Comments from the Canyons: Tragedy shouldn't destroy joy of season

This is the time of year during which we are supposed to be joyful as we approach Christmas. We were building up to that until the twenty children and six teachers were slaughtered in the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Although we are many miles away, we are still much affected by such a tragedy. We cannot even imagine how the people there are feeling.

Now, our task is to try to begin to rebuild our feelings of Christmas joy in order to help those around us to avoid the dreadful sadness that can result from such occurrences. We need to concentrate more than ever on the reason we celebrate this most special holiday. We must think about that wonderful night so long ago and know that the Christ Child came to us then.

We can also help each other by recounting some of our favorite Christmas celebrations when we were young and even after we have aged. By reflecting on the good times of the past, we can sometimes ease the pain of the present. Try to recall the first Christmas you remember and the feelings you had then. Through the years, I have written about the one I remember best when I was about 3 and attended the community Christmas Tree at the lma School. I recall some of the singing and some of the reading the story of Christmas.

Most of all, I remember the coming of Santa Claus at the end of the evening. As I told Mother when we returned to the canyons, I thought Santa had eyes just like Dad's and wore boots just like his. I also remember those early gifts and treasure such memories. As time has passed, I have amassed more memories and have let them see me through some rather difficult times. Often, it we will just relax our minds for a few minutes and let memories of better times filter in, we can cope with most of the unfortunate happenings with which we are faced.

As our collection of memories increases, we become stronger and more able to help each other when the need arises. We may not need to recount those memories to others in order to lend them some of our strength. Often, a smile or a kind word will provide more comfort than will a lot of words. Let's just keep collecting these memories and using them to help ourselves and others in times of need.

Let's all have a most merry and blessed Christmas and add one more joyful time to our collection.

Lynn Moncus is a Tucumcari resident and can be contacted through the Quay County Sun by calling 461-1952.