{"id":5503,"date":"2017-12-29T20:39:15","date_gmt":"2017-12-29T20:39:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maiglobal.org\/?p=5503"},"modified":"2018-01-02T14:55:38","modified_gmt":"2018-01-02T14:55:38","slug":"wish-told-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maiglobal.org\/id\/wish-told-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"What I wish they had told me about Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

By\u00a0 Michellan Sarile-Alagao of the Philippines
\n<\/em><\/strong>
\n<\/em>It is about being silent.<\/p>\n

How else could angels have been heard on high?<\/p>\n

It is about being tender<\/p>\n

even when the world is not.<\/p>\n

It is about waiting and the memory of waiting.<\/p>\n

It is about patience and sorrow and tomorrow<\/p>\n

while we are exiled to the present.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Photo by Jason Ortego, Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is about finding rest wherever you can:<\/p>\n

in mangers<\/p>\n

in dreams<\/p>\n

in nights with only one star.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is when the Painter stepped into His painting.<\/p>\n

It is the Singer trapped in just one song.<\/p>\n

It is the Sculptor making Himself still<\/p>\n

to live out a lifetime in stone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is about a mother keeping things in her heart<\/p>\n

and thinking about them often.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t matter how bright the star was<\/p>\n

or if an army of angels<\/p>\n

or just one shepherd boy<\/p>\n

sang.<\/p>\n

What matters is the first breath He took.<\/p>\n

What matters is that He is still the Son of Man.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One day you will say it is too familiar.<\/p>\n

One day you will say in frustration:<\/p>\n

the lights are too bright<\/p>\n

the songs too loud<\/p>\n

Be still.<\/p>\n

Only close your eyes and look for a quiet place<\/p>\n

and whisper to the Grace that hovers over you.<\/p>\n

We live in a world haunted by the Ghost of Christ.<\/p>\n

Oh Lord, keep haunting us.<\/p>\n

May we see you at the corner of our eyes<\/p>\n

and in the faces of the tired.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As we remember the night you were born<\/p>\n

may You be:<\/p>\n

the thrill<\/p>\n

the hope<\/p>\n

in us<\/p>\n

that makes a weary world<\/p>\n

rejoice.<\/p>\n

This poem, based on Luke 2:1-20, was submitted as an entry in our LittWorld writing contest.<\/em> Submission guidelines include: “submit an original piece of writing that helps readers see the truth or power of one Scripture passage in a fresh, new way. Use your genre of choice\u2014fiction, nonfiction, poetry, song, prayer, etc. Entries should not exceed 600 words..”<\/em> Learn more.<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Michellan Sarile-Alagao of the Philippines believes that writing helps us heal. She writes about memory, faith, mythology, trauma, womanhood and things in-between. After the Sunstone<\/a> is her first poetry collection. Michellan has an MFA in Creative Writing, specializing in poetry. She once worked for an organization that provides assistance to women and children survivors of sex trafficking. You can connect with her on Instagram and twitter: @toomichinfo<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0 Michellan Sarile-Alagao of the Philippines It is about being silent. How else could angels have been heard on high? It is about being tender even when the world is not. It is about waiting and the memory of waiting. It is about patience and sorrow and tomorrow while we are exiled to the present. […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"iawp_total_views":22,"footnotes":""},"categories":[306,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asia","category-writing-contest"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat I wish they had told me about Christmas - Media Associates International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/maiglobal.org\/id\/wish-told-christmas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"id_ID\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What I wish they had told me about Christmas - Media Associates International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By\u00a0 Michellan Sarile-Alagao of the Philippines It is about being silent. 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