Peace on Earth, War on Earth

Even as a child, I had some major issues with the Christmas story. Maybe my mind was too literal, too scientific, or too skeptical. But the idea of angels and Holy Ghosts never much resonated with me. Of course, once I became experienced as a writer, and therefore dependent on metaphors, some of this started to make a lot more sense to me. And, over the years, there have been times that I sensed an advantage for Christian children, as compared with those in Jewish or non-believer families, and it is just this: Believing in magic.

Selma Fraiberg's wonderful book, The Magic Years, partially captures what I am talking about. The only chance any of us truly has to give magical influences any real chance in this world is when we are very young.

Or, later on, when we fall in love.

Tonight, I spent some time with a friend who, like me, is divorced, still getting over it, and world-traveled. She noted that many of the people she knew in India -- men and women -- seemed far happier in their arranged marriages than any Americans she knows.

When I thought about it, that is a similar impression I have from my travels around the world. Happiness, the pursuit of which is enshrined in our Constitution, along with life and liberty, is not one of the most apparent characteristics of modern day American culture.

My friend is a lawyer; she works really hard and we almost never get to hang out together. At a party she threw recently, I noticed one guest -- a tall, handsome man -- who stood out from the crowd. I didn't meet him but I remembered him so I asked her about him. That man is her ex-husband.

It interests me at my stage of life, as an older person, what and whom I notice and why. I almost always seem to sense the connections between people. Mostly now I feel sympathy toward all of us.

We all need pretty much the same things -- friendship, intimacy, connection, trust, safety, enough resources -- but most of us have trouble asking each other for help. "Asking for help is the most radical thing you can do."

This Christmas Eve, I wish you and yours a sense of peace and acceptance. I am older than just about anyone who reads this blog. Peace will come to you, troubles will pass. Accept people with all of their limitations. No one is perfect or even close to perfect. We are all damaged goods. But, if you can see through our manifest flaws to the essence of what makes us unique human beings, you'll find out that at least one part of the Christmas story rings true and that's about angels.

There truly are angels in our world, and they are simply we, each one of us when we have the privilege of helping one another.

(The Holy Ghost is quite another matter. I honestly think Mary was a skilled storyteller, and that Joseph was a chump. So, Jesus was a bastard, but he lucked out in having a step-father who was a mensch.)

If only there were a real chance of peace on this tortured earth! If only Moslems and Jews and Christians and Hindus and Buddhists and everyone else could live in peace. As an agnostic, I really don't get what the rest of you are fighting about. Why do you need to be right?

Maybe you all are right, collectively. Did that ever occur to you? Read each other's holy books and notice the patterns, please. Then, stop blaming each other. Embrace. Bless one another.

Once that's done, let's all get working on helping those in our own cultures who need us the most. My five favorite grassroots groups in America are listed below. Please help them!

The People Who Need Our Help




1. Back Bay Mission is an interfaith effort working on recovery, homelessness, and affordable housing advocacy. This group, which has a long history (since 1922) of social justice work in and around Biloxi, helps the most vulnerable people that few others can seem to reach. There is a convenient online form for donations, or you can contact the organization at:

Back Bay Mission
1012 Division Street
Biloxi, MS 39530
Tel: (228) 432-0301
Fax: (228)374-2922
Email: backbay@datasync.com


2. North Gulfport Community Land Trust
Rose Johnson
4803 Indiana Ave.
Gulfport, MS 39501
Tel: 228-863-3677
You can read more about this remarkable group and how it is trying to rebuild a once vibrant African American community in the wake of Hurrricane Katrina:

http://www.greenrelief.net/article.php?id=346


Mississippi Center for Justice
Katrina Recovery Office
974 Division Street
Biloxi, MS 39530-2960
Tel: (228) 435-7284
Fax: (228) 435-7285

The Center maintains a Katrina Victims Legal Relief Fund, that attends to both immediate and long term legal needs, including:

* A grandmother now caring for her grandchildren and needing legal guardianship
* Children who have special needs getting access to essential services in their new schools
* Insurance being denied because companies deem damages caused by flood not hurricane
* Families losing their homes because they can't access their bank accounts
* Veterans not getting their medical and other benefits
* Elderly homeowners being scammed by predatory lenders
* Families needing to file for bankruptcy protection
* Newly disabled individuals who need help getting SSI benefits
* Immigrant workers displaced from jobs at poultry plants and casino hotels

You can watch the Center's informational video at this link: MCJ Video


4. Moore Community House (childcare and family services)
P.O. Box 204
Biloxi, MS 39533-0204
Tel: (228) 669-4827
Email: INFO@MCHBILOXI.ORG

This local institution, which was damaged in Katrina, provides childcare and family services to people in Biloxi. Its website mentions that one donation of $2 arrived with a note, "I just wanted to help." The group answered: "We're so grateful for every gift -- together we'll rebuild East Biloxi."




5. Coastal Women for Change
336 Rodenburg Ave
Biloxi, MS 39531
Tel: (228)-297-4849

I've posted about this group several times, and their eloquent pleas for help for the poor in Biloxi. Please see: New Appeal From A Forgotten Coast and Plea From Biloxi for more details. The group makes it easy to donate online via PayPal.

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