Thoughts on Christmas

Christmas can seem like a busy, chaotic, hurried, frantic, overwhelming time. Crowds at the Mall, bad parking spots, traffic jams, crazy shoppers. But believe me...you miss that stuff when you can't do it. You miss spending two hours looking for the perfect tree. You miss the cat and the dog getting into the decorations and making a mess. You miss making silly, roundish faces in the reflections of Christmas ornaments. You miss Linus saying "Lights Please." You miss the sound of little kids singing at their Christmas play...off-key and staccato and precious. You miss the wonder of your kid's "wish list" and another year's Santa Pictures. You miss the feeling of hearing your coins clank in the bottom of the Salvation Army kettle, or the sound of their band playing in the cold. The smell of pine and spices and hot chocolate. You miss knowing that underneath all of this, exists the truth of this holiday if you choose to remember it. The truth that this is still about Jesus, no matter how hard the intolerant try to remove that truth.
Treasure every second. Every hurried, frantic, crazy, second.
Because whether it's something extreme like homelessness...
...or just your kids growing up and losing touch with the wonder...
There are too few Christmas Season's in each lifetime. And you can't get them back when they go.

The Night Before Christmas (Homeless Daddy Version)

      This just sort of "happened" this morning. Sometimes this road is harder than others. Today is one of the hardest so far.                                           

                                                             The Night Before Christmas

                                                             (Homeless Daddy Version)

‘Twas three weeks before Christmas

And I’m down on my luck

I’m a poor, homeless, Daddy

Who lives in his truck

My sleeping bags zippered

Against the night air

Determined to make it

And stay off Welfare

By day I went working

With my belt full of tools

At night I did study

And I finished school

I busted my butt

And got that degree

But there still are no jobs

At least none for me

I make money for gas

And for food now and then

And to shower at the gym

So I don’t offend

But I can’t find a job

That would pay me enough

To rent a place for me

And the daughter I love

She lives with her mom

So at least she’s alright

But I miss her and think of her

All day and all night

She misses her Daddy

And I miss my girl

And I’ve tried everything

I can try in this world

I have to keep trying

And build a life we can live

Maybe some presents

On Christmas to give

My daughter she needs me

To try yet again

And prove that her daddy

Still knows how to win

When this is all over

On that wonderful day

She’ll remember her daddy

Loved her enough to stay

He loved her enough

To stay in this place

So at least every day

She could see his face

And she saw in his life

In the things he did bear

That he loved her enough

To always be there

I love her too much

To give up now

But I have to admit

It is wearing me down

Sometimes I wonder

How much more can I take

Is this some grand plan

Or a cosmic mistake?

Am I cursed by the Heavens

Or just down on my luck

‘Cause it’s three weeks til Christmas

And I still live in this truck