It's Christmas Eve! A time where family traditions abound. As my dear friend Ruth Williams just said, her house is starting to smell like butter, sugar and cinnamon, as did her mother's house, as did her grandmother's house. Many of us are preparing for candlelight services tonight, putting family ornaments on the tree, and preparing other traditional foods and decorations. I was talking to a friend lately about African American history. In the African tradition, it is the grio who was responsible for recording the oral history of the tribe. In every family, there is usually one who takes on the responsibility for passing on the family's history or stories. It is SO important that we tell our own stories. As a parent, aunt or uncle, you have the responsibility to pass on the history of your family and of your people in general. If we leave it to the media, they tell the stories that they want the public to believe and our true story rarely shows up in the history books. As an African American, our history started long before slavery, so why start and stop there? We must tell of the brilliance and of the historical pride. We must not only tell of the struggle but also of the will to survive, not only to survive but to excel. In every race, ethnicity, religion, family, there are untold stories. Charlie Brown kept saying he just didn't understand Christmas. But once the true story of the birth of Christ was told, he understood. Let's not lose the true story in all of the sales, parties and festivities. Let's tell our story. What's your story?
Merry Christmas Eve.
Happy Sunday Saints!