Christmas Meditations

Feast your soul...

Every Christmas Has Its Cares

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Hark the herald angels sing,

"Glory to the newborn King;

Peace on earth, and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled!"

Joyful, all ye nations rise,

Join the triumph of the skies;

With th' angelic host proclaim,

"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"

Hark! The herald angels sing,

"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ, by highest Heav'n adored;

Christ the everlasting Lord;

Late in time, behold Him come,

Offspring of a virgin's womb.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;

Hail th' incarnate Deity,

Pleased as man with men to dwell,

Jesus our Immanuel.

Hark! The herald angels sing,

"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'nly Prince of Peace!

Hail the Sun of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings,

Ris'n with healing in His wings.

Mild He lays His glory by,

Born that man no more may die.

Born to raise the sons of earth,

Born to give them second birth.

Hark! The herald angels sing,

"Glory to the newborn King!"

A Medley

the sleigh bells and silver bells

are ringing ding-a-dong,

so merrily on high,

and all the children are snuggling up in bed

dreaming of sugar plum fairies

and tannenbaums and white Christmases,

and the merry gentlemen are resting

in the hope of the babe, the son of Mary,

and thoughts are a-turning

to the little town of Bethlehem,

to that (not so) silent night,

to the the child away in a manger,

and the the herald angels are heard on high,

singing gloria! gloria! in excelsis deo! hark!

and the faithful, joyful, triumphant are gathering

on this night divine to sing hallelujah,

for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Nativities and Pruning

(Gerrit van Honthorst, The Nativity)

Today I set up our nativity. As I unrolled each wooden figurine from its cozy cocoon of brown paper and fingered each familiar carved face, I mulled over all that God has done with me in the past year, specifically all the pruning the Gardener has done in my patch. As God has shed this Christmas of all its pleasant extras -- sparse decking of halls, few gifts to give and receive, next to no dear ones to share it with -- I realized how God has been shedding my soul of bonuses, too.

He's cut away so much legalism, all my man-made rules and self-sufficient "salvation"; he's cut away so much baggage from my relationships, the pent-up bitterness and distance from years of tension; he's even cut away much of my perception of self. I'm left with the bare-bones, glorious Gospel, the precious, worthy-to-be-cherished friendships, and the core of who I am by His creative power and through His redemptive blood.

Gone are the trappings and trimmings that I once thought were my faith, my friends, my self. Gone are they with the Christmas garlands and gifts and guests. Here to stay, forever on earth and through eternity, are the pure and simple truths of Scripture.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed usin the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

"*In him* we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.'

-Ephesians 1:3-14 (emphasis added)

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Ephesians 2:1-10

"For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

- Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas.

Absent Daughter

It's Mother's Day.

Typically at this time every year, I am with my father and sisters finishing off the "secret" breakfast that we'll soon serve to Mama on a tray with her cards and flowers. This year, I am an ocean away, on another continent probably eating lunch on a bus driving me to Ille-de-Noirmoutier, France.

I miss you, Mama, even now as I sit at the computer desk here tucked away in the nursery. Actually, I miss you all.

I'll be home soon, with stories and pictures. (But no wedding ring... Sorry, Cecelia!)

I love you.

First Day

"There is nothing inorganic. These foliaceous heaps lie along the bank like the slag of a furnace, showing that Nature is "in full blast" within. The earth is not a mere fragment of dead history, stratum upon stratum like the leaves of a book, to be studied by geologists and antiquaries chiefly, but living poetry like the leaves of a tree." ~ Henry David Thoreau

It's here -- the first day of spring. Someday, I want to celebrate these "first days" as holidays. I want to nurture in my child a love of nature as strong as my own!

Here's to...

(Charles Haigh-Wood, Picking Flowers for a Posy)

Spring Fever

(Peruse the picture's link at your own discretion. Unfortunately, mixed amongst the whimsical pictures and beautiful inspiration are occasional suggestive photographs.)

It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want -- oh, you don't quite know what it is you want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!

~ Mark Twain ~

O Holy Night

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining.

Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born;

O night, O night, O night divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.

So led by the light of a star sweetly gleaming

Here come the wise men from Orient and.

The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;

In all our trials born to be our friend.

He knows our need, the our weakness is no stranger,

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His gospel is peace.

Chains shall he break for the slave is our brother;

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

An Eulogy and Update

Between the season's festivities and approaching deadlines, this dear blog has been neglected of late. Hopefully I'll be able to carve out some time for posting in the coming weeks. For now, however, enjoy a little poem that my darling sister, Katie, penned:

The Eulogy

Bunbury, my fellow, once so jolly,

Your death makes me melancholy.

