Christmas Eve Eve
Just a couple of things, or IDK it may turn out to be more, three or four. Being a holy man - - though not in the sense of Laurus, whom some are reading as a diversion from pandemic horrors and boredom, I read it early 2017 as an escape from the 2016 election nightmare and fear, all of which turned out justified and continues to hover (this is not a political blog, but who doesn't like my occasional elder politics, don't read me, it's that simple) - - I need to come up with something of holiness for the day before Christmas Eve, and I'll try to get back to that.
Diversion though. I do agree with Laurus the yuROdivyy on many things, including that when a person dies the world becomes different now and there's no way back, otherwise I'd meet Gina at Hunt's for oysters. Also that it can be easier to speak (or write) if people don't understand you. It may be that I'm finally coming to understand myself now, but it's taking (not taken, taking) these eighty-six years to work it out, and my final report is still not ready for the printer, nomesane?
But oh. Yesterday, last evening I watched "It's a Wonderful Life" for the first time ever, what a shame to miss it all those years. When I first saw Clarence on the bridge I thought it was W C Fields but it wasn't.
My season favorite is "A Christmas Story" with Ralphie's old man's 1937 Oldsmobile Six touring sedan, and I'm looking forward to that, though not to the scene where the neighbor's dogs break in and steal the Christmas turkey: does anyone but me think Bumpus should be charged with a capital crime? Ralphie says, Some men are Baptists, others Catholics, my father was an Oldsmobile man. Having been an Oldsmobile man too for long, happy years in my late thirties and through my forties, a great age and Time of loving life, I love that Olds. But also the other cars when they drive downtown to see the Santa parade. And especially for the film set at Christmas time, December 1940, as the asynchronous 1947 Chevrolet police car rolls up when the cops and fire truck come to free Flick's tongue frozen to the flagpole.
Never've seen "A Miracle on 34th Street" either, so may root it out and watch. Maybe also "Home Alone" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "The Polar Express". Maybe but not likely, because it reminds me of a John Irving novel I didn't like, "Meet Me In St Louis", which I remember first seeing, and loving even at age eight or nine, at the Ritz Theatre in 1944; and I don't need to go back to 1944 anyway, not only the happiness and love to look forward to, but too much anguish ahead.
Kimberly Potter trial: in a moment of panic she made a deadly mistake, in a new era, a showcase to satisfy the public, how will we get good people to be police officers any more?
At any event, here (scroll down) was my igniting thought for this morning, from Anu Garg's a.word.a.day. I take it as my new Life Verse because it settles my contempt for most rules, including all church rules (not just "no unbaptized person shall be eligible to receive Holy Communion in the Episcopal Church" - - in every gospel feeding account Jesus fed everyone present, and so did I in every church I served) and all condo rules (a yellow paper citation on my windshield during hurricane recovery "your car is parked in the garage without a proper parking permit, remove it immediately" - - eh - - don't take your life into your hands by having my car towed, your survivors will regret it and so will I!!), so even though I don't agree with the anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers, I understand their defiance, nobody tells me what to do either. Here's my new life verse:
If they give you ruled paper, write the other way. -Juan Ramon Jimenez, poet, Nobel Prize in literature (23 Dec 1881-1958)
Why so testy and confrontational this morning? IBD if I know, did not get up this way, it just seemed to start clouding up when I read and so appreciated the thought from Juan Ramon Jimenez and started remembering bits and pieces of life. BTW, screen doors aren't permitted here in HV, so I may get one; there are nights when we'd keep the bedroom sliding door open except for possible bugs and birds, a screen door might be nice.
Below is an interesting link about Xmas Season films people like. And here's my holy man Bible passage from the ChristmasTime lectionary. With Isaiah, Hosea and Amos, Micah is an eighth century prophet of doom, but this passage is from the promise and hope section of Micah, chapters 4 & 5:
Micah 4:6-8
Dominion shall return to Zion
In that day, says the Lord,
I will assemble the lame
and gather those who have been driven away,
and those whom I have afflicted.
The lame I will make the remnant,
and those who were cast off, a strong nation;
and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion
now and forevermore.
And you, O tower of the flock,
hill of daughter Zion,
to you it shall come,
the former dominion shall come,
the sovereignty of daughter Jerusalem.
As a friend sometimes closes, selah.
T