Pretty Paper

 Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?

   Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor—

   let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.   Psalm 10:1-2

Pretty Paper

In 1995, I was assigned to be the Creative Director of the Multimedia CD-ROM “The Life and Music of Willie Nelson.” Frankly, I had never cared much for the classic Nashville sound with its heavy use of the pedal steel guitar and therefore never considered Country music as my genre. A friend told me that Willie Nelson’s lyrics were deep and meaningful and that I should start my research for the CD-ROM there. So I bought a book of Willie Nelson’s lyrics and several albums.

I was struck by the song “Pretty Paper.” It begins sweetly with the words of a street vendor selling “pretty paper,” ribbons and pencils. The interior verses of the song are the thoughts of a passerby, noticing the man sitting on the ground but deciding they were too busy to stop during the rush of Christmas.

Some think the song is autobiographical, that Willie is the man in the story, but he told me no, that he was out shopping one day around Christmas time and saw a man selling paper and ribbons on the sidewalk, being completely ignored by passersby.

The sad irony of a man without use of his legs, who scooted on the ground to get around  seeking to sell pretty paper that would represent the love of others at a time of year revered by families  was moving and meaningful to me.

How often in our rush to celebrate and enjoy the blessings of the Christmas season do we fail to stop and help those in need? When we pray the Mission Prayer and ask to be “fully awake and ready to respond,” we are asking to see the one sitting on the sidewalk being ignored by passerby.

Our mission to Abolish Poverty, End Suffering, calls us to respond both to the immediate needs of those in poverty’s grasp as well as find the pathway to systemic change that breaks down the barriers to a more just world.

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