You were to me a fantastic mate.

I'm sorry combustion was your fate.

Whenever I needed an excuse,

No matter the matter you I could use.

You had once pneumonia, twice depression,

But thrice my sympathy made a fine impression.

And now, what shall your chap Algy do,

Since you can be no longer my impromptu?

No friend could ever have been as faithful.

Your timing always proved impeccable.

Here I stand at your graveside,

Shamefully and remarkably teary-eyed,

For now what, oh what, will I do,

When I'm faced with things I don't want to do?

Ode to Bunbury, now deceased,

May you forever rest in peace!

If you aren't familiar with the inspiration for this poem, you need to pick up a copy of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest from your library. The play is absolutely hysterical and thoroughly British -- a perfect combination! ;)

By the way, Katie did have surgery. Her cyst is gone, and she's now a bionic woman! ;) This past week, two weeks after surgery, my bling-loving girl has begun walking on only two legs rather than three... The crutches strangely resembling flamingo legs have been stored in the attic!

The only thought that comes to mind in all these circumstances is this:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Forever and ever, Amen!

Autumn

Nature XXVII, Autumn

Emily Dickinson

The morns are meeker than they were,

The nuts are getting brown;

The berry's cheek is plumper,

The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,

The field a scarlet gown.

Lest I should be old-fashioned,

I'll put a trinket on.

Autumn is here in name, if not in deed. Perhaps soon I can join Miss Dickinson and add a few trinkets into my wardrobe -- sweaters, coats, scarves, fuzzy socks, etc. -- and perhaps even special food into my diet (Oh the apples, the pumpkins, the cranberries!). Happy fall to those of you who are already enjoying is gorgeousness. And for the rest, let's pray that she scurries her way on over. I'm keeping watch at the window, waiting for the trees to don their harvest gaiety!

In case none of you guessed, fall is my favorite season. *wink*

Here's to...

...soft wind on warm days.

...meals eaten in the cool air.

...sandals and sundresses.

...carols of birds and breezes.

...wildflowers blooming on the roadside.

..."summer in the light, winter in the shade."

...lemonade, sweet tea, and cold water.

...spring, spring, spring!

(Kate Greenaway, Where are You Going to My Pretty Maid)

And nothing reminds me of spring quite so much as Kate Greenaway's whimsical sketches!

Gotcha Day!

Two years ago today, our family joyfully added Emmy Xiang into it. Read here for more!

I love you, my baby sister! I can't wait to watch and see how God molds you into a daughter of His!

In Which the Authoress Ascends to Her Soapbox

As the eve of the thirty-first creeps closer and closer, people all over America prepare for Halloween (meanwhile, I'm celebrating my dearest Mama's birthday...but that's for a different post). They scurry to throw together fun costumes, purchase sugary candies and sculpt smiles onto pumpkins. Unfortunately, these frivolities aren't the only product of the aforementioned date. Springing up all through town are grotesque decorations, everything from skeletons and graveyards, cobwebs and crows. And -- you wanna know something? -- I hate every bit of it.

What is the attraction in "adorning" our homes with spine-chilling, blood-curdling ornaments? Why do we opt for horrific, creepy trimmings? Many families, who would frown upon children watching horror movies, display the same sinister scenes in their own front yards! A few weeks ago neighbors of ours set up a miniature graveyard, featuring a bony Blackbeard surfacing from their lawn. And they have children! Young ones. Another encounter I've had with the dreadful decor occurred as my family made it's way to fellowship with friends. Emmy Xiang suddenly shrieked, "Ooh! Janey, that's a yucky guy!" Amen, sister. That grimacing Frankenstein wanna-be modeling a bloodstained lab coat isn't very attractive.

I know our culture's morality standards are...practically nonexistent, but I also know that they don't condone torture and murder. Why, then, do we flaunt such sights? It's shameful! *Sigh.* I'm lacking inspiration for a booming conclusion. I'm sure I've overstated my opinions already. Let me leave ya'll with this:

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:8

We live in a sinful world that flaunts evil rather than shunning it. Let us not dwell on such things -- no matter how many times we are attacked by it! On the contrary, let us fight it off and glorify our Father in heaven for opening our eyes and saving us from that evil!

Pumpkin image not mine.

Autumn

Why do I so adore autumn?

~I love cold, crisp weather and warm, cozy houses.

~I love hot drinks and delectable food.

~I love the earthy colors of the season.

~I love watching leaves fall from trees and crunching them as I walk.

