Ira's Insights (November 2009)

Expecting a Miracle

In our life there are some seasons or Holydays that bring us the sweetest memories and warm feelings. Christmas is one of those Holydays. When I turn my memories back to my childhood I smell oranges and tangerines that my father brought. And the smell of tropical fruits is still associated with Christmas season in my subconscious. And of course the memories about this season bring me some kind of feeling that I call expecting a miracle. I liked that Holyday because it bound the members of family. I am sure that every reader can tell something wonderful about this miraculous Holyday. It can happen simply because we are from the same country called “Childhood”.

My childhood was during the Soviet Union and at that time Christmas was as a background. The biggest accent was on the New Year. People were preparing for this event very thoroughly. Everybody was in hurry to get a Fur tree by the 31st of December, to buy presents for their family and friends and they were waiting for coming of the Old Man, Frost. People said: The way you meet the New Year the same way you will live the year. And of course people were trying to do their best to meet it as they wanted to live the New Year.

During the Soviet Union period people didn’t speak much about Christmas. In my memories this Holyday was candies and cakes that had been bought for children who came to the door and sang Carols. Those songs were not as Christian songs that tell you about the birth of Christ but as Folklore songs. Also during that time some children visited their grandparents and Godparents to bring them kalatch (kind of fancy loaf of bread) and to get presents. Christmas was celebrated according to the Old Calendar - on the 7th of January.

I am very glad that many things have changed in my Country and today you can go to the church without any fearing to be thrown to the prison. And the attitudes of many people have changed toward the Holydays too. Now many people know that according to the New Calendar Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December and they know what this event means. Christmas has become more important for many people of my Country than meeting the New Year. We live in some kind of transitional period. Today many Christians in Ukraine celebrate this Holyday twice – in December and in January. Do you know who are the happiest ones – children! Now they can get more gifts on this wonderful Holyday. It is great for me to realize that this double Holyday can help more people, especially disadvantaged children– from orphanages, homeless children and special ones. And of course it can help us to become kinder and more soft-hearted.

Today God opens many doors for us, and the name of one of them is virtue. That calls us to help those who are not able to reward you for your kind heart. In our lives we meet many those who are not able to do this, those who are in despair and need a piece of hope. Believe me, even your little help can change the attitude of such a child toward life, can bring real delight to his little world, and can fill him with feeling called “expecting a miracle”… .

Until next time,
Ira