Still

Still, still, still,

He has come, the Holy Child.

With awe and wonder we behold him,

Mary's loving arms enfold him.

Sleep, sleep, sleep,

O, Holy Son of God.

                            - Austrian Carol

Change Of Scenery

A short break from "real life".

A change of scenery. 

A beautiful view.

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

                                                                             - John Muir

Keep Me Safely

A few months ago, while poking around in a junk shop,

I discovered this old needlepoint bedtime prayer in a frame.
It was on the floor, covered in dust and it's paper backing was torn,
but I could still see faintly written in pencil:

"This needlepoint was made for Susan by her Grandmother Harrington 

when she was 6 years old".

I don't know Susan or her Grandmother.

And I have no idea how this came to be separated from them.

I wish they knew that their beautifully stitched prayer was safe with me.

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Keep me safely through the night
And wake me with the morning light.

* * *

I'm linking to
Vintage Thingie Thursday at The Colorado Lady

Come To Bethlehem

"Come to Bethlehem and see

Christ the Lord, the newborn King."

Wishing a very happy Christmas to all of you.

(Shadow box nativity made by my Mama, in the late 60's or early 70s.)

May Choirs of Angels Come To Greet You

 Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,

Your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.

                                                    - Jan Struther

Click to play

This post is dedicated to the children and teachers of Sandy Hook Elementary School

and the families and friends who mourn their loss.

How Lovely Are Thy Branches

"Oh Christmas tree,

How lovely are thy branches."

Put On Your Dresses Scarlet And Gold

Come said the wind to
the leaves one day,
Come o’re the meadows
and we will play.
Put on your dresses
scarlet and gold,
For summer is gone
and the days grow cold. 

~A Children’s Song of the 1800′s

Leaves for Leontien

Go Rest High On That Mountain

(This photo was taken by my Dad, and may not be borrowed or pinned.)

 He is gone.

The kind and gentle man that I looked up to all my life.

Mountaineer, educator, leader, man of faith. 

Daddy.

"Go rest high on that mountain."

Choose Hope

"Once you choose hope, anything is possible."

                                          - Christopher Reeve

Merry Christmas!

In sweet jubilation

now sing and be joyous!

Our heart's joy 

lies in a manger

And shines like the sun 

in his mother's lap.

                    -translation from old carol

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

(And happy Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Kwanza and 

whatever else people are celebrating this month.)

Humble Creatures

"Sing o the wild wood, the green holly

The silent river and barren tree

The humble creatures that no man sees

Sing O the wild wood."
                - from The Wild Wood Carol,   John Rutter

Be Happy!

Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.

- A. Lincoln

So...

Put a smile on your face.

Count your blessings.

Stop feeling sorry for yourself.

Do something nice for someone else.

I promise, you'll have a great weekend.

Linking my pink zinnias and glads to Pink Saturday at How Sweet The Sound.

I'll Give Them All To You To Hold

look  the spangles

that sleep all the year in a dark box

dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine,

the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads,

put up your little arms

and i'll give them all to you to hold

every finger shall have its ring

and there won't be a single place dark or unhappy

then when you're quite dressed

you'll stand in the window for everyone to see

and how they'll stare!

oh but you'll be very proud

(from little tree  by ee cummings)

My tree is up and ornaments adorn every branch.  

Each one holds a special memory.

Linked to:

Show That Sapin @ My French Country Home

S Is For Stars, Shawnee Indian Mission And Smokey The Bear

S is for Stars.

Do you know what these are?  Cast iron stars.  They are actually huge washers used in brick and masonry construction.   They were bolted to the end of tie rods that kept brick walls  connected to the joists.   Sometimes called "masonry stars" or "wall washers", they help prevent walls from bowing and also helped reinforce walls during an earthquake.

S is also for Shawnee Indian Mission, a state historic site, and as you look through these pictures you will see stars like these on the walls.  The Shawnee  Mission was a school where they brought  native children and tried to teach them "civilized" white people skills such as sewing and weaving.  We look back at that period of history with some sadness, and realize that those children should have been allowed to stay with their own families and be raised in their own culture.

Wood shed on the Mission property.

Salad makings in the Mission garden.

Strawberries in the garden.

A strong fence.

Prairie schooner.

And totally unrelated to the rest of the this post... S is for Smokey the Bear.    He taught me to take care of the trees and animals in the forest.   I bet you all remember  "Only YOU can prevent a forest fire".

(This photo was taken by my dad and may not be borrowed or pinned.)

My big sister and I with Smokey.

Hope you enjoy reading all about the letter S on Jenny Matlocks' Alphabe-Thursday.

Also linking to Vintage Thingie Thursday with The Colorado Lady.

Irish Blessings

"May your home always be too small to hold all your friends."

"May you have warm words on a cold evening, 

a full moon on a dark night, 

and a smooth road all the way to your door."

"May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow.  

And trouble avoid you wherever you go."

"May the saddest day of your future 

be no worse than the happiest day of your past."

"May those that love us, love us.

                                   And those that don’t love us,

May God turn their hearts.

And if he doesn't turn their hearts,

May he turn their ankles,

So we'll know them by their limping."

On Tuesday, March 16, Kathleen is hosting the St. Patrick's Day blog crawl.  I hope you can join in.

Oh Christmas tree!

"Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, how lovely are your branches!"