When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins:
I too have always liked years with even numbers. My husband and I were born in them and got married in one (We have all even numbers in our anniversary).
I had a favorite even number as a kid. I don’t think I have your luck or I’d definitely play the lottery more! I have won a boys bike, cake walks, bingo games, etc.
But I was thinking the same about 2024 being an even numbered year! Let’s hope we all win in November, if not before! 🤞😉
Some more causes for hoping and for working to make hopes solid stairs:
On Sunday I met a four-year-old child named Juno, who also drew a fabulous angel during the church service. Sheeyun tarnished my delight in her name slightly by reminding me of the eponymous movie, but this is in *Yorkshire*, an the movie is no longer recent, so I am setting that aside. Apart, that is, from remembering that the excellent lead actor of the movie moved into living publicly as the person he is, and still getting acting gigs. Which is hopeful.
Yesterday Sheeyun and I went to walk at Harlow Carr RHS Garden. They were shyer on winter bloomers than I'd hoped, but they definitely had plenty of snowdrops. To my surprise, snowdrops in bloom were a surprise to *another* somewhat senescent couple who aren't very familiar with snowdrops, I guess. For them, the gleaming white blooms were a sign of hope. I suppose I partake of that kind of hope on the basis of the constantly demonstrated intertwined interdependencies and renewals of the universe we live in, but it's all the time, not just when I see snowdrops.
But seeing many, many snowdrops I thought how life-giving it is for me that snowdrop-loving humans engage in the meticulous and hopeful experimentation and record-keeping to develop new snowdrop cultivars that differ in so very little-- the precise size or placement of small green spots or petal edges, slight differences in plant posture. There they are, invisible and inaudible to most of us, talking to each other and appreciating differences that are to the outside world utterly minute.
And here in the UK it would be countercultural simply to write labor off as worthless sucks on the noble capitalists. That point of view is still present among Tories, of course, and rampaged under Thatcher, but the results of her policies led to their loss of Zeitgeist so far as I can tell. And there is socialized medicine and people one meets in commerce in Harrogate act as if both you and they are persons. Not ends or means or impediments, but people with points of view.
It is not shocking for people to burst conversationally into a snatch of song here, on quiz shows or in the streets.
And these things are possibilities for resurrection in the US as well.
Let me know if you want depressing things-- I have plenty of those too.
But I'm on the sides of (1) Hope and (2) Not Giving Up.
I'm very hopeful! 2023 ended and 2024 started with very exciting experiences! I felt a bit like an astronaut riding in a driverless car thru San Francisco. It was the oddest thing to see a driverless car pull up to pick a few of us up! I am a believer that driverless, shared rides, are the way of the future. So, I was willing to be a part of their training.
And then, yesterday, we walked in God's forest, amongst redwood trees that were hundreds to a thousand years old. They instill a sense of resiliency and hope. Additionally, they posted these words on their history sign
that gave me hope as well. I hope to see more of this:
"ALERT: HISTORY UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Everything on this sign is accurate, but incomplete. The facts are not under construction, but the way we tell our history is. Additions in yellow are the facts rangers included to tell a more complete story."
Oh, absolutely. If you lose hope, you lose momentum and then what happens? You become that old woman on the porch who throws rocks at the neighborhood kids.
The Work of Christmas
When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among others,
To make music in the heart.
Howard Thurman
Beautiful, as always.
I too have always liked years with even numbers. My husband and I were born in them and got married in one (We have all even numbers in our anniversary).
I had a favorite even number as a kid. I don’t think I have your luck or I’d definitely play the lottery more! I have won a boys bike, cake walks, bingo games, etc.
But I was thinking the same about 2024 being an even numbered year! Let’s hope we all win in November, if not before! 🤞😉
I hope we are right!
With our family situation we cling to the line, "where there is breath there is hope."
And that is so true. I'm clinging!
Some more causes for hoping and for working to make hopes solid stairs:
On Sunday I met a four-year-old child named Juno, who also drew a fabulous angel during the church service. Sheeyun tarnished my delight in her name slightly by reminding me of the eponymous movie, but this is in *Yorkshire*, an the movie is no longer recent, so I am setting that aside. Apart, that is, from remembering that the excellent lead actor of the movie moved into living publicly as the person he is, and still getting acting gigs. Which is hopeful.
Yesterday Sheeyun and I went to walk at Harlow Carr RHS Garden. They were shyer on winter bloomers than I'd hoped, but they definitely had plenty of snowdrops. To my surprise, snowdrops in bloom were a surprise to *another* somewhat senescent couple who aren't very familiar with snowdrops, I guess. For them, the gleaming white blooms were a sign of hope. I suppose I partake of that kind of hope on the basis of the constantly demonstrated intertwined interdependencies and renewals of the universe we live in, but it's all the time, not just when I see snowdrops.
But seeing many, many snowdrops I thought how life-giving it is for me that snowdrop-loving humans engage in the meticulous and hopeful experimentation and record-keeping to develop new snowdrop cultivars that differ in so very little-- the precise size or placement of small green spots or petal edges, slight differences in plant posture. There they are, invisible and inaudible to most of us, talking to each other and appreciating differences that are to the outside world utterly minute.
And here in the UK it would be countercultural simply to write labor off as worthless sucks on the noble capitalists. That point of view is still present among Tories, of course, and rampaged under Thatcher, but the results of her policies led to their loss of Zeitgeist so far as I can tell. And there is socialized medicine and people one meets in commerce in Harrogate act as if both you and they are persons. Not ends or means or impediments, but people with points of view.
It is not shocking for people to burst conversationally into a snatch of song here, on quiz shows or in the streets.
And these things are possibilities for resurrection in the US as well.
Let me know if you want depressing things-- I have plenty of those too.
But I'm on the sides of (1) Hope and (2) Not Giving Up.
I feel like I just visited you there, and enjoyed every minute. Thank you.
I'm very hopeful! 2023 ended and 2024 started with very exciting experiences! I felt a bit like an astronaut riding in a driverless car thru San Francisco. It was the oddest thing to see a driverless car pull up to pick a few of us up! I am a believer that driverless, shared rides, are the way of the future. So, I was willing to be a part of their training.
And then, yesterday, we walked in God's forest, amongst redwood trees that were hundreds to a thousand years old. They instill a sense of resiliency and hope. Additionally, they posted these words on their history sign
that gave me hope as well. I hope to see more of this:
"ALERT: HISTORY UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Everything on this sign is accurate, but incomplete. The facts are not under construction, but the way we tell our history is. Additions in yellow are the facts rangers included to tell a more complete story."
Oh! This is wonderful. God's forest, indeed. History under construction. Legacies being built.
Those forests are food for the soul.
Hope keeps you moving forward and unstuck in time. Without it, time moves forward without you. It’s better to stay on the ride.
Patty Griffin “Stay on the Ride”.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w42vv5XNOU8&pp=ygUfc3RheSBvbiB0aGUgcmlkZSBwYXR0eSBncmlmZmluIA%3D%3D
Oh! Yes!
No worries I’m becoming a grumpy old women , but a grumpy old man is a possible concern .
Excellent point. I am speaking for myself, most likely. Now where is my pile of rocks?
For me, odd/even have both brought joy and sorrow. So regardless of the number, happy new year to all!!
As Irishman I have aways leaned into optimism. I also firmly believe it is way healthier for me to be optimistic
Oh, absolutely. If you lose hope, you lose momentum and then what happens? You become that old woman on the porch who throws rocks at the neighborhood kids.
😌