2019 Home for the Holidays

2019 Home for the Holidays LINCOLN DAILY NEWS November 27, 2019 Page 7 Consider the case of the Grinch (a Dr. Seuss character). Seuss wrote “The Grinch who stole Christmas” because he felt that the character of the Grinch was commonplace in our society and the critical, unappreciative spirit of the Grinch was alive in all of us (at times). The Grinch looked down on the town below with a jaundiced eye, despising everyone he saw, and he desired to sabotage the joy that they felt. This sense of covetousness came about because his heart was much too small. And so, since he could not experience joy, he decided that nobody should experience it. Well, you know the story... he raced down the mountain to steal all their Christmas, which he determined was the source of their joy. After taking all the gifts, the decorations and the feast, he discovered that the source of joy was not in the stuff but in their hearts. Seeing Cindy Lou Who, his heart grew three times the size, and good cheer infected even the Grinch! Once infected, the Grinch’s character was transformed, and he too gave good cheer instead of trying to take it away. Youtube video - Cindy Lou Who Consider the case of Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Scrooge was a defeated man who had lost all meaning for life and all value for people. His only value was money. There was no joy, no cheer, no happiness in Scrooge, and all he could spread was “Humbug!” Everyone who came in contact with him was robbed of their joy, robbed of their dignity, robbed of their cheer, and demoted to valuelessness. Three supernatural visitations confronted Scrooge, and showed him the results of his behavior and choices: Tiny Tim would die. Sometimes before a heart can be healed, it has to be re-broken, and the pieces come back together to form a beating, living whole. Scrooge was transformed from a man who hated life and hated people to a whole man Continued u