“The Christmas spirit whispers softly in my ear to be of good cheer.” ~
Good Sunday morning, dear friends. As I write this, Christmas is one week away. Where have the days gone? We are ready for Christmas to arrive in all her magic and glory. I hope you are too and that this finds you in “good cheer.”
This post will be short as I plan to see you again either Monday or Tuesday. You may or may not remember, but I promised you a recipe before Christmas and I want to send it so you may have time to prepare it if you desire. That said, I am sharing a favorite poem which later became a Christmas carol. It was written on Christmas day, 1863, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The ringing of church bells, off in a distance, was Longfellow’s inspiration for the poem. The poem was set to music in 1872.
Christmas Bells ~ By, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“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!
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
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 hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed 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 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.”
Dear friends, I hope you have enjoyed your visit. Know how much I appreciate you and your kind comments. I have many Christmas wishes for you, but mostly. . .
“I wish the wonderful feelings of Christmas will stay with you long after the gifts are unwrapped, the tree is taken down, and the ornaments are safely stored away. May the once-a-year joy of Christmas return to you in memories throughout the year, each time tugging at your heart strings. . .each time bringing you joy.” ~ Stay Well!
Joyeux Noel,
Sandra
The ending quote is from a Christmas card I received too many years ago.
Images: Tumblr
Mis amigos queridos, que alegria poder comunicarme con vosotros!! Desde hace ya un tiempo no sabía como poder lanzar el comentario. Ahora es muy fácil.
Todo mi cariño hacia vosotros y vuestros hijos, ya desconocidos para mí.
Mi deseo es que ahora teniendo el camino conocido tengamos una comunicación más fluída como en los buenos tiempos….que ya son muchos!!!
Os deseo todas las bondades del mundo y la felicidad que merecéis.
Feliz Navidad!!!!
Dolores
queridos amigos, me da mucha alegría ver lo fácil que es ahora poder comunicarme con vosotros. Todo este tiempo he tratado de cocmunicarme con vosotros pero no sabía como mandarlo ya que no era de la misma forma.
Mi deseo es que tengáis un buen año nuevo y la felicidad camine por vuestra casa repartiendo cosas buenas y bellas.
Feliz Navidad!!!
Dolores
A beautiful song, and I’ve always loved the last four lines especially. I hope this magical time of year will bring you many joyous moments and peace in your heart. Merry Christmas!
Thank you, Mike, keeping Sandra’s beautiful spirit alive.
Happy Christmas to you
Mike, I hope you realize how much so many of Sandra’s friends appreciate your keeping her with us by sharing her exquisite blog posts. She is so missed.
I suspect this could be a challenging holiday for you, and I hope that in sharing these posts and reviewing them that you find it as healing as we do. Please be gentle with yourself this season and hold close to the gifts you were given in the past by having Sandra in your life. Merry Christmas.