Don’t comment … Don’t dwell on this past year … Don’t stress over your current life challenges … Don’t worry about next year. Just listen … relax … and have a wonderful Christmas holiday, and here’s a thought to take with you into the new year:
“The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.” (Kalu Ndukwe Kalu)
Every now and then, a short video comes along which immediately gets my attention. What do you think about this one?
Twas A Month Before Christmas …
T’was a month before Christmas,
And all through the town,
People wore masks,
That covered their frown.
The frown had begun
Way back in the Spring,
When a global pandemic
Changed everything.
They called it corona,
But unlike the beer,
It didn’t bring good times,
It didn’t bring cheer.
Contagious and deadly,
This virus spread fast,
Like a wildfire that starts
When fuelled by gas.
Airplanes were grounded,
Travel was banned.
Borders were closed
Across air, sea and land.
As the world entered lock-down
To flatten the curve,
The economy halted,
And folks lost their verve.
From March to July
We rode the first wave,
People stayed home,
They tried to behave.
When summer emerged
The lock-down was lifted.
But away from caution,
Many folks drifted.
Now it’s November
And cases are spiking,
Wave two has arrived,
Much to our disliking.
Front-line workers,
Doctors and nurses,
Try to save people,
From riding in hearses.
This virus is awful,
This COVID-19.
There isn’t a cure.
There is no vaccine
It’s true that this year
Has had sadness a plenty,
We’ll never forget
The year 2020.
And just ‘round the corner –
The holiday season,
But why be merry?
Is there even one reason?
To decorate the house
And put up the tree,
When no one will see it,
No-one but me.
But outside my window
The snow gently falls,
And I think to myself,
Let’s deck the halls!
So, I gather the ribbon,
The garland and bows,
As I play those old carols,
My happiness grows.
Christmas ain’t cancelled
And neither is hope.
If we lean on each other,
I know we can cope.
Copyright-Shawna Hickling
By: Shawna Hickling, Calgary, AB, Canada
November 19, 2020
It’s that time of year when … Continue reading
People who are born close to Christmas will often, sadly, have their special day combined with Christmas. Even if they do get to celebrate their birthday, it will probably always seem to be in the shadow of Christmas. Christmas is such a powerful time of year in our culture, that it can cause just as much sadness as it can pleasure. Continue reading
I have been going through boxes of envelopes full of photographs; letters written to me over the years; Old Christmas and Birthday cards; Certificates, and various other miscellaneous souvenirs from the past … all as part of a project to organize our family history into suitable albums. Continue reading
I am quite confident that many of you, like me, are not getting caught up in the Christmas hype just yet … but perhaps in a couple of weeks? Continue reading
I know there are some people that, like me, don’t start thinking about Christmas until we are into December, but I also know that so many more people do in fact start planning at this time of year… as evidenced by the marketing machine which is now churning out Christmas ideas! Continue reading
The elephant? How did that get into the Santa story? Continue reading
A New Direction Perhaps? 