Christmas, 2013

Greetings, Friends and Fellow Seekers,

    It’s been another extraordinary year and I could easily fill up all the white space on this page with tales of my exploits. Now that’s exploits not sexpl … well, anyhow you get the idea. However, I’m going to keep it brief and just touch on some of the biggies for yours truly this past year in order of their appearance – New Year’s Eve with Singapore Slingers, Captain Fantasm /Pocket Sandwich Theater (piano), My Wilshire concert featuring a whole bunch of talented folks doing my music (Yes, Virginia there is a CD of it), Jester’s annual show, Jim Rivers memorial birthday party, Robin Hood Melodrama (2 songs), Las Vegas, Me and Marilyn on my birthday, Breckenridge Village in Tyler, Winnsboro Kiddz on Stage, Wilshire Winds concert (Celebration of Freedom, my piece), New England trip, Tom McWhorter party, Denver trip incl. Operation Christmas Child stint, Wilshire Winds Christmas concert (If Every Day Were Like Christmas Day, my song), New England revisited on the 19^th of this month. Add to all that this list of even more gigs with AChord, Nobles of Note, Dave Washburn’s Three-quarter Fast Jazz Band, Singapore Slingers, Dallas Banjo Band, Mark McKenzie Quartet, throw in at least a dozen new songs and … well, you can see I’ve had plenty to be thankful for this year – and believe me I am.

  But being thankful has also made me very mindful of friends and acquaintances who have had a rough year. They’ve had to deal with the pain of loss – it’s a pain most of us know too well.  And for them, and perhaps for all of us even now at Christmas time the vacant chair at the table is … The following has been written especially for them. Why? Because I felt they needed a word to be said in their behalf and elected myself to be a spokesman. Well, let’s be honest – I don’t think I was the one who elected myself spokesman. It was really His idea, I just sort of did my best to put it into words.

For After All, It’s Christmas

Okay, it’s Christmas time

Time for fun, frolic and fellowship

And good feelings and laughter

And being together and …

And … and for some – memories

Remembering that someone we loved

Is no longer here

So instead of a smile a tear

Comes to our eyes for a moment

Or maybe longer

It’s a moment with a feeling

A feeling that may grow stronger

As the homey, warm-hearted Rockwell scenes we see

Remind us in clear detail just how great being family can be

And despite the holiday glow everywhere

We know a sadness inside

That we try not to show

Might even try to hide

Not all that anxious to share

It’s a burden

One we’ve learned to bear

Not because we’re martyrs

But because we care

Always have, always will

Best to keep it to ourselves

For after all, it is Christmas

Okay, that’s enough, right!

Are you trying to bring us all down

Turn the red and green that colors

Our Christmas Dreams

Into something so gloomy

That it starts to look more

Like our worst nightmare on Halloween night?

Uh, no, I’m not

But in case you forgot

Christmas is supposed to be

Something a whole lot more than

What it’s become

I believe it started out as

A celebration of the arrival of a Son

The Holy, Life giving

(and in His case, literally) One

And pardon me, (which I know He will)

But if this season doesn’t have something hopeful,

Something real

To offer those in pain, those whose scars are deep

Who sometimes can’t help but weep

Because their world is now shattered

For suddenly it seems nothing much really matters

Like it did when she, when he was here

Well then let’s just turn Christmas over to Hallmark

Or Wal-mart or whoever and be done with it, shall we

Because this is God we’re talking about and let’s be clear

He knows hurt, he knows sorrow and I believe when we cry

He knows the weight of our tears

And He doesn’t expect you “put on a Happy face” when your heart is broken

Just because the Yuletide gods demand it

His grace is unending, his arms always open

For all His children

Though I confess I don’t fully understand it

But maybe especially at this time of year He sees those

Wounded, weary and lonely

And recalls not only a baby’s birth

Coming to a troubled and unwelcoming earth

But remembers how it felt to lose His only Son

To a world who certainly took their time remembering Him

And if God does indeed weep, and I believe He does

He would have then – even though He knew the rest of the story

And so do we who are people of faith – know the rest of the story

Oh, I don’t mean now that we trust

We blithely say, “Hey, everything is just all right with me”
What I do mean is that we can make it

We can, it’s not easy and it sure can be overwhelming at times

Even so

We can put one foot in front of the other

Wipe away the tears as we go

Do our very best with His help to grow beyond where we are

And look for the Star, like the wise men did

Not exactly sure where it will lead us

But believing He would never lead us astray

And if may, I’ll quote myself

“As long as He’s leading the way

We can say

Thanks to the Father, we’ve made it this far

Thanks to the Father, we know who we are”

And so does He, so does He

To those battle worn and beaten down,

My prayer would be

May you feel Him walking beside you

Willing to guide you, a never failing Father

Brother, Sister, Mother, Savior

Compassionate,  Strong, Kind

Giving you the very best present of all

His unconditional, full of “amazing grace” Love

To each one of you at this Christmas time

Merry Christmas,

George Gagliardi, December, 2013