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I used to wonder why people got the blues around Christmas. I felt that no matter what tragedies befell a person, Christmas was the time of year when one could sweep Life away for a while. One could find something – at least one thing – about which to rejoice, in spite of it all.

Now I understand that even Christmas can’t heal all wounds. Angels don’t swoop down from heaven to make things right and miraculously restore the Christmas spirit. That only happens in Hallmark movies.

But sometimes people step in, hold your hand, and remind you that though the world around you may crumble, there is still a reason to rejoice. Joy – on a miniscule level – seems possible. Real, even.

That is what Norm did for me the day he coaxed me to Jonesboro, Louisiana to witness the Christmas Wonderland in the Piney Woods.

The lights of pretty little Jonesboro were inviting, comforting. Like the hand that held mine.

Merry Christmas, friends. In spite of it all.