Sunday, December 21, 1997

Look beyond surface glitz for meaning

By DORIS BENITEZ / Guest Columnist

For an aging mother who has lost a son at the peak of his prime, no more difficult time of year exists than the holiday season.

Shopping center Santas recall the joy and simplicity of youth. TV commercials and newspaper ads convey the spirit of giving and getting, and holiday-oriented movies and sitcoms show families staging massive Christmas get-togethers by the hearth. It can be quite trying in the absence of one so dear.

And yet, if one looks beyond the usual holiday trappings, one realizes this holiday season is centered on the birth of God's own son -- his only son -- given so that we might have eternal life.

Today, some 2,000 years after the Virgin Birth, Jesus' life still has enormous effects upon the world. And, yes, the lessons bound up in his existence and sacrifice can shed light into even the darkest corner.

My own son, Raymond Hatcher, died last summer, when he was but 30 years old. Yet in the brief time allotted him, he carved out a niche as a good son, father and husband.

He was also an honest businessman, a heck of a softball player and a credit to Abilene's evolving black community. When he died from problems involving diabetes, his influence was evident at his funeral, when 1,500 people showed up.

Some 750 condolence cards poured in, for which I am more than thankful.

Even in such simple, everyday, ordinary lives, there are lessons to be learned. The Lord gives us sons and then takes them away, but most often not before they have made an impact in the lives of others.

Christmas, wrapped up in the life and triumph of another son -- this one divine -- has its parallels even in the mundane existence of we mere mortals. And for that, there is much cause for rejoicing, even in the wake of tragedy.