~I love the beginning of the amiable holiday season.

~I love pulling out all my Christmas music and movies.

~I love bundling up in sweaters and gloves.

~I love all the memories of autumn's past.

~I love going to the Nutcracker ballet.

~I love pumpkins, cranberries and apples.

Yes, I live in Florida and yes, our leaves don't really change color or fall to the ground. And I know it doesn't even really get all that cold here, but I love autumn all the same! Yesterday, I began my search through for a thoughtful quote or poem to add to this post. This morning I found one that will suffice. Enjoy it and, yes even though I am still amidst heat and humidity, celebrate fall!

"As yet the blue-bells linger on the sod

That copes the sheepfold ring, and in the woods,

A second blow of many flowers appears,

Flowers faintly tinged and breathing no perfume;

But fruits, not blossoms, form the woodland wreathe

That circles Autumn's brow: The ruddy haws

Now clothe the half leaved thorn, the bramble bends

Beneath it's jetty load; the hazel hangs

With auburn branches, dipping in the stream

That sweeps along, and threatens to o'erflow

The leaf-strewn banks: -Oft statue-like I gaze,

In vacancy of thought, upon that stream,

And chase, with dreaming eye, the eddying foam

Or rowan's clustered branch, or harvest sheaf,

Borne rapidly down the dizzying flood."

-Grahame

Blessed

Her first object was to make her child acquainted with the character and goodness of God, and to awaken and call forth in her tender heart a sincere regard and filial affection towards her heavenly Father...In a similar manner, Matilda taught her daughter to look from the creature to the Creator. From all his works -- from the dewdrop as it glittered upon the leaf, to the sun in the heavens, in whose rays it basked -- from the changing seasons, with the beauties and blessings which they brought -- from all, she took occasion to teach Rosa useful lessons, and impress her mind with the goodness of God to us, and our duty and obligations to him, so that she could scarcely look up on a flower, or eat an apple or a peach, without being reminded of the instructions of her mother. Whilst engaged in some useful employment this pious mother repeated to her daughter such interesting histories from the Bible...Especially was she delighted to hear her mother speak of the Saviour...She noticed his affectionate regard and prompt obedience to his parents, and how he grew in favor with God and man; and formed the most determined resolution never to displease and disobey her parents, and to grow better every day...When her mother spoke of the sufferings in which the innocent Jesus took upon himself, out of love to the perishing and guilty, and how, when bleeding and dying, he prayed his heavenly Father to forgive his murderers, she was melted to tears, and determined to consecrate herself entirely to Him who loved her and gave himself for her. Thus this pious mother taught her daughter to know and love her God, and her divine Redeemer.

- Rosa of Linden Castle, Christoph Von Schmid

Today is Mother's Day. My mother is an extremely special woman. I wish that I could describe to my mother my gratefulness, my love and how honored I am to have her as a mother. I cannot, though, and so, yet again, I must borrow the words of a different person who is far abler than I am with words. As described in this passage, one of the things I am most thankful for in my mother is the way she has brought me up to love, obey and glorify my heavenly Father. The rest of the chapter in this book describes the way this mother taught her daughter submission, benevolence, complete obedience, industry and to flee from dangerous sins like pride and vanity.

As I read this chapter, all I could think of was my mother. She has carefully and painstakingly loved me and trained me to be a woman of the Lord. How I wish I could be the young woman she has sought to mold me into. Thank you, Mama, from the bottom of my heart for taking all the time to raise me into a godly young woman. Thank you for not only supplying my needs, but for doing your best to please my little trifling wants and desires. You truly are the best woman I know, and I am proud to call you my Mother. I love you, Mama.

I rise up and call you blessed! "Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all."

January

"Named from the Roman god Janus, who is represented with two faces looking in opposite directions, -- as retrospective, to the past, and prospective to, the coming year." -The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady

Enjoy reflecting on the past years and have a blessed new one!

Fall is Coming!

"Come said the wind to 

the leaves one day,

Come o're the meadows 

and we will play.

Put on your dresses

scarlet and gold,

For summer is gone

and the days grow cold."

-A Children's Song of the 1880's

"No Spring nor Summer Beauty hath such grace

As I have seen in one Autumnal face." -John Donne

This morning was absolutely wonderful! A lovely rain yesterday ushered in cool, dry weather (a climate that lasts only four months in hot and humid FL). I have to agree with Nathaniel Hawthorne on this. "I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air." Fall is my favorite season of them all! That being said, I sincerely hope you enjoy this beautiful season. I sure will!