As I sit in my house in Chuuk, the "Great Lake of the Pacific", I think of how Christmas time is back home in Oklahoma. We long for a little snow, just to make it like the Hollywood version of Christmas, and we hope we don't get an ice storm instead. But in the western Pacific, at 7.5 degrees north of the Equator, there is never snow. We may have a wet Christmas, but it isn't white.
People do put up lights, shop for gifts, sing Christmas carols (along with some reggae), and behave as though they are filled with the Christmas spirit. Even those who speak little English wish us a Merry Christmas!
Our television service expired last night at midnight; Christmas Eve went dark, as far as TV broadcasting goes, and although I went to our only Telecom and paid the bill, the one employee who is authorized to receive payments for television was off-island. We will have TV restored when he returns, on Monday. So we are spending Christmas day in a silent house, as we will on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We will miss so many football and basketball games.
Yet, it may be a blessing (you have to look hard to see that), since we are compelled to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. It's about hope, the hope that our pitiful lives may not be lived in vain. Hope that our Creator has a plan to reward us, put us in a better place, save us from the broken state of our existence. I suspect that the shepherds and Magi lived a lot like we do here, and they must have felt relieved that something good was happening.
Whatever your beliefs about Christ are, you have to admit that 2,000+ years later, his birth still brings hope to people. We act different during this season, no matter how the weather behaves. We remember that family and loved ones are more important than deadlines and profits and status. All of us hope for a better life.
We also make resolutions for the new year and hope that this one will be the best ever. In Chuuk, they beat on "drums" made of sheet metal panels, plastic barrels, and anything else that will resonate throughout the island. I saw a group of children practicing their rhythm on Monday. They continued to practice since then. On New Year's Eve, they will be joined by thousands of islanders, and the sound will rock the island. It will continue for three days, non-stop! I don't think any of the drummers get any sleep. It is a tradition that has been followed for a long time; it probably can be traced to a practice intended to drive away evil spirits. I know it scares our dogs, and evil spirits probably want to avoid it, too. If anyone believes that the Chuukese are lazy, let them come and observe the dedication of the noisemakers. They just don't see the point in working hard for a vague purpose - at $1.50 an hour, there is little motivation to work yourself to death and sacrifice time away from your family, for some obscure goal of prosperity. Prosperity is hard to come by in Chuuk.
So, to all my family and friends, may the blessings of the holiday season be upon you, and may you find love and joy in 2015. Be thankful for what you have and tend to the relationships that sustain us all.
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