'Tis the Season

Once upon a long time ago, I was editor of a newsletter called “The Hub” — an intrastate publication for the California Ad Services division of State Farm Insurance. I didn’t have anything
“Christmas-y” for one December edition, so - just moments before "press" time - I literally threw together the following poem. Perhaps it will make you smile, lift your spirits and remind you why you put all you do into this busy, hectic, happy holiday.

What Christmas Is for

Sound the harps and ring the bells,
settle in for Christmas tales.
Gather round a roaring fire,
and wait ‘till all the children tire.
Tuck them gently into bed
with good-night kisses on their heads.
Then tiptoe softly out the door,
to do the things this night is for.

’Round the brightly lighted tree,
stack all the gifts they wait to see.
Hang the stockings, stuffed with sweets
and little toys and other treats.
Leave a plate of sweets and milk,
with one bite taken, three drops spilt.
For come the morning, without doubt,
first things first – they’ll check this out!

Make the crust for lots of pies;
knead the bread dough, let it rise.
Stuff the turkey, peel the yams,
tuck lots of cloves into the ham.

Tired and worn, with grateful sigh,
it’s time at last to close your eyes.
One look around, then dim the lights –
gotta be real sure the setting’s right.
For very soon, come morning light,
the kids will wake and see this sight.
Their “ooohs” and “aahs” and big, wide eyes
are why you’re seeing daybreak skies.

The family gathered ’round the tree,
a wide-eyed child on a proud Dad’s knee.
The story of Jesus, the wreath on the door,
the family love – that’s what Christmas is for!

Turn off the lights now, and rest your head;
you won’t have long to say abed.
But take just a moment to whisper a prayer
of thanks for this Christmas and the coming new year.

During this holiday season, I wish for all of you the love of family, the warmth of home, and the joy of knowing Jesus, the Reason for the season!

The Minor Protection Act

December 1st, time for the FIRST Day Blog Tour! (Join our alliance! Click the button!) The FIRST day of every month we will feature an author and his/her latest book' chapter!

This month's feature author is:

JODI COWLES

and her book:

The Minor Protection Act

Musterion (December 1, 2005)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Though she had never had a girlfriend, or a boyfriend for that matter, Erik and Roselyn were quick to affirm her decision and let her know she had their full support. Roselyn applauded her daughter's honest, courageous move and told Jayla how proud she was. Erik was also supportive and went so far as to tease Jayla about her best friend Sara.

There weren't too many lesbians in her junior high and Jayla had a pretty average experience, but she attracted attention when she entered high school wearing the rainbow buttons specially purchased by her mother. Soon she was 15 and seriously involved with Carla, the 17-year-old senior who was President of the Gay Pride Club. When Erik and Roselyn saw the relationship deepening they sat Jayla down and had a heart to heart "sex talk," encouraging her to be responsible and safe, and only to have sex if she was truly in love.

She was. However, when the year ended Carla left for college on the east coast and broke off the relationship in a letter.

Jayla was heartbroken. Erik and Roselyn were quick to comfort, as any loving parents of a shattered teenager, but their answers seemed hollow to Jayla, their comfort cold. At 16 she began dabbling in drugs - a first for her.

By the time her senior year began the family bond that was once so strong had disintegrated to the degree that she seldom spoke to her parents unless it was to strike out in anger. She had not entered into another dating relationship, as much as they encouraged her in that direction. Rather, she seemed withdrawn from the world and spent endless hours either locked in her room or suspiciously absent. Finally, Roselyn had enough and took her to a doctor who prescribed an anti-depressant for teenagers that had just been released on the market.
By Christmas the medication seemed to be working. Jayla was coming around, spending more time at home. She seemed calmer and more at peace. They were even beginning to talk about college. But New Year's morning they found her dead, her anti-depressant bottle and a quart of vodka laying empty in the trash and a mass of journals and letters scattered around her in the bed.

Erik and Roselyn were devastated. Jayla had been their whole life. They dove into the letters and journals, trying to make sense of it all. What they found only served to inflame their anger. Some boy named Nick had been telling their daughter that she was a sinner, quoting Bible verses that said her sexual preference was an abomination before God. Jayla's journal was full of self-loathing, page after page about her relationship with Carla, page after page of rambling, agonizing pain. Why was she made like this if homosexuality was a sin? Why would her parents have supported her if it were an abomination? Why had she listened to the seventh grade teacher who told her experimentation was the best way to determine her sexuality? What was wrong with her?

They could hardly stand to finish it but they read every word. In the end their grief found relief, as it so often does, in bitterness and hatred. The day after Jayla's funeral, attended by hundreds of students from Jayla’s school, Erik and Roselyn met with the District Attorney. A year later, bitterness not yet assuaged, they went to see a lawyer. In the culture of America, where there is rarely tragedy unaccompanied by litigation, they found a willing law firm. Someone would pay.

Note from the blog owner: As a member of FIRST, I have agreed to post the designated book each month on the 1st. My doing so does not in any way indicate my approval of subject matter, nor my endorsement of the book itself.