On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 1914, in several places along the Western Front of World War I, fighting stopped.
Nobody officially called a ceasefire between the British and German troops. In a show of goodwill, the soldiers just decided on their own to share a moment of peace.
The story of the Christmas Truce of 1914 is celebrated in a theater production called “All Is Calm”. Many Christmases ago, my best friend gifted me with a CD of the production by Theater Latte Da in Minneapolis; I listen to it every Christmas. It reminds me that in a warring world, peace is possible.
2020 at times has felt like being trapped in a room full of screaming people. The kind of deafening din that when you get a chance to escape, leaves the ears ringing and the mind unable to immediately grasp the concept of quiet.
This last hour of 2020, I don’t want to talk about politics, pandemics, or protests. No arguments about whose life matters more, the contrast between good winners and bad losers, and whether wearing a mask is saving lives or crushing freedoms. All I want is a little peace. I wish it for myself, and for you.
I find my peace in walking our dog, Charlie. The crunch of footsteps in snow, the jingle of dog tags, the rustle of the wind, and the call of the owls in the dark. That’s my peace and I’m grateful to have it.
Wherever you’ve found your peace in this emotionally noisy year of 2020, I hope you get more of its quiet in 2021. Peace out, world.