Kathy’s Korner

As I work to put another week’s newspaper to bed, I think it’s been a long time since last week. That’s because last week’s paper was printed a day early because of the Thanksgiving day holiday. The result was a long weekend for many of us, and it was much appreciated.

Some of you know I was out sick some in October, and have slowly been improving. Therefore, I can’t lament about how many days, weeks, etc. I’ve worked without a break. I got a break when I was sick.

But, somehow it’s just not the same.
This weekend’s rest offered a chance to reflect on my bless-ings…the many things we all have to be thankful for. And, for some it was a chance to see family members who live far away. Others seized the opportunity to get some Christmas shopping done, and some of us were just lazy because we could be. (Besides when you savor the pecan pie, you just have to sit back and relax.)

While counting my blessings I realized how lucky I was to get sick. Suddenly, virtually everything in my life was different. My priorities changed. And, now with two weeks until my baby’s birthday and just over three weeks until Christmas, I’ll not stress.

Somehow, whether or not I get all my shopping done does not matter. I hope I find time to tell my loved ones that I do truly love them. And, I don’t have to drive myself crazy looking for just the right gift to prove it to them.

I attended a few classes at Monticello Presbyterian Church in late September and October based on the book, Unplug the Christmas Machine. The class offered exercises for those of us taking part to examine what is important to us. The idea was to set priorities and not to worry if everything was not “perfect.”

It was a good start to re-prioritizing. Then, the illness gave me more reason to “not sweat the small stuff.”

So last Friday, while The Monticello News was closed, I took my two daughters to see the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. It was wonderful. The show was great, the time with my children was great, and it was a good kick-off to the Christmas season.

And I was so excited to go to church Sunday and tell my pastor that Christmas had not been taken out of the Rockettes.

Just the week before, he had preached a little about Christ being taken out of Christmas. He had told us that Walmart no longer allows its associates to say “Merry Christmas,” apparently even if the greeting is first extended to them.
He has often preached on the Christian principles our country was founded on, and how far we have drifted from them.

Now, mind you, I would be branded a “liberal” by many, and will respect anyone’s religion, and certainly their right to freedom of religion. I’m proud of all the freedoms we have in this country. But, I, like many, think the courts have gone too far in interpreting the laws to be freedom from religion.

So, I was a little surprised and totally thrilled when the final scene of the Rockettes Christmas show was a living nativity scene. Right there in the fabulous Fox Theatre—real sheep, and even real camels. But most of all a story that remains unchanged for more than 2000 years.

Several Bible verses about Christ’s birth were read, then a statement was made about Jesus’ life and the fact that although he never wrote a book or held an office or did any of the things that usually accompany greatness, no other person or entity has “affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as this ‘One Solitary Life’.”

The Rockettes have had the Nativity scene as a part of their show since 1933, according to the literature. It’s good that some things don’t change.