{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://morgangriffith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398381", "Congressman Griffith's Weekly E-Newsletter 12.22.14", "2014-12-22", "2014", "2014-12", "Republican", "House", "VA", "Morgan Griffith", "G000568", "morgangriffith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "God Bless Us, Every One! 171 years ago in 1843, well-loved English writer Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol.\u00a0 Even if they don\u2019t know of Charles Dickens by name, many Americans are familiar with the story of bitter, curmudgeonly old Ebenezer Scrooge and the redemptive journey that ultimately transforms him into a warmer, gentler, and more generous human being. A Christmas Carol is a timeless tale that remains popular to this day \u2013 particularly this time of year \u2013 whether in print or adapted to stage, film, or other types of media. \u00a0 Far lesser known is Dickens\u2019 first novel, The Pickwick Papers, published in 1837.\u00a0 In The Pickwick Papers, Dickens wrote a chapter similar in nature to the plot of A Christmas Carol, evidently developing what would in a few years become the classic. Among other stories in The Pickwick Papers is \u2018The Goblin and the Sexton,\u2019 in which Dickens tells of the morose, melancholy and lonely Gabriel Grub (who was a gravedigger and \u2018sexton,\u2019 or one who looks over a church).\u00a0 On Christmas Eve, as he was finishing digging a grave, Gabriel was met by a goblin sitting on a tombstone. \u00a0 \u201cWho makes graves at a time when all other men are merry, and takes a pleasure in it?,\" the goblin asked.\u00a0 The goblin soon continued, \u201cWe know the man with the sulky face and grim scowl, that came down the street to-night, throwing his evil looks at the children, and grasping his burying-spade the tighter.\u00a0 We know the man who struck the boy in the envious malice of his heart, because the boy could be merry, and he could not.\u00a0 We know him, we know him.\" Soon after, a number of goblins poured into the graveyard, which also filled with the lively music of an organ.\u00a0 The goblins proceed to take Gabriel Grubb away and show him the past and the future, much like in A Christmas Carol. As the story goes, \u201cAbove all, [Gabriel] saw that men like himself, who snarled at the mirth and cheerfulness of others, were the foulest weeds on the fair surface of the earth; and setting all the good of the world against the evil, he came to the conclusion that it was a very decent and respectable sort of world after all.\u201d\u00a0 Soon after this realization the goblins faded from view, and Gabriel Grubb fell asleep in the empty graveyard. \u00a0 When he awoke, \u201c\u2026he was an altered man, and he could not bear the thought of returning to a place where his repentance would be scoffed at, and his reformation disbelieved.\u00a0 He hesitated for a few moments; and then turned away to wander where he might, and seek his bread elsewhere.\u201d\u00a0 The whereabouts of Gabriel Grubb were unknown for some ten years, until he returned a ragged, though content, old man. \u00a0 Even though Dickens was a great, master storyteller, the role of The Pickwick Papers in developing the message of A Christmas Carol is clear.\u00a0 His story of holiday human redemption was a work in progress for a number of years before he saw it fit to publish A Christmas Carol. Not only do storylines and plots develop and progress with time, but we as people do so as well and, ideally, we improve with each passing year.\u00a0 The moral of Dickens\u2019 stories is that there is redemption.\u00a0 Like Gabriel Grubb and Ebenezer Scrooge, we all can become better.\u00a0 Doing so often requires patience and resolve, should our initial attempt be flawed or unsuccessful.\u00a0 However, I hope that neither you nor I require visits from goblins or the ghosts of Christmas to recognize we can improve.  Returning to Dickens\u2019 famous A Christmas Carol, we recall the beloved Tiny Tim and his famous line, \u201cGod bless us, every one!\u201d\u00a0 As we celebrate this holiday season and the birth of Christ, many celebrate with the giving of gifts, among other traditions.\u00a0 Particularly for Christians such as myself, we celebrate the gift that Jesus brought us with his birth, life, crucifixion, and resurrection. This holiday season, I wish for you and your loved ones progress, success, health, and serenity.\u00a0 Best wishes for a safe and merry Christmas. \u00a0 And so I echo the words of Tiny Tim: God bless us, every one! As always, if you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://morgangriffith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398381"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5559419989585876, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}