New Year's Eve

January 1, 2010
We attended mass tonight (vigil mass) as tomorrow, for us, is a holy day; Mary, Mother of God. I always remember years past being at mass on New Year's Eve at close to midnight. During the mass the New Year would arrive. It seemed like such a wonderful way to welcome in the New Year with the first meal of the year being shared with our Lord. One year in particular always comes to mind. A priest friend had been assigned to our parish the year he was ordained. That New Year's Eve he held midnight mass, a small gathering, about 50 people were there. The church candles were lit and the only other lights were from the strings of little white lights woven through the garland that was strung along the sides of the church and the Christmas trees on the altar and at the creche. And there, among the quiet peace, in the soft light, with Jesus we passed into the New Year. He walked among us and you knew it. That evening was one of the most profound moments of my life.

May your new year be abundantly blessed. I wish you all the quiet joy of His presence and love today and always.

The miracle

of life. Arrived to pick up my friend this morning to find out that she had just spoken with her daughter and the "cramps" were 2 to 3 to 5 minutes apart. This will be her third grandchild, a baby boy, a beautiful baby boy. And I saw him, his face ... for on her laptop was the sonogram picture of last Friday. His face so very clear, so very perfect and beautiful. I find it so incredible that there in front of me was a picture of this child that has not yet been born. Amazing! Needless to say, we cancelled the day and the joy of the wait has begun.

The older I get the more astounded I become at creation, at birth. It often leaves me speechless. Its one of those things that I have trouble putting words to. What a gift.

My friend ... she was glowing, giggling, smiling large. It was a delight to watch her, to be near her, to share a few moments of the wonderment of life. So appropriate for this time of year, no? Sometime today, tonight a new little life will be given to the world; praise be to God.

12/30 addendum ... looks like there could be a New Year's baby. Although we thought for sure he would make his appearance the day before yesterday, it wasn't time. And so we wait in great anticipation and excitement.

A Christmas Prayer

Almighty God and
Father of Light,
a child is born for us,
and a son is given to us.
Your Eternal Word
leaped down from heaven
in the silent watches of the night,
and now your Church
is filled with wonder
at the nearness of her God.
Open our hearts to receive His life
and increase our vision
with the rising of dawn,
that our lives may be filled
with His glory and His peace
forever and ever.
Amen.
The Liturgy of the Hours

Merry Christmas

With Joy

Let us then joyfully celebrate the coming of our salvation and redemption. Let us celebrate the festive day on which he who is the great and eternal day came from the great and endless day of eternity into our own short day of time. (from a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop)

During the holidays we remember our treasures with fullness of heart and we give thanks for the infinite wonder of love and the sweet blessings of friendship.

I believe in angels

and thank God each and every day for my guardian angel. Such a gift, a treasure.


Make yourself familiar with the angels, and behold them frequently in spirit; for without being seen they are present with you. -St. Francis de Sales

I believe in Santa,

always have, always will. This is one of several topics that I will not discuss in my house ... case closed, no voice (other then mine) on this one. Just ask my boys ... now in their mid 30's and 20's ... they'll tell you. I've never said anything other then there is Santa.

I don't know why some people try to dispute this, Santa is as real and you and me. Why, do you remember the letter written by a little girl named Virginia in 1897 to the newspaper The New York Sun ...

Dear Editor—
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O’Hanlon


Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

The Unwrapped Present

Sometimes when you think of presents you picture a beautifully wrapped gift with all the trimmings ... not always so, the fondest and most cherised memories are those wrapped in love ...


today my friend (the one who makes the wonderful jewelry and gave me my treasured bookmark) and I were working, as we normally do, then she came and asked what was the best Christmas present ever? She described walking into her grandmother's house and there stood three red barbie doll suitcases ... one for her and each of her two sisters; she was probably about 9 years old at the time. Listening to her describe her delight when she saw them was priceless. What had made her think of it was she had been thinking of how to wrap her grandchildren's presents thinking that they might enjoy ripping off wrapping paper rather then pulling them from a bag with tissue paper. It was with this thought that she remembered those red suitcases and the fact that they had been unwrapped had made no difference, in fact, I think from listening to her speak of having "walked in on them" had an amazing element of surprise ... I guess so, for forty something years later the impact remains. This gift is closely held to her heart, a cherised memory. But the gift is more then a little red suitcase, its a grandmother's love.

I related to her childhood memory and thought of the anticipation and excitement of which my brother and I would approach Christmas morning. Carefully displayed
around the tree was the bounty of Santa, in all its glory, every item standing unwrapped. When I think of Christmases at those times, I was probably around 8 or 9 years old, I remember a Christmas afternoon ... Million Dollar Movie was on, the theme song from Gone With The Wind ... even now I hear it and I remember being sprawled on the floor with a coloring book and the big box of crayola crayons. I loved my gifts, each and every one, but coloring I adored.

I would color the pages in succession, never skipping around, until the book was completed. On some pages the entire picture would be outlined in black, then carefully select colors to use within the black lines. Sometimes the different items in the picture would be outlined in a darker shade of the color I used in that space. Sometimes I would color in circular motion, sometimes back and forth. For me coloring was an art. I loved it! It was my greatest memory ... for a moment and then I remembered the coat.

I think I was 19 or 20. I had stopped (and I cannot remember why, I think maybe my mother had asked me to pick up something there) at the showroom of a coat factory in town a few days before Christmas. Maxi coats were in fashion and becoming more and more popular by the day. There in this store was a most beautiful coat. It was a wool, orangey red with a hood, and had a tapestry strip that ran up the front, around the hood and down. It was absolutely wonderful! You should have seen the size of it ... all I'll say is that its "several" sizes smaller then what I wear now, and it fit like it was made just for me.

Later, while we were making preparations for Christmas Eve dinner the following night, I spoke of this coat and then thought no more of it. Christmas Eve was always very special, although we didn't have family any where nearby it was always a grand dinner, set up in the dining room, the tree was also in the dining room in front of double glass doors making it very pretty during dinner. The four of us, my parents, brother and I. This would have been the last time I had ever celebrated Christmas with my brother, but that's for another time.

After dinner, before or sometimes during dessert, we would open our gifts. A warm, cozy Christmas Eve exchanging presents. After everything was done my mother asked me to go to her bedroom, for what now I do not remember, but when I walked into the room, there hanging on the closet door was the coat. Unwrapped, just hanging on the closet door! I think I almost fell over. How my mother ever got to get this coat, I don't know. And when I think of this now, how she did that for me. And so, what was my best present ... the coat ... no... its discovering a mother's love and five seasons later its so very clear. Thank you mom.

Love cannot be boxed, wrapped in paper or adorned with bows, glitz and glitter. It stands unashamedly unwrapped, uncovered ... bare and bold. To receive it, there is no greater gift. It is the ultimate. -glor

Fondest Memories

During the holidays we remember our treasures with fullness of heart and we give thanks for the infinite wonder of love and the sweet blessings of friendship.