Dec. 22, 2003 - 21:01 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Been That Way

Big event today, I picked up a new notebook. A nice bright, shiny red one that will fit in the glove compartment in our car. New book, same dummy, fewer ideas it seems.

Christmas is bearing upon us like a fast express train in a tunnel.

Our shopping is done, decorations are as up here as they will get in our apartment this year, gifts all bought and wrapped.

Heather is done, all the baking and candymaking she is going to do is already done in preparation for going to grand daughter's house for our family's Christmas feasting and visiting.

About the only thing left for me to do is make the guacamole dip I make, take a shower, dress as nicely as I can maybe comb the few hairs left on my bumpy skull piece.

We sent out all our Christmas cards already, those on the list. We tremble in fear that we have missed someone. We'll find out soon enough - cards from someone long out of touch or from someone we forgot to put on our list will arrive here. Guess we better buy a few belated Christmas Greetings cards.

I miss the potlucks we had at work around this time of year. Everyone would bring their specialties to eat, the bachelors bringing cold drinks and a variety of chips. Even the supervisors around us would take part and everyone would be friends for the evening. Remarkable.

Even though things pressed on me at work, trying to finish up stuff before the holiday and things like that, I do miss work exceedingly. Some of my coworkers went from fresh out of highschool to middle aged folks while I worked there. All friends, and as life goes, there are only a couple of folks I worked with that stay in touch. Just like moving out of the neighborhood or out of state -- distance and time make folks lose track of each other.

I don't regret a bit that I no longer have to traverse that 17 miles to work on icy roads and things like that - those are memories buried deep in my id, well hid.

Here it is the 22nd of December and we are pretty well done except for very minor details. I should be eased back watching TV or visiting with Heather, content with the world and my place in it. But clawing at the edge of my complacency is the knowledge of all the kids and folks who live in other parts of our world whose normal routine is starvation and trying to find food and shelter. Kids who have no parents anymore. Grown folks in the same sorry condition. Knowing that even in our country there are severly disadvantaged people who are in the toils of poverty and want without a chance to better themselves or their conditions.

So while we are feasting and visiting with the family we love there are people who have nothing except maybe a bit of hope for a meal and a place to lay their head for a night. There are never enough shelters for the homeless. One such person froze to death in our Civic Center park, a man who was known by many, one who was gentle and genteel who just couldn't find work.

Am I going to burst into tears at the dinner table ? No, but I will feel that I should be sharing with people like that.

The rich always say, "The poor we will have with us always," yeah right and darn few of them do much about alleviating the situation. A few generous wealthy folks do help a bit, but not too many I think. But it rankles even though its always Been That Way . . . . . . . . . . .

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