On Christmas Eve, an actor whom I have watched for several years was involved in a tragic accident that was widely publicized in the Salt Lake City area. After his last performance of the year on December 30, a cast party was given and his entire family attended. On their way home, a person believed to have been intoxicated ran a red light and hit the car that carried this family of six. The actor, Gary Ceran, lost his wife, Cheryl, and two children, 15-year-old Ian and 7-year-old Julianna. Gary and two other children—19-year-old daughter Clarissa and 12-year-old son Caleb—were injured and taken to the hospital.I listened to Gary’s vivid details of Christmas Eve as he described how he tried to give aid to his family and how an unknown woman stopped and provided comfort to his surviving son. The real tough part about this tragedy is that this family had already lost five children, events that most young families do not experience.
From a family of eleven, only three remain.
Four hours before the accident—after Gary, Clarissa, and Caleb did their last performance of A Christmas Carol—I mentioned to Gary that the character he portrayed depicts the birth of Christ’s love, which warmed the hearts of thousands who came to see them perform.
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| The Ceran family: at top, Gary and Cheryl; middle, Clarissa; bottom, from left, Caleb, Ian, and Julianna. Ceran family photo. |
Cratchit is Scrooge's employee and a low-paid clerk who is experiencing many trials. Though he is treated poorly by Scrooge, Cratchit retains a loyalty to his boss despite the protest of his wife. Cratchit is so poor that he can't provide a Christmas dinner for his family. His youngest son, Tiny Tim, is about to die, and it is partly through concern for Tiny Tim that Scrooge makes a transformation. The name Cratchit is rooted in the word crèche, which is a nativity scene depicting the birth of Christ.
Cast biographies at the theatre are written by the actors and actresses about eight weeks before the start of the first performance. An administrative assistant rewrites part of the biographies in the third person. This is what was written by and about Gary:
Having worked in accounting as a financial analysis, and having buried five of his nine children, Gary feels that he is typecast as Bob Cratchit. Gary appeared in acting roles and is extremely pleased to share this experience with his children Clarissa and Caleb. “The sweetest, happiest, tenderest homes are not those where there has been no sorrow, but those that have been overshadowed with grief and where Christ’s comfort was accepted.”The day after the accident, Gary said he knew that thousands of people were praying for his family, but he asked, “Who is praying for the poor man that hit us?”
As I listened to talks given by Gary and President Thomas S. Monson about the tragedy that occurred on this Christmas Eve, I will always remember Christmas reminding us that:
- Great trials and opposition come when we are accomplishing the most good.
- Enduring trials and exercising the power of forgiveness with humility during our darkest hours is part of our religion.
- Using the light of Christ to gain an eternal perspective is vital.
". . . peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes." (D&C 121:7-8.)
And if we endure it well, happiness will be bountiful and we will find that every blessing we receive comes through obedience and faithfulness.
I recall a teacher who once told each of her students to bring a clear plastic bag and a sack of potatoes to school. For every person that they refused to forgive in their life's experience, they had to chose a potato, write on it the name and date, and put it in the plastic bag. Some of their bags were quite heavy.
They were then told to carry their bag with them everywhere they went for one week; putting it beside their bed at night, on the car seat when they were driving or riding, next to their desk at school or work, and so forth.
The hassle of lugging their bags around made it clear what a weight they were carrying spiritually and how they had to pay attention to the bag all the time so they wouldn't forget it and leave it in embarrassing places. Naturally, the condition of the potatoes deteriorated to a nasty smelly slime. This was a great metaphor for the price we pay for hanging on to negativity. Too often we think of forgiveness and humility as a gift we give to other people, when it is clearly a gift for us.
Because of a condition of my eyes, there is a chance that I may go blind if I am not constantly monitored by an optometrist. Some people believe that my office visits are unnecessary because they do not understand my condition and, therefore, they cannot see the need for it, concluding that my priority is out of sync with their reality. I have made so many visits to optometrists during the past ten years that I have started to listen to the words that are being said in addition to their intended meaning. On one such occasion, I noticed the optometrist always asked me to look at her ear whenever she looked at the optic nerve bundle behind my retina. I finally told her that I would love to look at her ear but it is impossible for me to see it if she continues to shine the light in my eye.
A story of a little child highlights the situation many of us find ourselves in. Although we have heard concepts of this story before, many of us have difficulty applying it internally when our vision is blinded by the light created by others or ourselves. The story is about a child who was playing with a very valuable vase. He put his hand into the vase, but his had got stuck. His father tried his best to remove his son’s hand, but his efforts were in vain. They were thinking of breaking the vase when the father said, "Now, my son, make one more try. Open your hand and hold your fingers out straight as you see me doing, and then pull."
To his astonishment, the little fellow said, "Oh no, Father. I couldn't put my fingers out like that, because if I did, I would drop my penny."
As sure as you may think this story is untrue, many people are like that little boy, so busy holding on to the world's worthless penny that they cannot accept liberation.
I pray that as we go forward this year, we may be able to drop the trifle in our heart, surrender it, and let it go.
Our losses will be made up if we are obedient and faithful. For now, we must do the best that we can to move forward even though foes attempt to impede our progress by diverting and leading us to darkness.
Christ showed us how to endure trials; may we be able to recognize the blessings that foreshadow them, in His name, Amen.