A Tale of Two Days

Published by: Leroy Barber
December 8, 2009

TwoDays

Written the day after Thanksgiving…
I am torn as I wake up today. Yesterday I had a wonderful day. Wednesday, my two sons and I continued a long-standing family tradition by putting up Christmas lights around our house. We go all out with lights to celebrate the advent season and Christmas holiday. My wife and mother spent the day cooking all kinds of wonderful food – turkey, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, greens, and sweet potato pie. My Aunt came to visit from Philadelphia.

On Thursday, friends and family gathered at 3pm for a prayer. We thanked God for family and the food he provided for the day as well as a home. Then we sat down to lively conversations and, of course, football. Around 6 pm, when it was dark, we gathered in a circle and asked people to share what they were thankful for in this holiday season. Then everyone went outside for the annual house lighting. This has been a family tradition for many years and yesterday was very special. Most of what we celebrated could not be purchased. It seemed wholesome and simple.

Today, I feel the pressure to do something opposite, the pressure to buy and purchase things, the pressure to get out early and get a great deal. Lines formed early this morning as shoppers on the prowl stood outside closed stores waiting for them to open. As the doors open they trampled on one another to get in, without regard for life. In some places fistfights and even death have occurred, all in pursuit of the deal. The message today is consume, consume, consume. It’s like the message of family time gets replaced with the idea that you need to buy something for your loved ones to show your love, a message that I think harms relationships. The message of family, simplicity and joy, that was somehow so strong yesterday, is today overwhelmed by the pressure to pursue stuff.

My prayer is that today’s crazy shopping, trampled people, and traffic jams are again replaced with the warm feelings of family and friends. Perhaps what we celebrate on the last Thursday of November each year can become what defines us as Americans. I hope for this as I sit in the glow of yesterday morning, its quick replacement with an unfortunate today.

http://www.plywoodpeople.com Jeff Shinabarger

You hit me hard with this post. You found a way to see in culture the stark contrast between community vs. self and/or me vs. us. You spotlighted it in 2 defining days in our culture. Its amazing how the marketing of the days have created the tension within us. How can we change the tension that exists?
Mike Nienaber

Thank you for encouraging all of us to take a step back, examine our hearts and minds and ask ourselves what is TRULY important. It’s tough not to fall into a consumer mindset around this time of year, but as followers of Christ we have to remember that God wants us to be Kingdom minded. I appreciate the food for thought!
http://topsy.com/tb/bit.ly/5giSbi Tweets that mention A Tale of Two Days « Plywood People — Topsy.com

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jeff Shinabarger and Leroy Barber, Plywood. Plywood said: Great blog post by @leroybarber. A Tale of Two Days – http://plywoodpeople.com/269 [...]