I\u2019ve always been one of Dr. Suess\u2019 greatest fans. The Grinch is right up there on my literary list. And it\u2019s not just his fuzzy funny rhymable way of doing things. But because he shows us the chance of getting from the edge of the abyss to the head of the table in 30 min. It\u2019s a great story of reform and good feeling. But this experiential, analytical, fact finding personality of mine believes Theodor Suess Geisel had more to say. When I sit down and read this story to my grandsons and they ask me, \u201cIf it wasn\u2019t ribbons, boxes, or bags\u2026then what did the Grinch hear that he hadn\u2019t heard before that made his heart grow three sizes that day?\u201d (Which is really my question.) Because the Grinch was hanging on the edge of a cliff when this realization hit! No one was holding his hand. No one was joining hearts with him at this point. He was just standing there holding the sum of what he thought was making the Whos jolly about Christmas. When he finds out the Whos happiness stems from the fact that they have each other, and his plan to confiscate Christmas failed\u2014I would think he would become more begrudging! Which is really interesting, because I found this out when researching Suess\u2019 predicament in resolving his own tale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Theodor was quoted, \u201cIt was the easiest book he\u2019d ever written except for the conclusion.\u201d Suess said: \u201cI got hung up getting the Grinch out of the mess. I got into a situation sounding like a second rate preacher or some biblical truism. In desperation, without making any statement, I show the Grinch and the Whos together at the table and made a pun of the Grinch carving the roast beast. I had gone through thousands of religious choices, and after 3 months it came out like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Theodor himself inspired the story. On December 26th at the age of 53 (the same age as the Grinch) he caught his frown in the mirror. Apparently the materialism of it all caused him to snarl with a sneer. I know people who would say they hate Christmas for the same reason \u2014but they don\u2019t really find joy in others either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I get the Grinch\u2019s plight. When my daughter and son-in-law were trudging through the snow of infertility, I hated the noise of pregnancy announcements. All that bragging makes the heart shrink with envy. It\u2019s loud and annoying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One reminder after another.<\/em> And Christmastime is the worst!<\/em> Theodor was feeling it the day after Christmas. The sour reality that life on earth is a succession of losses! It\u2019s lonesome and bloody, and we are all desperate to find our own happy ending. In terms of our condition, it is a very long distance to the banquet\u2014which is why it\u2019s so puzzling. But instead of simply receiving the invitation to sit, Theodor pens another Christmas slogan. \u201cHeart to heart and hand in hand.\u201d Blah, blah, blah. That\u2019s the real<\/em> noise I\u2019m actually sick of hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tell me the truth! That winning only comes through the Resurrection!<\/strong>We can sing and have unsurpassing joy because of the hope that is set before us! <\/strong>Theodor settled on Whoville because it takes no faith to believe in what you can see. It might have been that his sales were too high.<\/em> I\u2019ve always been one of Dr. Suess\u2019 greatest fans. The Grinch is right up there on my literary list. And it\u2019s not just his fuzzy funny rhymable way of doing things. But because he shows us the chance of getting from the edge of the abyss to the head of the table in 30 min. It\u2019s a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":143625079,"featured_media":5777,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[54418],"tags":[15607,47318,773157866,64300],"class_list":["post-2562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bible","tag-christmas","tag-envy","tag-gospel","tag-witnessing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pacmrQ-Fk","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7200,"url":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/?p=7200","url_meta":{"origin":2562,"position":0},"title":"CHRISTMAS IS BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE","author":"Jo Alo","date":"December 25, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Driving in circles at the Christmas tree farm, we argued almost the whole time. Our sweet little grandsons, Paul, and Martin, bored in the backseat, \u201cCan we get out and walk?\u201d Tripping over stumps, we found the perfect one to cut down. 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Every year another mother!<\/em>
I will not wear my dancing shoes.<\/em>
I can not stand your happy news!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
So why was Theodor Suess unwilling to hear the voice of clemency at the brink of his life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or perhaps he was compelled to lie.<\/em>
No one can really know the reason.<\/em>
But whatever the excuse, his sales or reviews\u2026<\/em>
Theodor Suess has missed his cue.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"