HELLO!

How was your Christmas Day? Mine began at 730 am when our child Lucian returned from their 11 pm – 7 am night shift at the IWK to open presents with Kim and me.  At 9 am I made some pastoral calls, and then headed out to Christ Church, across from Margaret’s House, where a Christmas Day meal is served for those who spend their Christmas alone. There were more than enough volunteers to serve the meal, but I was invited to participate as I knew most of the guests by name and story. I had many long conversations with guests as I moved among the 60 seated in the Hall with my gravy pitcher. One guest, whom I last saw in 2019, had been in hospital since 2022 and, thanks to a hospital social worker, now has permanent housing. He was grateful for the referral I had given him to the local Wellness Navigator. He told me he was cold in his new apartment. I brought to the Hall one of the blankets of hope/love made by Woodlawn United hands. I gave it to my old friend. He offers his thanksgiving to those who offer this ministry. Shirley Pond, a UCW member at Woodlawn, was on hand as one of the volunteers.

I end by offering this poem by Howard Thurman. Thurman was a mystical, prophetic preacher active in the civil rights movement in the 60s. I found this Christmas poem of his in the book Black Fire: African American Quakers on Spirituality and Human Rights. I thought it worth sharing.

The Work of Christmas

When the song of the angels is stilled,

When the star in the sky is gone,

When the kings and the princes are home,

When the shepherds are back with their flock,

The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,

To heal the broken,

To feed the hungry,

To release the prisoner,

To rebuild the nations,

To bring peace among brothers,

To make music in the heart.

Peace, Kevin “gravy man” Little