“Goodness is a bright flame within you. Use it to light up the world.” ~
Good Sunday morning, dear ones. Welcome to the first ‘Sunday Thoughts’ of 2021. Today, I want to share a lovely piece written by Howard Thurman ~ The Work of Christmas. It is my hope his words will settle in your heart, as they have mine. To me, such words are inspiring and help to move us forward when thinking of the days and work ahead.
The Work of Christmas, by Howard Thurman
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and the princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,
To make music in the heart.
Dear friends, 2021 will certainly be a year of much work. But, I don’t believe any of us are shy about sharing what is within our means to make our world a happier and more loving place. Truly, the smallest kindness shown toward our fellow man can make a vast difference.
Know I wish you and yours a beautiful day, full of love and joy.
And. . .
May the week ahead find you enjoying the things which make your heart sing.
“Whatever you do in life . . . remember . . . think higher, feel deeper. Life is not a fist. Life is an open hand waiting for some other hand to enter it in friendship. Ultimately, the answers are so simple. Not simplistic, but so simple.” ~ Elie Wiesel (see note)
Amour,
Sandra
Images: via Tumblr
Note: Elie Wiesel was born September 30, 1928, in Sighet, Romania, and died July 2, 2016, in New York, New York. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1986. Elie Wiesel was a Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He authored 57 books, written mostly in French and English, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a Jewish prisoner in the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps.
Good morning, Sandra! I always look forward to your Sunday thoughts. I pray that I would always have an open hand to those around me. Wishing you a lovely day and week ahead my friend ♥️
Good morning, Pam. I pray for the same. Have a wonderful day and week. I am enjoying the quiet days and reading.
There is joy in serving others. Have a lovely week, Sandra.
Truly, there is. Wishing you a lovely week as well.
What a perfect poem for today.
I thought it was too, Penny. Have a great week.
Happy New Year, Sandra! Your Sunday posts are always so beautiful and inspirational. I strive everyday of my life to help others. I say a prayer each day that I may have the grace and wisdom to do so. May 2021 bring you many blessings, sweet friend!
Happy New Year to you and your family, Shannon. Helping others, even in the smallest of ways, is so important in our world today. I believe we all serve as God’s angels on earth. Have a beautiful day and week ahead, my friend.
What beautiful post…Thank you for sharing love everytime! Happy 2021!
Thank you, Maristella. Wishing you love and a wonderful New Year! ❤
Blessings are all around us to enjoy and share. It’s a perfect time to enjoy quiet pursuits, to learn something new of interest and to make our lives kinder and gentler and more inclusive of others. It’s time for reflection and a change of heart and perception. Sandra, you always gently point us in the right direction ~ thank you.?
Louise, my friend, you are always so kind and say such lovely things. I do love winter and always have, it is time to do just as you say. Blessings to you, dear one, and to your family.
This is the year of much work, Sandra. And I loved that poem. I was unfamiliar with it but it is most definitely a “keeper.” Happy New Year, my friend. You are such a wonderful way to enjoy a Sunday.
Yes, Jeanie there will be much work to do this year and I am anxious for it to begin, as I know you are. I love the poem by Thurman and it speaks such truth in a lovely way. Thank you for your kind comment and know I wish you a Happy New Year as well!
Is there really anything that makes us happier than giving of ourselves–I don’t think there is. Spreading joy is such a wonderful feeling. Thank you for always spreading joy, Sandra; your poems and words stay with me through the week and are always uplifting. I, too, am enjoying the post Christmas quiet days, trying to catch up on some reading and also getting ready to sell many things to simplify my life. I am also a lover of winter and wish we’d get a lot more snow than we do. Wishing you a lovely week and big hugs.
Good morning, Bobbie. My mom always said to me anytime I left the house, “Scatter Joy, Darlin.” (She was from Mississippi) And, I guess it stuck. Doing for others is something I have always enjoyed. I think we placed on this earth to help make others happy.
Bobbie, I admire you for starting to sell things. I would do that in a minute, however, I have a hubby who does not like to part with things. Sometimes I just shut closet doors because I know there are so many things that need to go.
Wishing you a wonderful week, with much joy. Love and hugs, my friend.❤
My dear friend, today your publication is wonderful in its content. You give us some really useful tips and thoughts for the life of those who need to have a peaceful life.
The Howard Thurman quotes are wonderful … I stay with them and will read them when I feel that my soul is saddened … well, better day by day so that I do not forget their verses.
I’m getting better and I can write on the computer with both hands !!! is an achievement!!…
I wish you the best of the best and don’t forget to show those beautiful quotes that make life more enjoyable.
With love
Dolores
Dear Dolores, thank you for your lovely words. I am so happy you are doing much better, and can once again use the computer. I know you are thrilled. You must feel like a child with a new toy.
Know, I wish you a beautiful year, one of the best of health and happiness.
Sending you love and wishing you many blessings.❤
Hello Sandra,
Both the poem and Elie Weisel’s words are encouraging just now as things look quite bleak in the world. There is always warmth and light when we extend grace and goodness to each other, and I hope to do that to those I engage with.
Have a most wonderful week.
Lorrie, I am certain you extend love and goodness to all. It is amazing to me that a human who endured what Elie Weisel did can say words that are encouraging. I must think of him and others as the events of this week have left me not feeling too encouraged. I pray for quiet until and through Jan. 20.
Thanks so much for your visit, Lorrie.