Christmas Question

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Do you hear what I hear?

Ahhh…’tis the season for marvelous music my friends!  Even in the midst of more pandemic, this time of year is gratefully filled with beloved sounds, carols, voices, instruments, and glorious music ushering in the message and season of celebration.

While talking and laughing with my sis yesterday, she was sharing her intense prep work with her singers–several at the Met, vocal students doing juries, recitals, performances, and more. I reminded her of her very first singing experience (see the picture) at age 3 as a member in The Cherub Choir at Kessler Park United Methodist Church.  Mom literally coaxed her (tears and all) to “boldly and courageously march in the cherub line, stand still, open your mouth, and proudly sing for all to hear!”  Gratefully, she accepted mom’s initial challenge that first time and successfully continues to do so beautifully on a much grander scale for many decades…

We both share a deep and abiding love for all types of music, including Christmas music, and especially carols. When pressed for specifics, two personal favorites come to mind. The first choice is one our grandmother sang often, a French carol called The Holly and the Ivy:

The holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown;
Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown.
The rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing of the choir…

The second carol is one we sing frequently in church (and often on a hiking trail).  Gustav Holst composed the music in 1906, set to Christina Rossetti’s beautiful 1872 poem, In The Bleak Midwinter:

In the bleak midwinter, frosty winds made moan;
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow;
In the bleak midwinter, long ago… (there are two more verses and this final one)

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him; give Him my heart.

Both of these pieces hold deep and personal meaning, but are only two of a long list of favorites. What are your personal favorite Christmas carols/songs to hear, play, and sing during the season? Here’s hoping you experience many extraordinarily beautiful seasonal sounds however you celebrate this time. As you prep and celebrate, please find gentle ways to care for yourself as you care for others, my friends…

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JOY

Fun fact:  Did you know the word JOY has the point value of 13 on the Scrabble board?

On this third Sunday in Advent, on the 13th day of a long month in what feels like the longest year ever so far, it is time to light the third candle of JOY.  Even in the depths of a hurting and troubled heart, I cling to the message of the Angel’s rejoicing:  “I bring you tidings of great JOY that will be for all people…” Yet, JOY, in all its revelry and with its powerful message of hope, is in seemingly short supply these days.  How do we find and sow JOY?

Keeping JOY is good, but sharing it with others is even better.  It may be as simple as greeting someone through your mask, leaving a gift card in the mailbox for your postal worker, dropping a casserole on a neighbor’s doorstep, or creating a full-blown “pay it forward” opportunity.  Nothing extravagant; just sowing JOY to spark more JOY.

The message of Advent and Christmas is never-ending, yet it does not deny sorrow, hurt, grief, and sadness its place in this world.  Instead, Christmas illustrates how JOY is greater than despair or sadness, PEACE outlasts the turmoil and trauma, HOPE prevails in the darkest places, and LOVE, well LOVE ultimately wins.  Norman Vincent Peale issued this challenge:  “I truly believe if we keep telling the Christmas story, singing the Christmas songs, and living the Christmas spirit, we can and will bring JOY and happiness and peace to this world…”  So, help me here… How do we sow JOY in order to experience JOY?  How do we keep telling the story, singing the songs, and living the spirit of JOY every day?

A JOY shared is a JOY doubled.  Perhaps accepting JOY with thanks and giving helps us find ways to sow it deeper for others.  May we always remain grateful for the JOY we spread and the JOY coming our way.  After all, JOY, in all its glory, is really the simplest form of gratitude in daily living, a small yet profound way to interact with others.  It doesn’t hurt either when it earns 13-points on the Scrabble board for the win. 🙂  Be blessed and be a blessing, my friends. #SpreadJOY

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What sweeter music can we bring?

The chords are so grand they send shivers down the spine.  The sound of familiar melodies fill the air with emotion so sweet the heart and soul feel warmly wrapped in the glorious blessing of music…

We’ve all known this feeling when the JOY of a Christmas carol or holiday song swells deep within our souls and rises through our senses.  It brings a lump to the throat and a tear to the eyes.  Each year we bring out the musical favorites to dust off and tune up, and like a fine antique, they become more priceless with the passing of time.

