{"id":2146,"date":"2016-12-24T00:00:03","date_gmt":"2016-12-24T05:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/mission-and-identity\/?p=2146"},"modified":"2019-09-18T16:47:23","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T20:47:23","slug":"dec-24-christmas-eve-1946marinette-wisconsin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/2016\/12\/24\/dec-24-christmas-eve-1946marinette-wisconsin\/","title":{"rendered":"Dec 24 – Christmas Eve, 1946,\tMarinette Wisconsin"},"content":{"rendered":"

December 24, 2016<\/p>\n

This photo was taken, probably by my Dad, in 1946. \u00a0Dr. Redeman, a family friend, was Santa. He visited the homes of parents with children on Christmas Eve in our small town. Three of us four children sit in little chairs, adults behind us, waiting for Santa\u2019s silver chimes outside our front door. Midge, the baby, sits on Mom\u2019s lap on the left. Santa came in and took his black book out of its pouch. He read to us from the gospel of Luke and talked with us about the coming of Jesus into the world. The photo captures our stillness. our attention fixed on this mysterious person. How did Dr. Redemon move us to stillness? Perhaps by the depth of his voice, and its cadence; perhaps by the way he moved, a solemn dancer, with no sign of hurry as he and his Eskimo partner took presents out of large cloth bags, read our names, and placed each one under the tree.<\/p>\n

Whoever took the picture captured my attention. The lighting takes me first to Santa\u2019s face and beard and to his hand raised in a good-bye blessing; his poise, mid gesture, makes the entire photo hold its breath. The children show how focused we felt that night, absorbed with wonder. Dr. R taught us that sacred mystery is story telling with no hint of hurrying. All my life since, the pace of my life helps me recognize when I have found the grace to pay attention and not to interrupt.<\/p>\n

All of us are better when our life\u2019s pace makes us as still as the children in this 1946 photo. Writing about a moment from childhood makes me grateful for the \u201cWork Day\/Hard Times\u201d poetry list. When I write, imagining all of you who read fills me with gratitude and wonder.<\/p>\n

love,<\/p>\n

john st sj<\/p>\n

\"christmas-visit\"<\/a><\/p>\n

N.B., two addenda to this longer than usual Christmas Eve post<\/strong><\/p>\n

Addendum One, Lori Glenn:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

In response to yesterday\u2019s \u201cO Emmanuel\u2019 post, \u00a0Lori Glenn, a member of our McAuley School of Nursing faculty, wrote me. \u00a0That\u2019s not unusual; in the 3.4 years since the Work Day\/Hard Time list began, we\u2019ve received 2207 comments, some brief (e.g. \u2018great poem today\u2019) some longer. \u00a0Lori\u2019s is a little longer. \u00a0She wrote last night from a hospital in Flint MI where, in her other health-care job,\u2019 she wove her reading of yesterday\u2019s post with keeping watch, as a nurse midwife, with mothers giving birth in Flint, MI.<\/p>\n

I asked her if I could include her email in today\u2019s Christmas Eve post. \u00a0 She said yes.<\/p>\n

Lori, I am proud to work in the same university with you.<\/p>\n

From Lori Glenn to the Work Day list, Friday, December 23, from a Flint hospital delivery room.<\/strong><\/p>\n

John,<\/p>\n

At times we are sent messages from God that support our work and enhance our appreciation of it. \u00a0In addition to teaching nursing, I also am a nurse midwife in the troubled city of Flint. \u00a0As I sit and read the first poem, I am awaiting the arrival of the baby boy at the hospital. \u00a0This beautiful poem speaks of fresh life, being eternally new, breathing, touch, and hands–perfectly relevant for my work today. \u00a0I am work at the hospital that is at the forefront of the lead contamination crisis and witness the tremendous stress this has put on Flint\u2019s people. Yet there is perseverance of these people and the kindness of strangers responding to their need that gives me hope.<\/p>\n

For today, I am able to put aside all the stress and worry about the water crisis, the political state of the world, and\u00a0my own Christmas, and replace it with the anticipation of the purest joy of all \u2014 a baby\u2019s birth. \u00a0How fitting this poem is for me on this fine day. Thanks for the inspiration!<\/p>\n

Merry Christmas!<\/p>\n

Lori Glenn DNPc MS RN CNM
\nAssistant Professor
\nUniversity of Detroit Mercy
\nMcAuley School of Nursing<\/p>\n

Addendum Two:<\/strong><\/p>\n

It turns out my home-town paper ran a short article, by Larry Ebsch, this year about Dr. \u00a0Redeman, seen above in the 1943 photo. \u00a0Here are couple quotes:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile all Santa’s are special, Dr. Redeman, a dentist, was the star Santa of his era who was honored by the community \u00a0with a special tribute in 1952 with a party attended by 210 people at Riverside Country Club. \u00a0. . . \u00a0His love affair with the Christmas season began in the Northern Marinette County community of Amberg while visi\u2020ing children of relatives and friends in his Santa Claus suit. \u00a0He expanded his performance in 1937 with visits to 41 families dressed in a special fur trimmed costume. . . \u00a0announcing his coming by ringing bells . . . the colorful yard decorations attracted national attention during the Great Depression years of the 1930\u2019s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

December 24, 2016 This photo was taken, probably by my Dad, in 1946. \u00a0Dr. Redeman, a family friend, was Santa. He visited the homes of parents with children on Christmas Eve in our small town. Three of us four children … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11641],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2146"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2146"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2865,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2146\/revisions\/2865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}