Monday 7 December 2015

Small And Wonderful Things . . .



 photo Christmas small and wonderfuls_zps3wdzznt2.jpg


"The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But who gets excited by a mere penny?...It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted with pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. what you see is what you get." ~Anne Dillard

A few of the small and wonderful things which bring untold joy into my life. It's the small things in life which truly mean the most. Simple abundance . . . it's the best.


 photo 0384b275843c82728318f3fb305ab599_zpsr1hvbddm.jpg

The carols that we sing each week during Sacrament meeting at church.  Always, throughout the month of December, we sing the carol hymns.  No Rudolph or White Christmas, but all the sacred carols which speak of the Saviour's birth and which convey the true meaning of this time of year and the reason for the season.    I love these songs most of all.  Each one is a favourite with me.   As I sing them, I am reminded of all the Christmases of my life and the special feelings I hold in my heart for each one, going right back to when I was a very small child.  I wonder is it the same for everyone?   These words and melodies hold such a tender place in my heart.


 photo Theappleofhiseye_zps6291ec77.jpg

As I remember I think of Christmases when I was very young and how my father would always take me with him to the Christmas Eve service at the church on the base where we lived and I think of how special that was . . .  just the two of us sitting there together at church.  Oh, for sure there were a lot of other people as well, the church was always packed . . . but the important thing was that we were there together, just he and I.   And I realize how precious that is.  My brother and sister do not have this same memory.    By the time they got old enough to do something like this with him, he had stopped going to Christmas Eve Services, so it is a tender memory that I share with only my father.  I guess that is one of the blessings of being the oldest child.  I love my father very much.


 photo 6fd8e24e168e80545a46cbc53a1f3b50_zpsipodylbf.jpg

The light has a special kind of hue this time of year . . .  coloured by all of the tender feelings we have about Christmas and the hours of waning daylight as they days become ever shorter.  It is golden . . .  like stardust . . . warm . . .  as if it contains all of the warm feelings and tender notions of the world.

 photo christmas_zpsh8gbfi47.jpg

I don't know how they do it, but somehow they evoke all of the smell memories of my Childhood Christmases.  The piney outdoors scent of the Christmas tree when it was brought in . . .  the spice of my mother's baking.  Memories in a jar which come to life at the touch of a match flame.   I cannot resist squeezing or rubbing the ends of the branches of the Christmas trees which stand outside the shops waiting to be sold at this time of year . . . rubbing the smell of them into my fingertips.   I bring them to my nose and have the same smell memories.  It's like magic.


 photo 6da7ff9fb99dbdf0789d3b51bf20256e_zpsgjqfbve5.jpg

Every time a bell rings an angel gets it's wings  . . . .

A thought to carry with you through today  . . .


✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿
'Unless we make 
Christmas an occasion 
to share our blessings, 
all the snow in Alaska 
won’t make it white.' 
~Bing Crosby
✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿

 photo Dr Oetker Cakes_zps2ldunmxs.jpg

Baking in The English Kitchen today  . . .  an abundance of Christmas Goodies from Dr Oetker.  The Stollen Loaf Cake sounds really delicious.


May the week ahead of you be filled with loads of small and wonderful things! Don't forget . . .

═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════ ⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════


And I do too!


8 comments:

  1. Good morning Marie. I hope your day is happy and splashed with moments of pure joy.

    My Monday is waning. It has been long. I have cleaned and baked more Christmas cakes as the three I made a few weeks ago are gone. I have put more fruit into soak.

    Yesterday I spent a few hours with my girls and Beth insisted we sing carols. I asked Beth why she wanted carols as she says she does not believe? She told me she loves them and wasn't going to give them up. I pray that they soften her heart.

    God bless.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Suzan. I hope that your Beth's heart softens too. Will pray to that end. I think the fact that she loves them is very telling. xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  3. We are the same at church singing the lovely carols e have sung for so many years. I often look at when they were written.....it says it at the bottom of each hymn also who wrote it......many were written way back in the 17/18 th centuries it amazes me how many millions of times they have been sung and just how many hearts have been moved by the words....we are truly blessed to sing them. Xxx...hope you have not had any damage done during the terrible storms, I think maybe you just missed it xx

    ReplyDelete
  4. In reply to the positive signs. Beth always lights candles when she visits churches and cathedrals. It isn't something I would do but my Roman Catholic relatives do. She lights them for us while we are apart. I am also allowed to bless her before she travels.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I know Sybil, I do the same and it is amazing to me. There is a great film on BYUTV about the writing of Silent Night. We watched it last year. It was very good. Here is a link where you can watch it:

    http://www.byutv.org/seethegood/post/BYUtvs-Silent-Night-to-air-throughout-December.aspx

    It was very good. Our back gate blew over but that is all. We were very lucky. xoxo

    SOunds very promising Suzan! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is such a beautiful time of year. We too sing Christmas carols at our church and I love them so. I really love everything about this time of year and try to enjoy it all. What a wonderful memory you have of your Christmas with your Dad at church.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love that pic of you..I remember it I love it so..:)

    ReplyDelete
  8. It is a lovely time of year Pam. I cherish my memories of times spent with my dad. Have a great Tuesday! xoxo

    Thanks Monique. I love it too. We are having a bit of a difficult time with him at the moment. Why do our parents have to get old? xoxo

    ReplyDelete

Your comments mean the world to me, and while I may not be able to address each one individually, each one is important to me and each one counts. Thanks so much!