Messengers still come. We are a skeptical people, and God devises new ways to interrupt our doubts and wake us up. Maybe it is the comedian who peels the blinders off our eyes. Maybe it is the winter sun that reveals every twisting branch on the trees outside the window. Maybe it is the crowds of people throughout the world who cry out for justice. Maybe it is gathering at the altar to give thanks. God calls us through fire and light. Like Zechariah, we must quiet down so we can hear again. A light has come that is not of our own making. When this truth finally dawns on us, like Zechariah, we give praise.
For me, it's been a couple of days of “lost and found”. It started out with losing a letter. No, not a letter as in a message, but a
letter; the letter “O”, to be precise.
I’m no longer “Oompah”, but “Ohmpa”.
Every time Lily spoke of me this week, it was “Ohhhhm-Pah”, not
“Ooooooom-Pah”! It's not a big deal, but I noticed it. This is minor compared to my other "losts" and "founds" this week.
Wednesday was shaping up to be a long day, and my patience
had worn thin to the point of losing it. My displeasure had begun when I
realized it was apparent that Disneyland had instructed their employees to use
the phrase “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”. I’ve been going to Disneyland every few years
for the past 4 decades, and they have always said “Merry Christmas” from Advent
through New Year’s Day. I was sorry that
they had buckled under the power of political correctness instead of recognizing Christmas as
the Birth of our Savior.
Later in the day, my family and I decided to make our way to a spot
in front of Snow White’s castle for the fireworks display. I am not now, nor have I ever been, really
fond of being in a crowded situation.
Being on Main Street in Disneyland while park employees are “herding”
guests where they obviously don’t want to go is as close to mayhem as I can
imagine. And where the crowd wants to go is not where Disneyland wants them,
for the most part, so tempers flare. “Herding” causes otherwise
normal-thinking men and women who are created in the image and likeness of God
to act in ways that are contrary to that image.
I was tempted to get caught up in the frenzy, as well.
I say "tempted" because the Holy Spirit sent a messenger to
cut through all of that noise and confusion I was experiencing, and show me some light in the darkness. He used a park employee to be His
messenger! After we had staked out a pretty good spot for viewing, a young man in a Disney uniform said in a loud (but
not overly so) voice, “If you can hear me, clap once!” Just about everyone in a 20-foot radius
complied, and clapped once. “Great!” he
said, and raised his voice just a little louder. “If you can hear me now, clap twice!” Clap, clap was the response. It was beginning to be a game for the crowd
to shorten the wait for the fireworks display.
He raised his voice just a little more and repeated his request, but
this time it was for 3 claps. After he
got the response he expected he said, “Great!
Now that you can all hear me, I need you to stand up and move forward as
far as you can to create more room so that more families can enjoy the performance!”Not only did they all move up a bit, but they did it for the most part because of the method this ingenious young man had used to make us realize we could help someone else simply by being kind and generous. But the increase of people in the immediate area around me caused the noise level to rise exponentially as well. I was standing up, feeling my age (sore and tired), I couldn’t hear myself think, and I was beginning to get aggravated again.
Call me crazy, but I know I heard another small, still voice whisper to me, “Pray my rosary. All is calm.” I wondered how I was going to concentrate on the rosary in the midst of all that noise and distraction! “Close your eyes and begin!” was all that I heard. Not one to take these matters lightly, I did precisely that. I closed my eyes, made the sign of the cross and began. Almost immediately, the stress of the day, the aches and pains and even the discomfort of hearing “Happy Holidays” for the umpteenth time disappeared.
I finished just as the fireworks began. Up to Disneyland’s usual exceptional
standards, it was a pretty good show, with plenty of CHRISTMAS music, including
Silent Night, O Holy Night, and Joy to the World! As the latter song started playing, they shot
fake snowflakes out of the street lamps, creating a “Winter Wonderland” that was very uplifting for me. I was singing Venite, Adoremus even as we made our way to “TomorrowLand”
after the show. “Good for you, Walt
(Disney).” I thought, “They may try
to make Christmas just another secular season, but you still managed to make
it, for me, a Holy Season.”
I lost my camera about an hour later. I was sitting on a bench outside of one of the
attractions, waiting with Lily for the family to come out. She
was asleep, and looking so peaceful that I took a picture of her, then I put
the camera in my jacket pocket. The
family came out, and Alicia, Vickie and I decided to go back to the hotel with
Lily. About 5 minutes out, I realized I
didn’t have my camera with me in any of my pockets! I rushed back and asked a couple of folks who
were sitting where I had been if they had seen it. They replied, “Yes! We just turned it over to a park
employee.” Whew! I was relieved! This morning, I went to the Lost and Found Department
to find out if the park employee actually turned it in. So far, they haven’t
found it, but I’m hopeful. My experience
at the fireworks display gives me hope in things not seen and in Him, Who created all things. 
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