Snapshot (and Soapbox) of the Week

All year long, I've had this little calendar keeping me company:

It belonged to my Grandma; she always did have an eye for pretty things. When Mom and I started going through her stuff last January, we found an extra one and Mom said I could have it.

I was thrilled, because as you can see, this calendar is quite beautiful. It hung above my desk in our apartment in San Diego. I'm the kind of person who needs calendars around; otherwise, I forget what day it is and then I start post-dating checks, missing appointments (like I did when Heather was here), and skipping birthdays. Seriously. I need help. That's why I like calendars.

Not only is this calendar pretty to look at, it has some fun quotes, too. So imagine my surprise when I flipped the page up to December on Monday and found this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Nothing can bring you peace but yourself."

As I read it through the first time, I was absolutely expecting it to say ". . . but Jesus." After all, it is December, the Christmas season, and even in our secular culture you see a lot of Jesus references and manger scenes this time of year.

If the calendar wasn't going to mention Jesus by name, I at least expected something like "Nothing can bring you peace but a joyful heart" or "a selfless life."

But "yourself"? Really?

I'm sorry, Mr. Emerson. We have some lovely parting gifts for you.

Boy am I glad that I don't have to depend on myself for peace! I would constantly disappoint myself if that were the case.

Poor Ralph. No wonder the guy had serious depression issues.

So bothered was I by this misguided quote, that I decided to fix it. After all, I'll be looking at this calendar for the next 31 days:

At first, I crossed out Ralph's name and wrote my own. Then I realized that I can't really take credit for the idea of Jesus bringing us peace. That one was all God. So I fixed that, too.

"But now in Christ Jesus

you who once were far away have been brought near

through the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one

and has destroyed the barrier [between us]."

~ Eph. 2:13-14

Merry Christmas!