The magic of Christmas never ceases to amaze these eyes. Good times, goodwill, please give me peace, peace for today. Surrounded by sounds of beautiful song, smells of the holiday fill my home... the warmth of love wraps me up in a dream. I love this beautiful time of year. Many blessings sent your way.
So many people have said that this year. The magic of Christmas… When you're young, adults focus on making Christmas magical for you. Everything is part of the plan, from decorating the tree, to baking the Christmas cookies, carefully decorating them and then sitting down and watching Rudolph or Miracle on 34th Street or one of the other classics...It was all created in a sense of tradition. It was there to make it exciting because it only came once a year.
Do you have any traditions that you have passed on or made yours?
I needed a break from the commercial part of the season...where the sacred and the secular collide and are crudely tangled for weeks, where goodwill towards men and generosity struggle with the ugly crassness of consumerism, and where the birth of love into the world is reduced to a rendition of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” in three-part harmony.
In this reflective space of Advent, I focus beyond the headlines to prepare me for this most beautiful celebration. Oh, Advent, I do love thee, where I begin to light the candles, feeling the warmth as a rekindling begins in my heart, my heart.
These candles are, but, a small light in the darkness. When the darkness is especially intense, it seems like that small light shines so much brighter. Advent emphasizes to me those smaller moments of light. Those small moments in life. The important little details. So small and yet, I can begin to feel new possibilities. Sometimes I need a reminder. Yes. I can feel them now.
Today is the second day of advent, always a special time when I was growing up, and, still to this day. Advent means “coming” in Latin. This is the coming of Jesus in the world. Christians use the four Sundays and weeks of Advent to prepare and remember the real meaning of Christmas. Forgiveness for the lack of my Advent candle lighting my page. You will have to go with the light in my soul for today. I lit it and didn't take a picture.
Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there. Fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion... love actually is all around.
"Love Actually"
I want to watch it again!
Who's in?? Raise your hand!
Christmas. It seems a little bit shinier; a little bit brighter than the rest of the year. The spirit of Christmas prompts people to do caring things for others. It’s that season of loving and giving – not just to those we love, our families and friends, but people seem to reach out to see what they can find. So my wish, should it come true, would be to be Christmas, all year through. Celebrate. Each. Day.
I 💖 you. Yes, I do. The Season of Joy. Oh, Christmas, you do it every time.
Christmas brings the musing out in me. So many beautiful memories. A lifetime of happiness and joy in my world. And as is always, there must be a flower to color my world.
Thank you for visiting my post 💖 Because of you, I come back to post again and again, I am encouraged by you, for the time you take to visit, comment or even upvote. For all of these reasons, I am eternally grateful. Don't ever forget what a wonderful world we live in, people.Some days, it is not as easy to see, how wonderful it really is. Kindness counts. Wherever you go, whatever you do.
they set my aunts house on fire
i cried the way women on tv do
folding at the middle
like a five pound note.
i called the boy who use to love me
tried to ‘okay’ my voice
i said hello
he said warsan, what’s wrong, what’s happened?
i’ve been praying,
and these are what my prayers look like;
dear god
i come from two countries
one is thirsty
the other is on fire
both need water.
later that night
i held an atlas in my lap
ran my fingers across the whole world
and whispered,
"where does it hurt?"
it answered,
"everywhere"
"everywhere"
"everywhere"
warsan shire
