"Are We Dirty Or Something?"

This afternoon as I was stealthily trying to place this year’s mass Christmas gift in boxes (mass Christmas meaning that the gift goes to a large group of people), one of my coworkers came in and said, “What. Are we dirty or something?” I laughed and said no and then feverishly continued stuffing boxes.

This year’s mass Christmas gift that warranted my coworker’s question? A washcloth.

This year’s mass Christmas writing?

Friends: This was written for my coworkers…but I challenge you to adapt it for yourself—for whatever profession in which you find yourself—for whatever messes you clean up.

As someone working in the public schools, you clean up a lot of messes—
both figuratively and literally.
From runny noses to broken hearts,
from spilled drinks to empty bellies,
from dirty clothes to disconnected minds,
from cluttered desks to rigid tests,
you are tasked with facing and overcoming whatever obstacles may hinder learning.

Sometimes, it may seem that you are ill-equipped for this task.
And maybe, in many ways, you are.
Maybe we all are.

But maybe in the most important way possible,
you are equipped with everything you need for this task and more:
Love.

Love came down at Christmas.

This Christmas Season and in all the days to come,
may Love—
real,
sometimes tough,
always steady,
unconditional
Love—
help you clean all of the messes that you encounter
both here and beyond.

Amen.