Sunday, December 24, 2006

Dona Nobis Pacem, Reprised

There's a line from the popular Christmas carol It Came Upon a Midnight Clear that goes:

"Peace on the Earth, goodwill to men
From heaven's all gracious King..."

The days leading to Christmas are hardly peaceful in many cases. The Christmas rush; people arguing over that newly-vacated parking space at the mall; adults in a tug-of-war over that last toy that each of them absolutely must have; skyrocketing tempers because of traffic jams; anxiety that the gifts one bought might not please the recipient; the hustle and bustle of preparing the Christmas dinner and the onslaught of family and friends.

Peace?

What will this Christmas be like for many people in my country? While the malls are thronged with shoppers doing their gift-buying, street children are knocking on car windows, begging for coins. While the rich and the not-so-rich-but-not-poor-either have their tables overflowing with food and drink, with laughter as a side dish, parents in the slums are heating water to boil a pack of instant noodles to feed a family of six. Lacking even instant noodles, some resort to just sprinkling their rice with salt. And that's it. Many young children don't even have homes where they could celebrate Christmas; home is a dry place on the street for many. I exaggerate not.


Peace?

In a world that's been filled with strife since the dawn of civilization, is the word peace still relevant?

I, and many others, believe that it is.

Mimi Lenox, for one, believes it with all her heart. Will her BlogBlast for Peace initiative end war and hunger? By itself, probably not. But thinking about peace, believing in its possibility, can spur a person to hope, and to do his or her small part to make their corner of the world a more peaceful place to live. To take the focus away from war, hunger, child abuse, etc., and bring it back to the beauty that surrounds us all.

Each action that we take can bring us closer to it: smiling at a stranger. Hugging a friend or family member. Giving to charity. Volunteering for a cause. Out-of-this-world sex. Leaving a kind and sincere word to a fellow blogger. Signing a peace globe for all the world to see.



Such simple things to do.

Oftentimes, though, it's the simplicity of things that makes them have such a great impact--both on ourselves and on others.

Inner peace, and peace for the people we love and who love us--these are my holiday wishes for each and every one.

21 comments:

Mimi Lenox said...

A beautiful post.
I love what you have done here.
You have made us think about not-so-pretty as well, which is important if we are to understand the impact that one person can truly have. After all, how many people does it take to feed one hungry child for a day?
Just one.

I will link this to an ever-growing list I'm compiling for Christmas Eve.

Peace and love to you on Christmas,
Mimi

Bud Weiser, WTIT said...

Lizza-

Well put and a fresh prospective. Peace to you and your family durring the holidays!

Bud

Kiyotoe said...

beautiful post indeed. sometimes even if you've never met a person, you can tell how special they are just by the sentiments they share.

this post says you're a beautiful person young lady. thanks for sharing.

CountryDew said...

Lovely post. Peace to you and may your good heart find grace in the new year.

Dean aka Sgt Dub said...

Lizza,
Thank you for your blog. I enjoy reading it each day at the end of work (war) here in Afghanistan. You present so much and with joy. I am wishing you a very Merry Christmas and the more we work for peace, the more relevent it becomes. Especially now during this time of year.

y.Wendy.y said...

Oh Lizza that was just wonderful. What we need to read at Christmas time..with the ever-growing abundance we indulge ourselves with...

thank you!

Happy Christmas to you and your family.

xx

Ian said...

Merry Christmas, Lizza and family.

Ian

Michael C said...

Merry Christmas and what a great signature!!!

Anonymous said...

lizza, such a lovely post. I really wish I wouldn't have told my 18-year-old daughter she looked like a fashion nightmare before she stormed out of the house. I felt bad about it, and now I feel worse. You always remind me of what's important, and I'm grateful for that. Oh, and a very Merry Christmas to you.

thethinker said...

Merry Christmas Lizza!

houseband00 said...

Merry Christmas to you and your family, my friend!!!

Sunrunner said...

Very good post. Happy Christmas, Merry Yule, and blessings to you and yours in the New Year!

lastlifeinmyuniverse said...

merry xmas lizza darlin *kisses*

Odat said...

Hope you have a wonderful peace filled Christmas! Your message is heartfelt. Thank you!
Peace

Lizza said...

Mimi: Thank YOU for your inspiration and kind words.

Bud: Thanks! And thanks for the Christmas stocking, too. :-) Hope you're having a great day.

Kiyotoe: Thanks, but I actually breathe fire more often than not. ;-) Happy holidays, dear friend.

Countrydew: Thank you very much for stopping by. May the coming year be filled with blessings for you and yours.

Sgt Dub: I'm honored by your visit. May I say that you're doing your country a great service? I hope you're always kept out of harm's way and that your Christmas is safe and cheerful. (Well, as cheerful as it can possibly get!)

Wendz: Thank you! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, your mum, and your boys too.

Ian: Merry Christmas to you and yours too.

Michael: Thanks! Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday!

Gale: Thank you very much. I hope you and your daughter make up ASAP. I'll keep your experience in mind when my daughters start experimenting with fashions I don't understand. :-) Happy holidays!

thethinker: Merry Christmas to you too!

HB: It's great to hear from you! Merry Christmas to you and yours too, my friend. Ikain at iinom mo na lang ako diyan ha? ;-)

Sunrunner: Thank you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours, too!

Deb: Merry Christmas, you sweet young thing. *hugs & kisses*

Odat: Same to you, you wonderful bringer of smiles, laughter, n'shit!

Scott from Oregon said...

Did you really think I wasn't going to notice the "out of this world sex" part of bringing peace around the globe?

Would that be with protection, one would hope?

Merry Holidays and Peace, baby, peace!

Lizza said...

Haha! You've got eagle eyes, Scott.
Happy Holidays and Peace to you, too!

Unknown said...

Merry (belated) Christmas to you and yours, my friend! May your 2007 be filled with happiness and blessings galore =)

Lizza said...

Thank you, my friend. May you and yours be happier, healthier, and wealthier in 2007 and beyond! :-)

Gumby said...

such a sweet post. and sad too. it seems that our 2 countries have much in common, especially the disparity between the haves and the have-nots.

Lizza said...

Yes, Gumby. There are so many things wrong here and there, but we'll stay hopeful and try to do the best we can to make things a bit better.