God Bless Us Everyone

For the best three weeks, the "Magnificent Seven" at Kellond School (these are the 3rd graders I work with once a week) and I have been reading Dickens' "The Christmas Carol."  As is the case with the story "The Polar Express", many of them have seen the Disney movie of the story but had never read (or even heard of) the books.  I try to impress upon them the importance of the written word and even, in the case of older stories, how the oral tradition was the first way stories were passed on.  Some of them get the idea, but, what it all comes down to for me is the importance that stories have in our lives. 

Without stories, meanings to why we are are here, what we should do while in this life can become a rudderless journey.  Part of my moral compass story guide is the 1951 movie version of "The Christmas Carol".  It is my favorite Christmas story and we have it on tape to watch again this year.  When I was growing up, after singing in our Methodist early service youth choirs, my family would go to my Aunt Della Chuffo's house in Dundee, Illinois and watch the movie playing on WGN-TV. Parts of it terrified me, but mostly I felt its magic. Mark's favorite story is "It's a Wonderful Life."  That's on tomorrow night and we are planning our Christmas Eve around it on 7 p.m.

This year, the season's light seem to be shining a little less brightly for me--my dad's declining health, the Connecticut shootings, the fiscal cliff--all seem to be dark clouds hiding the stars.  Still there are "brightspots" to be found and experienced.  One of mine this week was going to Ben's Bells, making a donation for the Newtown 1000 Bells Project, painting some beads for the bells and sending a note of kindness from Tucson to Newton.  Here's a link so that you can do that, too.  http://www.facebook.com/BensBellsProject?ref=stream.  And here's a photo from our earlier visit to Ben's Bells showing the colorfull tile bench at their UA/Main Gate studio location.

Just looking at the Power of Kindness photo makes me smile and I feel my life-boat sails unfurl.  And so, as Tiny Tim shouts out, atop Mr. Scrooge's shoulders:  "God Bless Us Everyone!"