Midwinter's Song

 

In the Bleak Midwinter

Song by Christina Rossetti and Gustav Holst

 

In the bleak midwinter
Frosty wind made moan
Earth stood hard as iron
Water like a stone
Snow had fallen
Snow on snow, snow on snow
In the bleak midwinter, long, long ago

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ

Enough for Him whom cherubim

Worship night and day
A breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay
Enough for Him whom angels fall down before
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore

Angels and archangels may have gathered there
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air
But only His mother in her maiden bliss
Worshiped the Beloved
With a kiss

What can I give Him
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would give a lamb
If I were a wise man, I would do my part
Yet what I can, I give Him
Give my heart

 

 

For some reason this hit my heart this year at Christmas time. Hoping your Christmas season is magical and full of love.

My "live-in gardener" and I move the first week of January; so I am in the throes of moving, packing, clean, and preparing.

Sending love,

Marilyn

Words of Kindness and Joy

Yesterday the Christmas program at my church took place. It always involves the children singing, but also singing and poems by adults, plus a bit of silliness. Christmas always needs a bit of silliness too.

 

This is the pastor dressed as a saxophone playing dragon. He played Christmas songs on request.

 

 

But there were also words of kindness too.

One of the women sitting behind me and leaned over and said, "I am sending you a link for amazing Christmas music I found on YouTube". She was thinking of me and knew I would enjoy it. It was a Christmas concert with Sting. I am loving listening to it, a bit at a time. The music are songs I have never heard. I thought you might enjoy it too; so I will add a link right here. I was thinking of you.

 

 https://youtu.be/PfViC0fThiU?si=TsDsJQHhanntPEdu

 And just because, my live-in gardener and I went out to dinner this weekend. I loved the ambiance and couldn't resist sharing it with you.

 

Kindness is: "I am thinking of you".  Such a simple thing to do and say, but so often people don't say it. 

 

Sending love,

Marilyn

The Shortest Day

Last winter storms near the shortest day.

 

On the shortest day I just want to sit wrapped in a quilt, sipping tea, and read awhile by candle light.

 The Shortest Day

by Susan Cooper

So the shortest day came, and the year died,

And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world

Came people singing, dancing,

To drive the dark away.

They lighted candles in the winter trees;

They hung their homes with evergreen;

They burned beseeching fires all night long

To keep the year alive,

And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake

They shouted, reveling.

Through all the frosty ages you can hear them

Echoing behind us--Listen!!

All the long echoes sing the same delight,

This shortest day,

As promise wakens in the sleeping land;

They carol, feast, give thanks,

And dearly love their friends,

And hope for peace.

And so do we, here, now,

This year and every year.

Welcome Yule!

 

Have you noticed the dark nights? By 5PM last evening it was so dark. I just wanted to put my pajamas on and head to bed with a good book or curl up to watch a movie. I will be so happy when December 21st comes and goes, for then I can anticipate the return of the sun.

 In the meantime I will savor the dark nights, light the candles, and sip something warm and cozy.

Sending love,

Marilyn

Words of Kindness and Joy

 The cookies just look so joyful.

The realtor that helped my "live-in gardener" and I buy our house 22 years ago has a Christmas event every year for all her past and present clients. She gives a Christmas tree or wreath to each one and has a fun event full of hot chocolate, coffee, soup, donuts and cookies. Last Saturday we got our wreath and had a cookie or two.

 Hot chocolate with a pile of whipped cream was a treat too.

There was a mail box for the kids to leave a message for Santa.

Family pictures were taken.

 

 What fun we had even in the rain.

The wreath is hung on my house now. Let the festivities begin.

 

Yes, the same realtor will be selling our house next year.

We love working with her and her new partner.

She is the kindest person and shares her joy regularly.

 

Isn't it special when a kind person crosses our paths and becomes a friend?

 

Sending love,

Marilyn

Inferior Materials

 "One of the signs of a true artist is a willingness to work patiently and lovingly with even the most inferior materials."                    David James Duncan

Trolls with used pallet wood. When Thomas Dambo went to Japan to build a troll they gave him new pallets to use. He returned them and said the purpose was to use old worn out pallets. It took several days for them to find used pallets to build a troll. This is one of his trolls found in the Seattle, Washington area, but it is still with used pallets.

Another word for describing "inferior materials" is maybe recycled or previously loved.

Some years ago I attended an art show with recycled/used teabags. I was amazed at the beauty created on a little teabag. The thought stuck with me and so a few years ago when I decided to pick up my paint brush after 25 years I remembered those teabags. I had plenty of used teabag sources; so I started collecting. Now many of the cards I send have recycled teabags on the card. Here is my Christmas card this year.

