There's a local radio station in my area who started playing Christmas music full time last week. Driving home from work one night, the song Grown Up Christmas List came on and I found myself actually listening closely to the lyrics for possibly the first time ever. Below is the chorus:
So here's my lifelong wish
My grown up Christmas list
Not for myself but for a world in need
No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
And everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end, no
This is my grown up Christmas list
I found myself thinking about how relevant this song is now - just as much as it was when it was written in 1990. 2016 seems to have shown America how broken and hurt we are as a people.
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We have had "lives torn apart". The Black Lives Matter movement brought about a huge divide between lots of Americans. Many people have died on both sides of the discussion. We have also seen lots of people experience the impending fear of the our President-elect. It has been a year where I think Americans are seeing for the first time in a long time how far from a united nation we are.
We have also had wars that started. Again, the Black Lives Matter movement became a bit of a war. This population of people have been hurting since the founding of our nation, and wanted to be acknowledged for the pain that has been passed on for generations. However, it turned in to an "us vs. them" between Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter. It should not have gotten to the point that it did. America, our wounds will not heal by declaring war on each other.
Speaking of wounds, time is not healing them. We have a lot more to do than just wait for time to pass. We must be proactive in the fight for equality and justice. And we must do a better job at really listening, not just hearing each other. Until then, I believe time will just continue to pass and the wounds will continue to bleed.
"Everyone would have a friend". I work as a therapist for domestic and sexual violence survivors. Almost every time someone shares a piece of their story in a group and hears the words "me, too", you can almost visibly see the look of relief on their face. Isolation is a powerful tool and a support system of friends can make all the difference in the world. Everyone deserves a good, true friend.
"Right would always win". I think this goes back to a lot of the points I have made already - the right thing to do is not always easy, but it is imperative in healing the hurt we have created among each other in America. We may not all agree on what specifically to do to get to such a point, but we must try.
"And love would never end". Keep showing love, y'all.
