“Those who go out weeping, carrying their bag of seed, will come back with songs of joy, carrying home their sheaves.” (Psalm 126: 6)
Again, as in the beginning of every winter, snow is falling, carpeting our unpretentious front and back yards. The blank white canvas pleads to be colorfully painted with the memories of the summer growth of flowers and plants. Not so many years ago, my wife and I were sandy soil gardeners coaxing flowers to bloom and plants to produce vegetables from the pine barrens of Concord. We watered, composted, mulched, staked, weeded, and whispered encouraging words over the plants in our yard that were constantly challenged by acidic soil, the whims of weather, climate change, and the cycles of the moon! Even at times when the harvest had been meager, our harvest songs of Thanksgiving persisted.
The white winter landscape reflected the memory of the handful of green beans, three tomatoes, five stubby cucumbers, a few stalks of scraggly broccoli, several snippets from stunted basil, and pea-sized brussels sprouts sweetening on frozen stalks poking through the snow.
It occurs to me that those sparse garden harvests and barren winter landscape may illustrate the governmental and social malaise currently infecting our wellbeing and our country. Many weep as they sow seeds of non-violence, seeds of welcome to the immigrant and refugee, and seeds of healthcare for all; only to see them sprout and fall to the blight of lies, the drought of empathy, derision of care for neighbor, the weeds of supremacy, and the cold blanket of coercive power. Many “suffer insults from the arrogant, contempt from the proud,” and the greed of the rich. No amount of snow can cover up the weeds of oligarchy, kleptocracy, and autocracy that are choking out justice and the financial and social well-being of U.S. citizens and the citizens of the world.
The reality of all this degradation may easily be forgotten during this season of Christmas,
Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. The joyous celebrations may blot out any awareness of the antics of Christian nationalism, advocacy of white supremacy, expulsion of immigrants, and efforts to quash the ideals of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Perhaps the holiday music on the radio, the internet, and in the malls serves to distract from the voices of mean-spirited pronouncements and actions emanating from the White House. Or perhaps the flickering Hanukkah and Christmas candles distract us from the shadows where refugees are unjustly arrested by ICE and languish in prisons while fearing deportation. Or perhaps the rush to purchase gifts, on the internet and in department stores, leaves little time for awareness of those who lack even a living wage. Or perhaps in the shelter of our Christmas trees we leave behind the horrors of wars in Gaza, the occupied Palestinian territory, Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, Nigeria and 50 others. It seems, for many, the joyful season disavows the reality of the ever-present schemes of the powerful, influential, and wealthy oligarchs and presidents.
However, as the angels say, “fear not!” It is not necessary to turn our backs on the realities of wounded people and nations in order to celebrate the joys of the season. Celebrations may be about the ways, time after time, seemingly unstoppable threats have been confronted, beginning with the days of King Herod. When the king ordered the killing of all male children under two years old, at least one found asylum in Egypt. We have witnessed the defeat of fascism, the end of slavery, the suffrage movement, civil rights, LGBT+ rights, and healing of the environment. It has not been a straight line of progress. Often, a movement falls back only to move forward bit by bit. The celebration of this season is
in the joy that goodwill for all people will continue to progress.
At the edge of our fatigued garden grows a thriving five-foot blue spruce tree. Its persistent
presence proclaims the promise of a fruitful life for our struggling garden. There is a prophecy that declares, “monarchs will be brought down from their thrones, the lowly will be raised on high. The hungry will be filled with good things, and the rich sent away empty.” May we joyfully celebrate, with confidence, the coming of a spring of blossoms and vegetables and nations blooming with justice and peace for all of humankind. May we both weep and sing songs of joy this season of Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa.
John Buttrick writes from his Vermont Folk Rocker in his Concord home, Minds Crossing. He can be reached at johndbuttrick@gmail.com.