I empty the used teabag of tea, open the seam, wash the paper, then lay it on my kitchen counter to dry for a few hours. Once I paint on the paper, I take Elmer's glue stick and put glue on the card, then attach the little pieces of art.

Do you create something from recycled or inferior material? Or have you seen something created that amazed you?

On a side note, I will be moving from my home of 22 years the first part of January. The move actually started this week. I will try to post twice a week, but if I am missing that is where I am. On each day of this month I hope you enjoy the season of JOY. Now I am off to hang a wreath on my home. There is also a wreath on my new apartment/home. I will try to share my wreath gathering next week.

Sending love,

Marilyn

 

Words of Kindness and Joy

 Today was the first day of advent. I opened worship at my church with the following. It only once mentioned kindness, but Hope is a part of kindness. They can both be healing to our hearts when they are hurting. Remember to never let go of hope and kindness.

 

A quote tea nerds may have come across, “Where there is tea, there is hope”.  The quote is taken from an Arther Wing Pinero play, which takes place during the First World War. Tea was a staple part of a soldiers living. They took a break each day, even in the trenches, to have a calming cup of tea. It gave the soldiers hope during a time of struggle.

Today we celebrate the first day of Advent. Matt (my pastor) will be sharing words of hope at advent time today.  

For me hope comes with the morning light. The light allows me to see the path forward.  On Social media this year I have focused on Kindness and since the election kindness has turned to hope. I must focus on the small glimmer of hope in darkness. In noticing the small glimmers of hope, we will see the way forward. Those glimmers are like the stars at night and the star in Bethlehem that lead the way for Joseph and Mary.

Quaker’s say, “I will hold you in the light”.  Many churches today are lighting the first advent candle. Light shines in the darkness of winter, even if only the glow from one small candle. As we approach the darkest time of the year we find hope. Hope is waiting in anticipation while focusing on the light. This Quaker spiritual practice of holding someone in the light is praying for someone in silence and through imagery. It is the way to support another through a difficult time. Imagine surrounding that person with the warmth and glow of light, allow the light to lift them up, care for them, and heal the hurts. Hope wraps them in the warmth like a quilt hand stitched with love, surrounding them in that light, it holds them in the arms of God.

As a child waiting to see Santa, we anticipate delights. Dreams come true at Christmas time. Waiting to open the gifts under the tree, we hope for our hearts desire.

In today’s world of immediacy, we can hardly wait weeks or even days for something, let alone generations or centuries. But the story of God’s people shows us that waiting in hope isn’t a “sit back and do nothing” kind of a waiting. Advent hope is active; it is always listening to God, always learning from God, always walking with God and embracing the light. Very few immediately recognized the Messiah when he first came, a mere baby. And then he steps forward into the light and they knew they were in the presence of the light.

So for today and every day, let’s shine the light wherever we go, hold others in the light, and embrace Hope.

Sending love,

Marilyn

 

Puddle

 Puddle

Do you ever come across a word that already resides in your mind in one way, but then you see it in a book used in a way you hadn't thought of? In reading A Thousand Feasts by Nigel Slater with my morning tea, I keep coming across the word "puddle". 

Now for me when I hear the word "puddle" I picture a child with red rubber boots on stomping through water on a rainy day. It is such a pure picture of delight and laughter that I have never thought of it any other way. Now Nigel Slater comes along and he is writing about food with puddles of gravy or a gorgeous red sauce sitting on the plate just waiting to be soaked up by a piece of bread or savored with a pudding or ice cream. It shakes up my thinking on a "puddle". I want to delight in that gorgeous puddle on my plate like a child stomping through it in my red boots. Yesterday was Thanksgiving, there actually was a puddle on my plate of turkey gravy, but no picture of that puddle. It was gleefully devoured.

Then I begin wondering about words that create images in my mind and shake up my thinking. This book with his gorgeous, descriptive words does just that. Here is one line, "To smell steaming rice in the early morning is as comforting as being a baby swaddled in a cashmere shawl". Isn't that imagery amazing? Don't you just want to be "swaddled in a cashmere shawl"? Do we pay that much attention to a particle of food placed in front of us?

The closest I could get to a puddle in my own backyard is sitting in the birdbath. I imagine the birds think of it as their own personal puddle, a place to stomp their feet and splash about while washing their food or their feathers.

We must have rain to make a puddle. With bad times we can make something beautiful. There is a quote that says, "Into every life a little rain must fall".  So let the rains come and in the morning after the rain has passed, the sun will shine and we can dance in the puddles.
 

Find your own personal puddle today and dance.

Sending love,

Marilyn