Many of my most powerful Christmas memories and blessings are firmly stored within the refrains of beloved carols.  Such was the conversation with Pop recently as we listened to various Christmas carol renditions.  While not a musician (he was the BEST audience member ever), his long-term memories surrounding music focus strongly on mom and her solo work in our church for over 50 years.  He reminded me how she sang the inaugural service dedicating the beautiful Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ on Christmas Eve 1966 in the sanctuary at Kessler Park United Methodist Church in Dallas.  I actually remember sitting between both grandmothers sucking on Lifesavers with my eyes closed while listening to momma sing a beautiful story about the birth of a King.  The organ in all its new majesty along with her powerful soprano voice in all its glory…what I wouldn’t give for a recording of this event to savor once more.

As the mystery of the season rings and sings all around, think of a beloved carol, song, or hymn you absolutely must hear each year when the season rolls around.  What does this blessing of music mean and bring to you?

“I think music in itself is healing.  It’s an explosive expression of humanity.  It’s something we are all touched by and no matter what culture, everyone loves music.”  ~ Billy Joel ~

May the blessing of music restore hope, bring peace and comfort, heal, and shower JOY into your days during this season, my friends.  Be blessed and be a blessings to others…  🙂

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The GOODE space in all of us…

As the Reading Goddesses (RGs – or – book club) gathered via Meet yesterday, hearts were heavy thinking about the mutual loss of our extraordinary friend, Alice Goode, this past week.  Each of us took a moment to share, laugh, and lament.

Two of us first met her as a neighbor to one of the RGs; another RG studied music at the college where Alice sang and taught for years.  All of us have a plethora of stories, jokes, connections, and absolutely delightful memories tied to Alice.  Gifted with an glorious singing voice, she radiated pure JOY through her contagious laughter, witty commentary, and vibrant personality.  A literal tour-de-force well into her 80s, she never met a stranger and everyone was her instant friend. I am grateful beyond words for the many years of celebrations, shopping excursions, singing parties, and more I shared with Alice Goode.

Yet, two powerful remembrances got me to pondering…

While consoling me after the death of my own mom, Alice offered her unique view of how this life ceases and the next one begins. She summed it up like this:  “Your brilliant, singing mom hasn’t taken her final bow in your heart or soul, it was just her place in the performance to exit stage left until the next show…she’s just leading a new soprano section now.”  🙂

One of the RGs relayed this powerful story about Alice (I’m paraphrasing): “Alice attended my piano recital and congratulated me afterwards in person. While pleased with my performance, I mentioned to her an item for improvement. Alice pulled out a piece of paper with a dot on it and asked me what I saw; I noted the dot. Alice asked, ‘Why don’t you see all the clear around the dot…all the good from your musical work?'” 

Whew!  What powerfully GOODE analogies for daily living!  Each of us has all this GOODE space within and around us if only we would tap into it.  Why must we focus on those dots first and never on all the clear and wonderful space?

So in this season of hope, peace, JOY, and love, here’s hoping we all find more ways to focus on the GOODE space in ourselves and in others.  And if I know Alice, she will continue finding ways from stage left to gently remind us. Be a blessing, friends, and be blessed…

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The blessing of music…

The chords are so grand they send shivers down the spine.  The sound of familiar melodies fill the air with emotion so sweet the heart and soul feel warmly wrapped in the glorious blessing of music…

We’ve all known this feeling when the JOY of a Christmas carol or holiday song swells deep within our souls and rises through our senses.  It brings a lump to the throat and a tear to the eyes.  Each year we bring out these musical favorites to dust off and tune up, and like a fine antique, they become more priceless with the passing of time.

Many of my most powerful Christmas memories and blessings are firmly stored within the refrains of beloved carols.  Such was the conversation with Pop recently as we listened to various Christmas carol renditions while decorating and packing up holiday treats for him to share at his art class party.  While not a musician (he was the BEST audience member ever), his long-term memories surrounding music focus strongly on momma and her solo work in our church for over 50 years.  He reminded me how she sang the inaugural service dedicating the beautiful Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ on Christmas Eve 1966.  I remember sitting between both grandmothers sucking on Lifesavers with my eyes closed while listening to momma sing a beautiful story about the birth of a King.  The organ in all its new majesty and her powerful soprano voice in all its glory…whew!  What I wouldn’t give for a recording of this event to savor once more.

As the mystery of the season rings and sings all around:  What does the blessing of MUSIC mean to you?

“I think music in itself is healing.  It’s an explosive expression of humanity.  It’s something we are all touched by and no matter what culture, everyone loves music.”  ~ Billy Joel ~

May the blessing of music bring hope, peace, comfort, healing, and JOY to your world, my friends.  🙂

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JOY

Week Three of the Advent Season:  JOY

In the depths of my hurting and troubled heart, I cling to the message of the angel’s rejoicing:  “I bring you tidings of great JOY that will be for all people…”  Yet, what if JOY, in all its revelry, is in short supply?  How do we find the JOY?

