A Quiet & Peaceful Sharing

In this season of waiting, I find myself rushing, stressing, and fussing. In an attempt to find quiet and peace, I share the following words and music with you, wishing you all a wonderful, joyful and peaceful season of celebration.


In the bleak midwinter

BY CHRISTINA ROSSETTI

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 ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;

Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.

In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed

The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,

Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;

Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,

The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,

Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;

But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,

Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0aL9rKJPr4

This one is so lovely and relaxing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPRFk8sLIPw

Best wishes to all...

A crazy thing just before Christmas

Our basement had become a dungeon. It desperately needed work. So our Christmas present to each other is to have it refurbished. 

Yesterday we had our washer, dryer, basement refrigerator and some other heavy equipment moved to other spaces in our house to make ready for the workers on Monday.  It isn't exactly decorating for Christmas... but... it must be done. No more putting it off. We will face the dungeon dragon and overcome it!

So when I came across this poem by Ogden Nash, it seemed perfect for the occasion. I hope you will enjoy this as my Poetry Friday offering.

Kind of an Ode to Duty

O Duty,
Why hast thou not the visage of a sweetie or a cutie?
Why glitter thy spectacles so ominously?
Why art thou clad so abominously?
Why art thou so different from Venus
And why do thou and I have so few interests mutually in common between us?
Why art thou fifty per cent martyr
And fifty-one per cent Tartar?

Why is it thy unfortunate wont
To try to attract people by calling on them either to leave undone the deeds they like, or to do the deeds they don’t?
Why are thou so like an April post-mortem
On something that died in the ortumn?
Above all, why dost thou continue to hound me?
Why art thou always albatrossly hanging around me?

Thou so ubiquitous,
And I so iniquitous.
I seem to be the one person in the world thou art perpetually preaching at who or to who;
Whatever looks like fun, there art thou standing between me and it, calling yoo-hoo.
O Duty, Duty!
How noble a man should I be hadst thou the visage of a sweetie or a cutie!
Wert thou but houri instead of a hag
Then would my halo indeed be in the bag!
But as it is thou art so much forbiddinger than a Wodehouse hero’s forbiddingest aunt
That in the words of the poet, When Duty whispers low, Thou must, this erstwhile youth replies, I just can’t.

-- Ogden Nash

I don't know about you, but this makes me laugh even in the middle of a house project.  And unlike Mr. Nash, we have hired people with appropriate skills to help us, so "we can!"

This Poetry Friday is hosted by Tanita at (fiction instead of lies) Head on over to see everyone and have some more poetic fun.

Cheers to all!

An Alphabet of 2019

My word for the year was “Alphabet.”  Why did I choose it? Was it just a cheap stunt to pick a word that left me wide open?  Was I really listening to God’s words for me? Was I discerning? If so, what did I learn?

Below is my attempt to make the alphabet speak for my year.  These are the lessons I’ve tried to learn from 2019.

Amen and Alleluia!  Rejoice in the Lord always. 

(Also... another anthology with one of my poems in it!)

Balancing one step at a time.

Blessed Is the Lord by Dan Forrest 

https://www.beckenhorstpress.com/blessed-is-the-lord-benedictus/ 

Courage is a constant challenge.

Deliberate and discern.

Earth’s beauty is endless.  

Find words to express truth.

Gratitude  

Hard work

Inspiration and insight

Be Joyful... but use good

judgment.   A line dance with a jump and a swivel was not a good choice.  😊

Kindness is for everyone. 

Limits are changing. I must listen to my body, and laugh long and hard.

Music moves me.

Never give up.

Opposition pops up in unexpected places. Do not be overcome.

Practice patience.  Pray without ceasing.

Questions are good.

Remember with reverence.

Sing your own song.  

And another thing: 

Second-guessing is for the birds. Are you a bird?  Are you???

Take time … be still and know…

Urge unity.

Vowels are absent in the alphabet of grace: delve for meaning. In choir we learn: the meaning is in the consonants, but the beauty is in the vowels.

Wishy-washy doesn’t cut it. Welcome opportunity with an open heart.

eXciting new year ahead

Yes!

Like Zechariah, I stand in awe... praising God...

My best to you in this season of celebration.

A preschool story to amuse you... and a poem!

It's a day to sit back, let yesterday's feast settle, consider the family conversations and enjoy the memories. For me it is a quiet day, and sometimes a quiet day is just what I need. In thinking about my family time yesterday, I remembered some good laughs, which made me wonder if I might be able to share a good laugh with you. So... I am falling back on my days as a preschool teacher, when the 4-year-olds supplied plenty of humor. I hope this story will bring you a hearty laugh.

We talked about Native Americans at Thanksgiving. I made a game with pebbles, one side of each was plain, one side was marked with red. Native Americans played this game, throwing pebbles down much as we throw dice, counting how many landed plain side up and how many red side up. Four-year-olds could play the game to practice counting and deciding which number was greater. 

One child took great joy in playing this game, totally engrossed, shaking the pebbles and calling out with great certitude, "Come on, come on!!!  Mama needs a new set of underwear!"  

Are you laughing?  I hope so... 

Snowstorms are marching across the country, and we may see a little of the white stuff here tonight. I generally enjoy winter, but I know it causes hardship for many. In the spirit of mixed winter emotions, I'll leave you with this haiku. 

Dark tree skeletons

Tickle the cold ashen skies

A faint nod to mirth

    © Karen Eastlund

It's Poetry Friday, so come along & join the poetry party hosted by Bridget Magee at Wee Words for Wee Ones today. Find it here.  All who have joined this Friday's party are linked at the end of Bridget's post. Follow links for your poetry fix.

Happy long weekend!