Puffs

Merry Christmas ! ! !

I hope everyone has prepared to celebrate the birth of Jesus and all that goes with it.

I’ll grant that some people maybe go overboard with activities that are not directly related to the real reason for Christmas, but do tie in with our celebration, even though they don’t realize it.

I’m not sure when it started, but in today’s world I’m guessing about 50 to 70 years ago, some ‘liberals’ and others not thrilled with the whole concept of Christmas began to turn society away from the fact we make a big deal of Christmas because we recognize the importance of Jesus’ birth to the “Love” that God gives us mortal beings.

It seemed to me that this turning away from the celebration of Christ’s birth to just celebrating a winter holiday was quickly jumped on by the media and was promoted in every way possible. I can remember reading about reasons those people thought a winter holiday was more appropriate than a Christmas Holy Day.

I admit that at one time I was leaning towards the winter holiday theory, but for a number of years now, I have rejected that concept as just another attempt by some pretty crazy people to lead people away from God and his promises.

I especially rejected the greetings: “Happy Holidays” rather than “Merry Christmas.” It was just another attempt to eliminate the celebration of Christ’s birth.

However, having just finished the reading of a book on Christmas I have come to realize that the word “Holiday” is really just a different way to say “Holy Day.”

As such, it seems those people who wish to say “Happy Holiday” are (without even knowing it) really saying “Happy Holy Day.”

So, after 50 or 60 years, or more, the liberals and the national media for sure have made a dent in the real reason for celebration of Christmas, they have not eliminated it. It seems to me that maybe the “real reason for the season” has not been loss in the general public. My hope and prayers for all of you is that, yes, you are going to suffer pain and suffering in your life. You are most likely not going to change that fact, but with the help of Jesus, your reaction will smooth those rough spots and lead you to the everlasting reward we all strive for.

Merry Christmas ! ! !

A O

Christmas and the New Years are the times of the year when people get nostalgic. Many people think of days gone by and reactions vary. Some want things to stay the same or as they were in the past. Others can’t wait until things change. That is because they hope the changes are for the better.

Change is probably the important word to consider.

A couple of small changes that involves us where we live have been noticed in recent years.

Consider: the village of Lawrence has been here for something over 125 years and around the first of December we receive a letter from the village government informing us there has been a change in the ordinance concerning dogs. I have no problem with it as my days as a dog owner have been over for many a year. Thank Heaven.

It concerns the types (or breeds) of dogs allowed in the village.

I won’t go into the details, I just wanted to comment on the change. We’ve lived here for well over one hundred years and now we need to tell people what type of dogs may be kept in the village. Towns and cities have probably had laws governing breeds of dogs for years . . . now we have laws as well . . . for dogs.

As I said, I don’t object to the action by the village. I’m just saying “change” happens in so many ways. So many of us will not even realize the change took place.

Consider: technology enters our lives more and more every day. Just recently our county government took action to have cameras installed at certain spots around county property.

Gosh . . . isn’t that something needed only in cities?

Nope . . . crime is not a stranger to rural areas and if the cameras help in curtailing the crimes or capturing the criminals, it’s probably worth it. But, it is quite a change from where most everyone in rural areas could trust their neighbors and really didn’t worry about crime.

Change . . .

Another technology instance . . . we just found out that if we want a “paper” copy of our telephone monthly bill, we have to pay an additional charge. We can stop that charge if we just let the phone company ‘automatically’ take that charge out of our bank account without us doing a thing.

An activity that has become commonplace in so many different areas, now hits home via the phone company.

Change . . .

Consider . . . Your U. S. government under your current president. Seems he is trying to “fundamentally remake America” as a former Democratic president preached not so many years ago.

There are so many examples that could be given, but I came across a new proposal just last week that I thought was a prime example of how our current president is trying to instill a socialistic society in America.

As I understand this example, those government organizations that govern what is done in the oceans off our shores have suggested that boats and ships in the water be limited to a speed of only ten miles an hour.

The justification for this proposal is that boats at times have hit whales, injuring them. The slower speed is intended to reduce or eliminate these accidents.

Those people hoping this regulation never happens point out that the whale–boat accidents happen rarely, something like one in a million chance. Nobody wants to see fish injured or killed by an accident, but really . . . ten miles an hour on the open ocean?

I’m getting old enough to where I really don’t care for a lot of changes. That may just be an ‘old-age’ thing. But really, there has to be reasons for changes.

The situation may just come down to that prayer about change:

God: grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

The courage to change the things I can;

And the Wisdom to know the difference.

A O