The Perfect Gift was Laid in a Manger Bringing Hope and Forgiveness to a Lost World

On Sunday, we shared a Chinese meal at a popular restaurant with our dear friends before they went their separate ways for Christmas. After dinner, we took turns opening our fortune cookies and sharing out loud the good advice and bits of wisdom inside:  “Procrastination is fear of success” and “Find a peaceful place where you can make plans for the future” were a couple of them.

Every table was full; and by the time we left, people were standing in line waiting to get inside. The lack of English speaking skills and the décor reminded me of the classic “Christmas Story” where Ralphie and his mother have an ongoing battle over his wanting a rifle for Christmas. “You’ll shoot you’re eye out,” she warns him, and eventually he almost does.

After having their Christmas turkey devoured by a pack of neighborhood dogs, the family ends up in a Chinese restaurant for dinner. The Asian staff tries to cheer them by singing: “Deck the Hars with Boughs of Horry – rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah rah rah rah”

The laughter afterward brings the family around to seeing the brighter side of every situation. Perfect families and picture perfect Christmas’s don’t exist except in the pages of Better Homes and Gardens or in the homes of Martha Stewart wanna’ be’s. So we need to grasp what joy we can and accept the rest: the torn Christmas wrappings piled on the floor, the store-bought pies, the scorched gravy and lumpy potatoes.

That first Christmas wasn’t perfect either. The straw was prickly, the stench of cattle surrounded the manger and the birth pangs were painful and real. But on that night, the hope of the world was born and unconditional love was wrapped in swaddling clothes when God became flesh. Forgiveness and mercy were given a name “and you shall call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins.”

The chasm between God and man was narrowed for “Christ the Lord was born.” From that point forward, faith bridged the gap that separated us from God; and fear and hopelessness were banished forever by “the light which shines in darkness.”

Merry Christmas everybody and a Happy New Year!

Confucius Say: “Be not Simply Good; be Good for Something.”

11x14 mixed media -- "Lucky Lady"

The title of this blog came out of a fortune cookie from P.F.Chang Restaurant. I liked my fortune so much I kept it in my billfold. I found it today, and thought of all the other Confucius sayings that have affected my life.

I was one of a million contestants that used to enter jingle contests when they were still in vogue. I actually belonged to a “Contest Club” that encouraged and helped aspiring writers compose winning entries. The Club held their own contests as well. In one, entrants were to caption a cartoon of an old man and an old woman dancing. My winning entry was: “Confucius say much motion in old rumbleseat make vely big back fire!”

I won a Jello contest with 25 words or less. The punchline was: …Jello makes me the “wizard of aaahs.” Minor prizes kept me going. I won blenders, carving knife sets, toasters, and other paraphernalia. The friend who invited me to join their club won a race horse. She soon discovered just how much a race horse costs to feed, to house and to train. Which “just shows to go ya:” be careful what you wish for!

Oil Painting -- "Leap of Faith"

Of course she sold that filly for a sizable profit which made entering the contest worthwhile. Gone are the days of winning because of skill to turn a phrase or coin a name. Today people are awarded for how many entries they can enter. Entries equal profits for a manufacturer or retailer. The more you buy, the better your chances to win, even though the rules say otherwise.

I discovered this with a Publisher Clearing House contest. They made me feel I was getting closer and closer until by mistake they sent me two entries, one with a misspelling of my name. They both said the same thing and they pressured me to buy. Even when I called in, they were more interested in selling me product than answering my questions.

Reminds me of a Reader’s Digest contest years ago. A contest that was exposed for their deception in leading entrants into believing they were final winners. I discovered this sham when my mother told me she thought she was one of their winners. As it turned out, so did I. Gullible, gullible, gullible are “we the people.”

Today we’re in another election cycle, and by what I hear and read, people are still as gullible as ever. Will the best person win? I doubt it! Unfortunately the prize often goes to the one who has the most money to spend (buys the most product), or offers a prize for support (bribery?). It sounds like the old contest shell game at work, to me. Either way we take our chances and go with our gut feeling.

"11x14 mixed media -- "Broken"

It’s what I do as an artist. I sold my painting: “Broken” because I was willing to give my friend a break if she purchased the painting same day. The painting was worth more, but so was my customer. Confucius say: satisfied customers walk away happy; buy again in future."