Christmas is approaching!

Christmas is coming, people. Are you in the spirit yet? I'm getting there. Today I helped with some inflatable games in downtown Dayton for the pre-Christmas parade activities. It was somewhat fun. Who knew that Dayton had a dog show. The coolest dog I saw today was (get this) a three-legged whippet. Even worse, its owner had put reindeer antlers on it. With only three legs, it walked really weird ... almost like a gallop. It sort of looked like a real reindeer.

This was quite the week. I was sick for the first three days, but then gradually got better. Then I learned that my ride back home for Christmas has to leave early and that I would have to find another ride. I did, so we’re good on that. Plus, I got TONS of sleep this week. On Wednesday, all I felt like doing was sleeping. And I did. 6 hours during the day and then my normal allotment at night. It was great.

Last night was the Christmas banquet and those of us in Long 2nd that didn’t go went down the Chattanooga to eat and see a movie on the hall’s money. Two guys saw Casino Royale (which I had already seen and didn’t feel the need to see again), Colton went to see The Nativity Story (which I will see with my family when I get back for Christmas), and I went to see Bobby.

Bobby was a great film, in my opinion and included some of the greatest actors from many generations of the Hollywood tradtition. It was the story of people living and working in the Ambassador Hotel on the day that Bobby Kennedy would be shot. It delved into some very important issues in the lives of the characters. Each character's story ended with a bit of an epiphany … the character realizing something about their lives, their importance in the scheme of things, things they had done wrong or right.

After Senator Kennedy was shot, the movie ended with an exceelent montage with Senator Kennedy delivering a speech in the background on the menace of violence in our society. Although some of what he said may simply be meaningless liberal platitudes, some of it really stayed with me and I will post it for your enjoyment and enlightenment:

Too often we honor swagger and bluster and wielders of force; too often we excuse those who are willing to build their own lives on the shattered dreams of others. Some Americans who preach non-violence abroad fail to practice it here at home. Some who accuse others of inciting riots have by their own conduct invited them.

Some look for scapegoats, others look for conspiracies, but this much is clear: violence breeds violence, repression brings retaliation, and only a cleansing of our whole society can remove this sickness from our soul.

Do you agree? You can read the whole speech here.