Each year I have requests to repeat three Christmas columns. The following is one of these.
“I simply can’t face Christmas this year.” These were the words that I expected to hear from Janet Ramsey. Earlier, I had read of the brutal murder of Janet’s father, Sidney O. Pike. Though she was coping with grief, her words, “I no longer feel hatred for his attackers,” could only come from someone who has experienced the true meaning of Christmas.
About 10 p.m. on Sept. 25, 1996, Janet’s younger sister, Cindy Kelly, called to say that their mother was worried because Mr. Pike had not come home. He had telephoned at 8:30 p.m. to say that he would be home in about 30 minutes. “When my dad said he would be home in 30 minutes, he was home in 30 minutes,” explained Janet. So, when the 30 minutes stretched into a hour, Mrs. Pike knew something was wrong.
On Sept. 26, Janet heard a police officer say on the scanner, “We have located the car.” Hoping against hope that the car would simply have been stolen, Janet listened anxiously as her brother-in-law asked, “What about Mr. Pike?” There was a long pause before the officer replied, “The body was wrapped in a quilt and in a plastic bag.” Janet heard herself screaming, “No, no, no!” Shortly, however, she began to feel a strange sense of peace and the reassurance that her dad was in heaven and that she would see him again.
Because the body was discovered so quickly, the search for the culprits could be expedited. Two young people, ages 16 and 18, were found guilty of the murder. Their obvious motive was robbery. Their decision to kill Mr. Pike must have been to prevent him from identifying them.
The senseless killing of a good man shook the family to their core. But, because of receiving the gift of Christmas, Janet was able to resist saying, “I just can’t face Christmas this year” and say instead, “I miss my dad terribly, but I know I will see him again, and I won’t allow my life to be ruined by hate.”