New Year ~ Midnight Amuses Herself

We were parting for the night.

We had already said our goodbyes and embraced

and I had stepped away.

He called me back to him.

He held my hands in a ball of his.

"I love you" he said

"and in midnight fading, I love you more."

~

That boy of blessed memory,

he had a way of saying something

so you would never forget it.

~

"Minuit s'amuse, minuit

Minuit s'amuse, minuit...

Midnight has come,

I hear music...

And I'll keep on singing...

Midnight has come,

I hear music..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN3j2ZsLkv4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4wfcEpssXg

[And do us both a favor and click on the photo ---

it wants to be seen larger!]

It is no longer Christmas. It was a Christmas I really never embraced, and one I am now reluctant to let go of. When I tell the truth these days, my eyes fill with tears, and (wink) I never lie. I work in the kitchen, cleaning and then cooking, then cleaning from the cooking. It keeps me out of trouble. I go through my stack of music, throwing each on the player like frisbees. I light a candle, first because the wind is blowing, then because the snow is deep and eventually because the lights have flickered. I unearth the four for advent and tho' it is past, I light them late in the night when everyone is asleep. I gaze at them in the darkness, admiring the glow they cast and letting them chase away doubt and fear from the corners. I have whispered a prayer as I brought match to wick and now sit with the lotus-bearer for more than a while, considering the secrets the unfolding new year will reveal.

C.M.Carroll

In the bleak midwinter....

In the midst of winter

I finally learned that there was

in me an invincible summer

- Albert Camus

It was the middle of the night and I was hopelessly awake. I needed a quiet occupation. I puttered in the kitchen with my windowsill conservatory. Needing some soil to repot a plant, I reached for a handful of dirt that was already relegated for discard. In it, I found a surprise clump of sprouting calla lily bulbs! Earlier I had thrown away the marker... they will be pink if I can nudge them to full fruition. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctzmEwcMHEY

A Christmas Carol

by G. K. Chesterton

The Christ-child lay on Mary's lap,
His hair was like a light.
(O weary, weary were the world,
But here is all alright.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's breast
His hair was like a star.
(O stern and cunning are the kings,
But here the true hearts are.

The Christ-child lay on Mary's heart,
His hair was like a fire.
(O weary, weary is the world,
But here the world's desire.)

The Christ-child stood on Mary's knee,
His hair was like a crown,
And all the flowers looked up at Him,
And all the stars looked down.

Merry Christmas!

"Open your heart,
Open it wide,
Someone is waiting outside!"

Love is Born

Splintered and fractured

in human form

comes the savior, the christ, the babe...

and love is born

to bind us to loftier realms and reconcile

us to our better selves.

A tiny, helpless infant

inspires our care and our kiss.

Worthy or unworthy,

bidden or unbidden,

hallelujah,

he has come.

C.M.Carroll

Noel, Christmas Eve 1913

A frosty Christmas Eve

When the stars were shining

I traveled forth alone

Where westward falls the hill

And for many, many a village

In the darkness of the valley

Distant music reached me

Peels of bells were ringing

Then sped my thoughts

To olden times

To that first of Christmases

When shepherds who were watching

Heard music in the fields

And they sat there

And they marveled

And they knew they could not tell

Whether it were angels

Or the bright stars a-singing

But to me heard afar

It was starry music

The singing of the angels

The comfort of our Lord

Words of old that come a-traveling

By the riches of the times

And I softly listened

As I stood upon the hill ---

And I softly listened

As I stood upon the hill

Robert Bridges

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3qP4Vz0xJQ