Keeping JOY is good, but sharing it with others is even better.  It may be as simple as greeting someone, sharing a smile across the crowded room, handing your drink coupon to a fellow plane passenger, or creating a full-blown “pay it forward” opportunity.  Make no mistake; the message of Christmas is never-ending, yet it does not deny sorrow, hurt, and sadness its place in this world.  Instead, Christmas powerfully illustrates how JOY is greater than despair or sadness, PEACE outlasts the turmoil and trauma, HOPE prevails in the darkest places, and LOVE will ultimately crush hate and evil.

Norman Vincent Peale issued the challenge:  “I truly believe if we keep telling the Christmas story, singing the Christmas songs, and living the Christmas spirit, we can and will bring JOY and happiness and peace to this world…”  So, your Christmas Question for today:

How DO we keep telling the story, singing the songs, and living the spirit of Christmas JOY every day of our lives?

There’s truly a tumult of JOY and an overflowing of blessings as we light the third candle in Advent anticipation today.  A JOY shared is a JOY doubled, so let us accept the JOY with thanks and giving in our hearts.  May we always remain grateful for the JOY we spread and the JOY coming our way.  JOY, in all its glory, is really the simplest form of gratitude in daily living. #SpreadJOY

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PEACE…

Week Two of the Advent Season:  PEACE

“When peace shall over all the Earth, its ancient splendors fling, and the whole world send back the song which now the angels sing.”  ~Edward H. Sears, 1849

In the profound stillness of an early snowy morn, the words to the familiar carol, “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear” vividly flow through my thoughts.  Coffee in hand and seated on the back screened porch wrapped in a blanket, the mesmerizing flakes softly fall in mass abundance as dawn begins to break.  Trees, heavy-laden with piles of white fluff, gently sway as birds scamper to the four feeders filled to capacity.  Addie (grandma cat) lumbers to my side mewing her thoughts while keenly watching her morning “Bird TV.”  This is a blessed quiet time to meditate, ponder, pray, and prepare…a peaceful, peace-filled gift of grateful abundance in the midst of a blustery winter blast on this second Sunday in Advent.

More often than not, our lives and actions are anything but peaceful or PEACE-filled.  It becomes a solitary mission on some days to capture a precious snippet of the PEACE we crave as humans and spiritual beings.  Finding some small way to slow down, to quieten the mind, the mouth, and the body, to just be still and invite peace inside, is an act of personal grace.  Whether celebrating the coming of the Prince of Peace or simply hoping for the promise of Peace on Earth, we continue to wait and prepare as we light the second candle of Advent.  Please give yourself a moment to ponder this Christmas Question today:

In what ways do you seek PEACE in your daily life and how will you nurture this need in the coming year? 

May our continued search and fervent wish for PEACE bring extraordinary blessings of promise, grace, and forgiveness into our lives, dear friends and PEACEmakers…

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you…”  John 14:27

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A date that continues to live in infamy…

At 6:00 am on December 7, 1941, the cook aboard the USS West Virginia, Third Class Messman Doris (Dorie) Miller, was making his rounds collecting laundry. When the general alarm sounded, he ran to his station only to find it decimated by a torpedo, so he ran up on deck. It was there his physical strength and character served him well as he hustled and carried other sailors to safety. Seeing the continuing attack, he stepped into the harness of a 50-caliber Browning anti-aircraft machine gun and fired rounds for 15 minutes until the weapon ran out of ammunition. He was subsequently awarded The Navy Cross, the first African American to receive the honor in our nation’s history.

His story is still famous in the small Texas town where his sister-in-law, LaRue Miller, a well loved retired educator still lives. Many currently in the community had Mrs. Miller as their 4th grade teacher; they know this story by heart. My mom taught with her for many years, and I had the distinct honor of opening and serving as the first principal of the building and learning community bearing her name, LaRue Miller Elementary School. Mrs. Miller, and her famous brother-in-law, both remain “rock stars” on her campus even today.

