Wartime Christmas
by Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)
Led by a star, a golden star,
The youngest star, an olden star,
Here the kings and the shepherds are,
Akneeling on the ground.
What did they come to the inn to see?
God in the Highest, and this is He,
A baby asleep on His mother’s knee
And with her kisses crowned.
Now is the earth a dreary place,
A troubled place, a weary place.
Peace has hidden her lovely face
And turned in tears away.
Yet the sun, through the war-cloud, sees
Babies asleep on their mother’s knees.
While there are love and home—and these—
There shall be Christmas Day.
Star of the East
by Eugene Field (1850-1855)
Star of the East, that long ago
Brought wise men on their way
Where, angels singing to and fro,
The Child of Bethlehem lay—
Above that Syrian hill afar
Thou shinest out to-night, O Star!
Star of the East, the night were drear
But for the tender grace
That with thy glory comes to cheer
Earth's loneliest, darkest place;
For by that charity we see
Where there is hope for all and me.
Star of the East! show us the way
In wisdom undefiled
To seek that manger out and lay
Our gifts before the child—
To bring our hearts and offer them
Unto our King in Bethlehem!
Blessed Are You Who Bear The Light
by Jan Richardson (janrichardson.com)
Blessed are you
who bear the light
in unbearable times,
who testify
to its endurance
amid the unendurable,
who bear witness
to its persistence
when everything seems
in shadow
and grief.
Blessed are you
in whom
the light lives,
in whom
the brightness blazes—
your heart
a chapel,
an altar where
in the deepest night
can be seen
the fire that
shines forth in you
in unaccountable faith,
in stubborn hope,
in love that illumines
every broken thing
it finds.
Love's Lantern
by Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)
Because the road was steep and long
And through a dark and lonely land,
God set upon my lips a song
And put a lantern in my hand.
Through miles on weary miles of night
That stretch relentless in my way
My lantern burns serene and white,
An unexhausted cup of day.
O golden lights and lights like wine,
How dim your boasted splendors are.
Behold this little lamp of mind:
It is more starlike than a star!
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We are often encouraged to raise our vibration and be grateful. I do think it is very difficult at times to be able to get oneself into that headspace, particularly when one is caught up in the challenges that a normal hectic life incurs. If I may be of any assistance at all, please accept this…
Put all thoughts out of your head. Pick a few moments to breathe and appreciate the simplest thing you can find in your immediate vicinity. Look around and find a thing that makes your life better or a thing that is glad you are here. It’s affirming, in a small way. Work up to something larger from there. Make yourself a cup of Spruce Needle Tea (see below) and go somewhere pleasant and enjoy everything about that experience. Take it in.
Don’t kick yourself if you can’t quite get there, it takes practice. Try. Imagine I am sitting next to you and we are just enjoying the moment together, no speaking, just BEing. 😉
Remember you are here for a reason. Start with small things.
Spruce Needle Tea(Christmas in a Cup)
1. Snip off a bit of branch from your Spruce tree.
2. Rinse the Spruce and boil some water.
3. Put the Spruce in a mug.
4. Pour boiling water over the Spruce and fill the mug.
5. Sweeten as desired. I recommend a splash of maple syrup.
6. Sip. Smile.
7. If you are curious, here is a page of health benefits of Spruce Needle Tea. The page has great information on identifying Spruce trees (this one isn't, I don't think.)
Winter
from The Vision of Sir Launfal
by James Russell Lowell
Down swept the chill wind from the mountain peak,
From the snow five thousand summers old;
On open wold and hill-top bleak
It had gathered all the cold,
And whirled it like sleet on the wanderer's cheek;
It carried a shiver everywhere
From the unleafed boughs and pastures bare;
The little brook heard it and built a roof
'Neath which he could house him, winter-proof;
All night by the white stars' frosty gleams
He groined his arches and matched his beams;
Slender and clear were his crystal spars
As the lashes of light that trim the stars;
He sculptured every summer delight
In his halls and chambers out of sight;
Sometimes his tinkling waters slipt
Down through a frost-leaved forest-crypt,
Long, sparkling aisles of steel-stemmed trees
Bending to counterfeit a breeze;
Sometimes the roof no fretwork knew
But silvery mosses that downward grew;
Sometimes it was carved in sharp relief
With quaint arabesques of ice-fern leaf;
Sometimes it was simply smooth and clear
For the gladness of heaven to shine through, and here
He had caught the nodding bulrush-tops
And hung them thickly with diamond drops,
Which crystalled the beams of moon and sun,
And made a star of every one:
No mortal builder's most rare device
Could match this winter-palace of ice;
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Eveningby Robert Frost
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Empathy
Lastly, I just want to touch on what it feels like to understand what another is going through and treat them as you would want to be treated if you were in their shoes. Things are so hectic, that person who was rude to you in the parking lot may not just be without manners, they might be hanging onto life by a thread.
Empathy is defined as the ability to recognize, understand, and share the thoughts and feelings of another person, animal, or fictional character. Emotion researchers generally define empathy as the ability to sense other people’s emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling.
Please if you can, try to remember that the holidays are very, very hard for some people. Please be patient and understanding with them if you possibly can. It can be entirely overwhelming and they are struggling to just get through. Be someone who lifts others up please. Thank you. God Bless You and Yours. <3
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