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This just says it all to me.
I promise to never post song lyrics ever again on my blog (for fear of being mistaken for a junior high girl). But this one just had to go out today.
For those of you who don’t know — this poem is by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and was written on Christmas Day in 1863 after hearing that his son had been injured in battle (fighting in the Civil War). It was originally called “Christmas Bells”.
I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play.
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of Peace on earth, good will to men.
I thought how as the day had come
The belfries of all Christendom
Had roll’d along th’ unbroken song
Of Peace on earth, good will to men.
And in despair, I bow’d my head:
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song,
Of Peace on earth, good will to men.”
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound the carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearthstones of a continent,
And made forlorn, the households born
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With Peace on earth, good will to men.”
May your hearts be at peace. May the world find peace. May we all reach out to those who need peace. Merry Christmas 2009.
Look, Santa at our house – in the technical sense – is a combination of Amazon.com, Costco, and Target. I know he is not real real. But in the bigger sense, the sense of the magical… I completely believe that he is for real.
Too often I think that we adults try to squash the imaginative life of our children (and ourselves, for that matter) – perhaps we see Santa as un-Christian, or too commercial. But I see him as magical, as someone who embodies hope and fun and whimsy. A figure who lets us be playful and childlike and forget about the “rules” for a few weeks.
I will not fall victim to the people out there who think believing in Santa takes away from the birth of Christ, or that he is creepy, or that Santa is fake. To me, and to my kids, he will always be real. And kids get this. I promise you. My 13 year old just asked me if Santa was real. I answered with, “Well, if you mean some weird guy that comes down our chimney and delivers presents, then, well, no. But, I still think he is real and I believe in him.” She nodded knowingly. See, kids know how to use their hearts and their spirits and their imaginations to hold on to the unknown. I love Santa because he lets me do that, too. Just for bit. Long enough to eat the cookies and drink the beer we have left out for him.
Lately my sweet little boy has started drawing a lot of pictures.
Daily he presents me with dozens of drawings. Usually of aliens and space battles.
Apple Alien and Friends
This next one we drew together. See if you can spot my footwear-inspired ship in the lower righthand corner.
Space Battle w/ Mommy
I get soooo many of these per day, that they all tend to morph into one picture. And, I get a little tired of ooh-ing and aaah-ing all day long.
But the other day, he drew me his version of Santa Claus. And although it looks like a Santa pumpkin, there was something about THIS picture that truly touched me. Sometimes out of the busy-ness and crazy-ness of my life, something rises to the top and makes me take a deep breath. And this day, it was this picture.
Santa by Ty (age 4)
And truly, truly it made my day better. Merry Christmas, everyone!
Today I am being featured as a guest blogger on the Me Ra Koh Photography blog. Click here to check out my adventures in trying to photograph my Christmas tree!
