done?

 I think my last decoration is done

    I am never sure, but I think Christmas is all up at our house.  Just in time too, with one week to go.

    For some reason the Christmas spirit seems to be escaping me this year.  I don't have the excitement I usually have.  I suspect that excitement level has dropped a little each year since my childhood, but this year just seems extreme.

    It's a combination of things.  Certainly the loss of my brother Carl and my friend Frank have dampened my spirits.  It's hard to imagine a future without seeing or talking to them, even if it is only a couple of times a year.  Those were times I valued.

    You never know when that last time happens, do you?  Wether it be a phone call or a short visit, you don't end it thinking you'll never see or talk to the person again.

    The world events are not helping.  The killing continues in too many parts of the world, with too many innocents taken.  It's hard to accept peace on Earth when people are shooting and bombing each other.

    While I am safe and warm in lay house, with expectations of presents and a feast on Christmas, thousands of homeless folks and migrants face bitter nights living in tents and hoping food kitchens will be serving a hot meal.  We are not welcoming them with open arms.  And don't expect a political solution, because neither side wants to solve the problem so they can use it agains the other side.  Not to mention the working poor who are struggling to buy food and pay rent, let alone buy presents.

    No snow.  I like snow at Christmas.  Not having any makes it seem like just another week in mid November.  Snow, please.  I am not crazy about the cold, but I like the snow.

    In the bleak mid winter.....I guess that is where I am now.  

    Believe me, I know I can't solve any of these problems.  No one can.

    I just hope more people try to solve them.  I guess that is my Christmas wish this year.

    Sorry to be a Donny Downer tonight.......

Peace and Love