EDITORIAL: Good and difficult holidays ahead
As joyous a time of year as Christmas and the New Year can be for most people, it can also be a time of stress and pain for others. Some of that pain cannot be helped as loved ones depart this world naturally. Others, though, are just beginning their trek through life when it's snatched away. Such was the case of 14-year-old Ta'shuntis Roberts, who was home minding her own business when shots were fired and she was hit multiple times one week ago. Or the two murders Thursday: 23-year-old Jarvis West was one of the victims and 36-year-old Robert Paulson was the other.
We can't say what will happen during the last two weeks of 2015. We hope the homicide count in Macon-Bibb County stops at 26, but there are no guarantees. There is also no comfort in knowing that Savannah has suffered 54 homicides this year. One homicide is too many.
This is also a difficult time of year when tears can enter our happiness. It can be easy to let depression set in. There is constant pressure to show our love through material possessions that we can't really afford. Many of us end up falling prey to temptation and waking up to big bills to start the new year. That's not what the holiday season is supposed to be about.
It's a time of friends and family, but it's also a time when we remember those who aren't around the table — maybe for the first time. It's just not the same without them, but we have to press on and make new meaningful memories for the family members still with us, particularly the children. And it might be time to do something a little different this year.
There are many not-for-profits that serve a meal on Christmas day who could use the extra hands, and some of those sitting around the tables might need a listening ear, too. In the process, we might restore some of our own humanity. The spirit of Christmas isn't in the getting — it's in the giving.
This story was originally published December 19, 2015 at 8:15 PM with the headline "EDITORIAL: Good and difficult holidays ahead ."