Will there be any 'Merry' in Michigan's Christmas?

It's a tough time to live in Michigan, even tougher if you're part of the middle-class, an autoworker, or related to one.

If you've been following along over at MichLib, you heard me share how this holiday is going to be a bit different for my family, as I'm sure it will millions others. Tightening the belt doesn't even begin to describe how many Michiganders are going to juggle a failing economy and the holiday.

With last week's bailout-killing vote by the U.S. Senate Republicans, I was more than mad, I was furious, and frustrated, and sad. I'm not sure what to expect, other than to pray that our entire state doesn't go belly up. I don't think I'm any different than most Michiganders right now. I do feel fortunate that I'm not trying to raise a young family in these tough times, because I simply do not know how I'd ever do it.

Looking past the initial impact of the vote, I took a stab in the dark trying to predict the fallout for Republicans in the coming months and years, particularly here in this state. Survey says: It can't be good.

Either way, I'm trying to find that cheer that usually just automatically comes with the season, but no surprise, this year is proving harder to find it than others.

Here's hoping tomorrow brings more hope, more joy, and more optimism, God knows we can use it.

When Christmas really hits home

Stories like this really have a way of hitting me right in the gut the minute I start reading it.

From the Jackson Citizen-Patriot:

A Chelsea family got a Christmas gift even Santa couldn't deliver -- Army Staff Sgt. Michael Montange back home after spending months in a Washington D.C. hospital and years overseas.

Montange, 28, who was nearly killed in an explosion in Iraq, is spending his first Christmas in 10 years in his hometown.

As he touched down at Jackson County Airport shortly after 1 p.m. Monday, he was greeted by family members and more than 20 local firefighters and other well-wishers.

"It feels really good to be back," Montange said while leaning back in a wheelchair covered in a fleece race car blanket. "I haven't made it home for a holiday in quite some time."

He'll be home for almost two weeks.

-snip-

On Aug. 22, Michael Montange, a member of the 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division, was 15 miles north of Baghdad when he was injured by an improvised explosive device. The projectile pierced his buttock and exited through his opposite hip.

His uncle said he "flat-lined" three or four times, underwent 38 surgeries and needed more than 170 units of blood.

He has lost about 40 percent of his intestines and will have to live the rest of his life with a colostomy bag, Mark Montange said.

"He is taking bets he will be walking by April," he said of his nephew.

This is his third time being wounded, family members said, but the soldier considers it his second. The first time, he said he just had a few pieces of metal stuck in him that he pulled out and forgot about by the next month.

Merry Christmas, Staff Sgt. Montage. Welcome home, and there's many of us pulling for you for a speedy recovery, and I'll be thinking of you as adjust to life as an ostomate.

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

I hope that today you will spend a part of it with your family or friends and that we all take time to reflect on all the things we have to give thanks for, whether it's the roof over our heads, our health, a job, our loved ones, our favorite four-legged friends, snow that's on the ground, living in a country where we are free from persecution, to our troops, and for our government, even if we don't always agree with them.

Find something to give thanks for today, and you'll have another reason to smile.

~Lucy

Boxing Day - not just for the Commonwealth

December 26th is the day celebrated in Britain and Canada as Boxing Day. It is a day with a meaning that I think should be practiced by everyone, and not only on this day. Being of British heritage, and raised by very British parents and grandparents, my family has incorporated many traditional British customs into our own.

Despite its name, Boxing Day does not involve a ring or gloves, but rather a day when you do something extra for those who are less-fortunate.

Snopes has this to say about Boxing Day:

...its origins are found in a long-ago practice of giving cash or durable goods to those of lower classes. Gifts among equals were exchanged on or before Christmas Day, but beneficiaries to those less fortunate were bestowed the day after.

Stop by Wikipedia to get the full scoop. It's also known as St. Stephen's Day (as mentioned in the Christmas carol Good King Wencelas).

When it comes down to it, Boxing Day is about doing something good for others. I think too many of us call off the good cheer of the season when the last drop of eggnog is drank and the wee ones are put to bed after a happy Christmas Day. Just because the red kettles are gone and we return to life as usual, we shouldn't forget those who still need our assistance the other 11 months of the year.

Remember when politics was about serving the people? I still believe that's what it's supposed to be about. I know plenty of elected officials and volunteers who still hold that motto high, but there's plenty of reasons why politics still has a bad reputation. These tenets are especially true to those of us who subscribe to the democratic/progressive/liberal philosophies.

As we go through the next 364 days, let's all keep a little Boxing Day spirit going. Whether it's donating clothes or food, giving money to a worthy charity, volunteering for a cause or a campaign that truly does some good, keep doing and giving to others. Following the motto of my blog, it's about what's best for MI, not just for me.