in that darkness and fierce cold, whether it is physical or emotional, we are fiercely tempted to give up. "It will never end!" we think. And then, it does end. Things shift, hope stirs, light breaks, and we have enough courage, enough stamina to hang on!
As you've been reading in the paper and hearing on the radio, the Thompson family has been going through a long, dark night. There is nothing quite so devastating as the loss of a family member and when it happens quickly, unexpectedly, the darkness descends with devastating force.
"Hang on," we tell the children who've lost their mother, "Hang in there," we tell the grieving husband, "Life will get brighter."
And it did! The outpouring of love and affection, gifts and assistance, has been almost more than one can take in — like the blinding rays of morning sun piercing the gloom of grief. Groceries and presents for the children arrived in such abundance that one could scarcely walk through the door into the kitchen.
"We need a plan," said Vickie Jirak, a common-sense mother with a brood of her own. "Let's make sure these kids get what they need." So, with $1,200 raised by the Tampa Altar Society, Vickie and her friend Kris Srajer took the Thompson children on a shopping excursion to buy winter boots, athletic shoes, and a complete outfit each.
"It was fun," said Vicki, "a little hectic at times but fun. I thought $1,200 would go such a long way, but it doesn't. We got the basics."
This kind of generosity has punctuated the Thompsons' lives this past few weeks. It's brightened the whole town of Ramona. Everyone is talking about it! And when the appeal on KSKG went out for volunteers and materials to finish the Thompsons' remodeling project, the whole town was overwhelmed. What a gift! It's the kind of gift that just keeps on giving with the giver receiving a great opportunity and blessing that may even be greater than the gift received. To watch that house come together is the miracle of synergism: The sum is greater than its parts! Good thing it's Christmas, because I wonder if such generosity would have ever poured out in this direction if it hadn't been the holiday season when we look expectantly for miracles in the darkest time of night.
This year as Christmas approached, my sister and I looked at each other and said, "Let's not do the Nativity in the park. It's so much work. In past years it's been so cold. The people in town probably won't even miss it." We were discouraged. Rallying events in a small town takes a lot of stamina.
And then Jeannie said, "Aren't we doing the Nativity?" Bobby volunteered his cousin to be a wiseman. Neysa called, "What about the Nativity?" We rallied, with renewed determination to hang on through the dark times. After all, lights were going on all over town.
On Saturday night, the streets of Ramona were crowded, somewhat like the streets of Bethlehem in the Christmas story. Even our "inn" was filled with workmen from the Thompson project. "Didn't you make a pen at the Nativity this year?" Cole Svoboda ran into the bank where participants were getting into costume. He was breathless from chasing his sheep. "This isn't a lamb, this year, it's a full grown SHEEP I've got to hold on to." Thanks to his Dad, A.J., the recalcitrant sheep was caught and older shepherds helped keep it in control while angels sang, wisemen brought their gifts to the manger, and a constant stream of cars drove by.
The scene was stunningly beautiful, like a Christmas card for the whole town. From Main Street you could see the star and manger through the trees, this bright light beaming through the darkness and if you listened you could hear the angels sing. "This is the best Nativity ever," I said to Tooltime Tim who was capturing all this on video, "Mary and Joseph are just perfect." Pure magic punctuated by the bleating of a sheep.
Across the park, lights were still on at the Thompson house. The workers were certainly our angels in disguise and their music was the hum of people working together on just another day in the country.
