All Things Nice . . .

 

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There'll always be Christmas -- as long as a light

Glows in the window to guide folks at night,

As long as a star in the heavens above

Keeps shining down . . . there'll be Christmas

and love.

There'll aways be Christmas . . . as long as a tree

Grows on a hilltop . . . as long as the sea

Breaks into foam on a white pebbled beach,

As long as there's laughter and beautiful

speech.

There'll always be Christmas . . . as long as a street

Gives back the echo of homeward bound feet,

And children with mittens and warm winter clothes

Have bright eyes that sparkle and cheeks like a

rose.

There'll always be Christmas . . . with holly and snow

And church bells that ring in the valley below,

Shop windows lighted and doorways ajar,

And over the housetops the glint of a

star.

The cavernous length of a stocking to fill

A wreath on the window . . . a light on a hill,

The song of the angels . . . and over again

The beautiful message . . . Goodwill among

men.

~Edna Jacques, There'll Always Be Christmas

The Hills of Home, 1952

What a crazy day it was yesterday.  We took Dad and his friend MaryAnn to the mall yesterday afternoon to spend some time together and Cindy and I popped off to do a few errands. Traffic was crazy, line-ups were long.  People were not at their best.  It was the perfect combination of people getting their pay/pensions, etc., a snow warning on the horizon, and the last Friday before Christmas. 

But in the shops, the cashiers, etc. were working their hardest. In the grocery store the manager was walking around with a tin of Quality Street offering people a sweet treat amidst the chaos, and they had my favorite veggie samosas. 

 

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After the upset of what I woke up to in my email yesterday, I put my thinking cap on. I remembered a wee lad in our church congregation. He has a single mum and a single grandmom who has MS. I know that they struggle. I have known the family for years and years. Little Noah is such a wee sweetheart. A real character.  Full of light.  A feisty little lad. I thought to myself, maybe they would like this gift for Noah.  So, I messaged his gran on Facebook and told her I had a spare gift for a little boy going if she would like it. She was quite happy about that and popped over later in the morning to pick it up. I had also bought a Santa sack to put it in and I had the loveliest little card, complete with elf goggles. I figured Noah would get so much pleasure from it all. I also had extra batteries for each vehicle.  There is nothing worse than your toy running out of battery power on Christmas day.

Noah is around the same age as Liam, but not as privileged.  He doesn't get to join hockey and soccer, etc. His mom and gran work very hard to just give him what he needs. He is very beloved, however and it shows.  I think perhaps I will get a gift for Noah every year that I can. Being able to give to someone who will appreciate it will help to soften the blow of my loss. It's a win/win.

I hope that doesn't sound selfish of me.

 

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As I write this snow is falling. We have had several inches overnight and more is expected to fall as the day progresses. There is a Winter Storm Warning in effect.  But I am here in my cozy little house, with my heat pump warming the house, and my wooly robe keeping me warm.  I have the fireplace on the television playing piano Christmas carols. My candles are lit. The kit kats are snoozing at my feet.

I was awake extra early this morning. I was awake about 4:45. I didn't get out of bed until 5, however.  I just couldn't sleep any longer. My brain was working and so I thought I might as well be up and about the things I want to do today.  

I will decorate my Christmas Cake today, I hope, or at least get the Marzipan on.  You usually need to let that sit for a day or so before you do anything else.

I had some really cute plans for it to do on a video, but I just can't face doing it on video now. I will decorate it however and do a short video to share it. 

I will probably take a nap this afternoon or at least lay back in the easy chair and relax for a bit with perhaps a good Christmas film on the telly.  The cats usually come to join me on my lap when I lay back in my chair. I always make sure I have a blanket on my lap for them to lay on.

 

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I had a nice call with my friend Jacquie last evening.  For some reason my phone will never connect with hers when I call her, so I have to wait for her to call me.  It was not a long call though as I was just about to get into the shower. We have made plans to talk to each other at some point today in any case, and we will have a longer chat then.  Nobody will be going anywhere due to the snow, etc.

Jacquie and I have been friends for about 26 years now.  She and her husband Tom were a great support to me after my second marriage broke up. That first Christmas on my own they had me over to theirs and fed me Christmas Dinner. I was renting a bedroom in someone's house at that point and had no kitchen privileges.  Well, I did, but the girl made such a fuss every time I did cook anything that I didn't cook. I had a microwave in my room and would use that.  I think I lived off of 6-inch turkey subs from Subway for the most part.

Anyways, she and Tom were very good to me. Tom has been gone about 5 years or so now and I know Jacquie gets very lonely. I would go and see her more often. I should go and see her more often.  My son lives on the street right behind where she lives. I don't know if that is why I tend to not go or not. It could be a subconscious thing. You never know.

Anyways, we will have a good gab today while we watch the snow fall.

 

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I usually buy all of my wet cat food, dishwasher tabs, etc. via Amazon. I have them on repeat delivery and that has never failed me. I know that every two weeks the cat food will arrive and that once a month the other stuff will come.  Yesterday my package of the essentials was delivered to my door but there was also another smaller package. Upon close inspection I noted that it was not my package but was addressed to someone one street over.  I was just getting on my phone to message someone to let them know when I saw the delivery van return and the guy got out. I met him in the drive with the correct package and he had one for me as well. (I had ordered new slippers as mine were worn out.)

I was most appreciative of his diligence in making sure that the right packages got to the right people. This group I belong to on Facebook is full of people complaining about their package delivery service. That has not really been my experience. Sure a few things have gotten lost and not arrived, but I have always been refunded, and the fact that this guy, on what must have been a super busy day, retraced his steps to make a wrong right was notable.

Most people who do deliveries for Amazon are not making a lot of money for what they do, and they work really hard. They are doing a job that most people don't want to do and probably for a very basic minimum wage.

Kudos to this guy for going above and beyond.

 

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Life is sometimes very hard.  I do not think I am alone in experiencing the hard times. I think that rain falls on everyone's shoulders. Nobody is immune to pain and loss and hardship. Life is also very beautiful despite the hardships. We just need to train ourselves to dwell on the good instead of on the bad . . . on our many blessings.  I do have many, many blessings in my life.  I live in a safe country. I have pretty good health, aside from the aches and pains of arthritis, but as we get older most of us experience that in one way or another. I have a comfortable roof over my head that keeps me warm and sheltered and dry.  An oasis in the wilderness. My home, to me, is holy ground.

I have all that I need and then some. Enough to share with those who are not as fortunate as myself. If you have enough and then some to share, then you are very blessed indeed.

I am so grateful for the love of family and friends.  For a sister who is always there for me and on whom I know I can depend on in all the seasons of life. I hope she feels the same about me as I do about her.

I have my faith which supports and uplifts me. I would not, could not, be without it. It has gotten me through many a hard or sorrowful time and brought an abundance of joy into each of my days.

I have never known the pangs of true want or need. I have never had to listen to the sound of falling bombs.

I have been hurt just enough in life to enable me to have true compassion and love for others.

Life is good. I will always carry an element of sadness in my soul, but most people do.  I can live with it, even when all hope seems lost. I can dwell on the good rather than the negative, and that will . . .  does . . . make all the difference in the world.

I hope you have a beautiful Saturday.

A thought to carry with you . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *.˛.Oh, year that is coming
bring with you some virtue
of which I have need.
More patience to bear,
and more kindness to share,
And love that is true love indeed.

~Laura Armitage  ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •° * 。 • ˚ ˚ 

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Andes Mint Cookies. A small batch. I just had to try them. They are delicious!

I hope that you have a lovely weekend.  May you be richly blessed with all you are in need of. Whatever you get up to, don't forget!

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And I do too!