After a week filled in loving tribute to a heroic American President, let us also be mindful, grateful, and thankful on this day of remembrance for the men and women like Dorie Miller, who selflessly served our beloved country in extreme measures.  Like President Bush, Mr. Miller was a critical part of the Greatest Generation.  Mr. Miller exemplified the true measure of character during the attack on Pearl Harbor; he faithfully reacted in earnest and resiliency when uncertainty and definite destruction rained chaos that Sunday morning.  Sadly, almost two years later, he was killed in action, making the ultimate sacrifice while defending the country he loved and served.

So this begs a different kind of question during this advent of hope, peace, JOY, and love:

How will you choose to keep strong in your own faith as we work to create better tomorrows for all humankind,  both here and everywhere? 

Thank you, Dorie Miller, for doing your part on a day that lives in infamy; thank you, Mrs. LaRue Miller, for continuing to share this important story throughout your life’s work.  Let us all keep the message of the season in the forefront of our daily work and lives as we move into the new year.  And as always, be a blessing and be blessed, my friends!

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Presidential pondering…

A pastor friend of mine once remarked:  “There are really only two marks of a Christian in this world: giving and forgiving.”  These words were stuck in my head today during the live TV coverage of President George Herbert Walker Bush’s funeral in Washington, D.C.  Politics aside (please); as an American, the pomp and circumstance of honoring those who humbly choose to serve our Nation’s highest elected office is something to behold.  Furthermore, it is not lost on this a native Texan, who, surrounded by the Bush dynasty throughout my lifetime, has observed their powerfully consistent message through the generations: serve and help others; give and forgive.  It is especially telling how President Bush never hesitated to cross party lines to find common ground with ALL Americans, regardless of differences; he walked his talk. He was a leader who made it easier for other people to believe in hope through the way he lived out his life, cultivating an attitude of gratitude while giving and forgiving with grace, mercy, and integrity as powerful tools of his deep, abiding faith and love for his family and his country.

Now, I know you’re wondering what this has to do with a Christmas Question today, huh?!  Giving and forgiving are quite literally wrapped into the message of Christmas. Giving your time, talents, and service to others, being kind and compassionate of others and yourself, and forgiving one another are ways to live the message of Christmas every day of the year.  So, take time to ponder this one:

How will you choose to give and forgive yourself and others during this season of hope, peace, joy, and love now, and well into the new year?

St. Augustine declared:  “Two works of mercy set a person free:  Forgive and you will be forgiven; Give and you will receive.”

May we all take time to reflect on these challenges in our own hearts as we wait, anticipate, and hope in the coming days, my friends.

PS:  I gratefully give thanks for the life, leadership lessons, and legacy of President George H. W. Bush; well done, faithful servant…

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HOPE…

Week One of the Advent Season:  HOPE

O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here; until the Son of God appear.  Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel…

These words are softly sung as the lighting of the first candle is completed; Advent has begun.

The Advent wreath or “crown” is the traditional centerpiece of the liturgical Christian calendar in the Western Church.  The circular nature, representing infinite love and the promise of eternal life, visually symbolizes the powerful reminders of the Advent season.  Advent, from the Latin word adventus meaning “coming” and “arrival,” is a four-week period prior to Christmas.  It is a time to ponder, reflect, and prepare.  As the days shorten and darkness prevails during the winter months, this first Advent candle symbolizes HOPE.  Typically called the “Prophecy Candle” (in remembrance of the prophets who foretold the birth of Christ), this light represents the expectation of HOPE in the coming Messiah… Emmanuel…God with us…

But how can we HOPE as we begin to celebrate and prepare if we are truly paying attention to the world around us these days?  How do we share HOPEfilled seasonal greetings when our hearts are breaking, our relationships are splintering, our words are carelessly flung like stones, and so much more?

I humbly argue:  We must celebrate and prepare in HOPE because we ARE paying attention. Life isn’t fair.  Fair is not equal.  We don’t get to have the good without the grief.  Not everything is as it should be. My list goes on and on, but there is reason to HOPE and believe, my friends!  Advent matters.  HOPE and Advent are critically needed; they keep our eyes, ears, arms, minds, hearts, and souls wide open to everything and everyone around us.  HOPE and Advent hold the truth of what is up against the truth of what was and what will be in profound ways within all our lives.

So here’s your Christmas Question to ponder:  How will you challenge yourself to share the light of HOPE with others in the coming week? 

For my friends celebrating the first night in the Festival of Lights known as Hanukkah, “Chag Sameach!”  Regardless of your faith (or none at all), may we all find ways to share HOPE in the coming days.  As Desmond Tutu noted,  “HOPE is being able to see there is light despite all of the darkness…”