Saturday, December 26, 2009

A Lesson in Fear

Dr. Suess' What Was I Scared of?
Well . . .
I was walking in the night
And I saw nothing scary
For I have never been afraid
Of Anything. Not very.

Then I was deep within the woods
When, suddenly, I spied them,
I saw a pair of pale green pants
With nobody inside them!

I wasn't scared. But, yet, I stopped.
What could those pants be there for?
What could a pair of pants and at night
Be standing in the air for?

And then they moved! Those empty pants!
They kind of started jumping.
And then my heart, I must admit,
It kind of started thumping.

So I got out, I got out fast
As fast as I could go, sir.
I wasn't scared. But pants like that
I did not care for. No, sir.

After that, a week went by
Then one dark night in Grin-itch
(I had to do an errand there
And fetch some spinach) . . .
Well, I had fetched the spinach.
I was starting back through town
When those pants raced around a corner
And they almost knocked me down!

I lost my Grin-itch spinach
But I didn't even care
I ran for home! Believe me,
I had really had a scare!

Now, bicycles were never made
For pale green pants to ride 'em,
Especially spooky pale green pants
With nobody inside 'em!

And the NEXT night, I was fishing
For doubt trout on Roover River
When those pants came rowing toward me!
Well I started in to shiver

And by now I was SO frightened
That, I'll tell you, but I hate to . . .
I screamed and rowed away and lost
My hook and line and bait, too!

I ran and found a Brickel bush.
I hid myself away
I got brickels in my britches
But I stayed there anyway

I stayed all night. The next night, too.
I'd be there still, no doubt,
But I had to do an errand
So, the next night, I went out.

I had to do an errand,
Had to pick a peck of Snide
In a dark and gloomy Snide-field
That was almost nine miles wide.

I said, "I do not fear those pants
With nobody inside them."
I said, and said, and said those words.
I said them. But I lied them.

Then I reached inside a Snide bush
And the next thing that I knew,
I felt my had touch someone!
And I'll bet that you know who.

And there I was! Caught in the Snide!
And in that dreadful place
Those spooky, empty pants and I
Were standing face to face!

I yelled for help. I screamed. I shrieked.
I howled. I yowled. I cried,
"Oh, save me from these pale green pants
With nobody inside!"

But then a strange thing happened.
Why, those pants began to cry!
Those pants began to tremble.
They were just as scared as I!

I never heard such whimpering
And I began to see
That I was just as strange to the,
As they were strange to me!

I put my arm around their waist
And sat right down beside them.
I calmed them down.
Poor empty pants
With nobody inside them.

And, now, we meet quite often,
those empty pants and I,
And we never shake or tremble.
We both smile
And we say
"Hi!"

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus....Or is There?

Just the other week when I was working with my wonderful little group of K-2nd graders at our church's kids outreach, one of my girls asked me if Santa Claus was real. Now while it may be all wonderful and good to write Virginia back and tell her, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished," such an answer simply would not do in this situation.
Personally, as much as I love Christmas (and I love Christmas, I still don't sleep well on Christmas Eve...) I don't believe in Santa Claus. I have no problem with Saint Nicholas (I mean, how could I, he actually existed), but the creepy Santa who slips down your chimney? Now I have a problem with that!
However, it was certainly not my place to tell this little girl that Santa Claus did not exist. If her parent want her to believe in Santa, that's their prerogative. Nevertheless, I knew I could not tell her that Santa Claus did exist because that would be a lie. Talk about a tough situation. Luckily my choice of words was made easier by the second part of her question.
As I was pondering quickly how to respond, I heard her say, "Cause I think he does and I told my friend that Jesus was Santa." Well that cleared my problem up really quickly. The answer became simple. "No, Virginia*, Jesus is not Santa Claus!"





*Name changed to protect the innocent :P