Hope

We began the drive downtown laughing and discussing the Christmas season and then reality hit. We were stuck in traffic and worried about finding a parking spot and arriving at the concert on time. We watched a cop chase a car that almost hit him and another cop took the license plate number of a bus driver who didn't wait for pedestrians. My friend and I found ourselves confused, on edge, and anxious to get to our destination and then I heard a little girl yell Merry Christmas and saw a little boy dancing on the sidewalk and  suddenly the wait didn't seem to matter. A parking spot a block from the conference center became free as soon as we were passing and thus continued the night of Christmas miracles.

The Mormon Tabernacle Christmas concert featuring Alfie Boe and Tom Brokaw was absolutely amazing and I will not admit how many times tears came as we listened to the beautiful music and heard the spoken word. Alfie sang Bring Him Home(The Prayer) from Les Mis and wow is all I can say. I may have a little crush on Tom Brokaw's brain and brilliance and loved hearing him speak. He told a story of Gail Halvorsen, a pilot during WWII, who met young children and shared a couple of sticks of gum and then dropped his and others candy rations attached to handkerchief parachutes for the children in Berlin. Soon candy came from all over the world. Candy for the enemy. Hope for the enemy. Halversen was at the concert and spoke to Tom about his experience and I am fairly certain that many tears fell as he related his experience. It made me think of the shooting at an elementary school this past week and the thought that in the midst of the dark and often terrible  circumstances, we can seek and find hope.

On my way home, another Christmas miracle brought me hope and peace. I passed the cemetery near my home and saw luminaries faintly glowing and quickly turned off my radio, dimmed my lights and enjoyed the stillness of the night.