‘Traditions serves as an avenue for creating lasting memories for our families and friends.’ Which family traditions will you enjoy this Christmas? … More Seasonal Traditions (it’s nearly Christmas)
‘…the light that darkness cannot handle’ John 1:5 (contemporary interpretation) It’s said that writers paint pictures with their words. So then, it must be true that painters give us poetry and prose with their colours. Oils, watercolours, pastels, chalk, charcoal etc – all the mediums within the reach of artists work themselves out on canvas … More Conveying Light into a Dark World
Created by Charles M Schulz in the 1950s and first appearing as Lil Folks, this famous cartoon cast of children’s characters wrestled with very adult problems while bringing their innocent perspective to the world. Their questions about identity and their never ending angst about the world still resonate with us and are as winsome as ever.
‘There was a young man of Herne Bay who was making some fireworks one day; but he dropped his cigar in the gunpowder jar. There was a young man from Herne Bay.’ Ogden Nash For the last few years, I’ve been south of the equator during November. Consequently the big build up to Christmas, including … More Remember, Remember…
‘To prepare our hearts for Christmas we must cultivate the spirit of expectancy’ – Handel H Brown – pastor and author, Florida USA. I was standing by my mother in a school hall recently, singing some well-loved carols. They are by now, so familiar to me that the words are embedded in my memory banks, … More ‘The Spirit of Expectancy’
‘Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow’ – Thomas Obadiah Chisholm – hymn writer 1866–1960 I’ve been writing this blog for over eight years now, and when re-reading the Christmas posts I discovered that I’ve repeatedly returned to the theme of hope. As I pondered what to write in this Advent piece, I can’t … More Hope For The Hopeless
‘I felt overstuffed and dull and disappointed, the way I always do the day after Christmas, as if whatever it was the pine boughs and the candles and the silver and gilt-ribboned presents and the birch-log fires and the Christmas turkey and the carols at the piano promised never came to pass.’ Sylvia Plath – … More Post-Christmas 2023
‘May you never be too grown up to search the skies on Christmas Eve.’ Anon I once had a group of eight-year-olds ask me if we had elephants in our garden in South Africa. It’s amazing which images persist and what impressions stick. I could have told them that Cape Town is actually a very … More Christmas Contrasts
One of the great benefits of frequent travel is the almost infinite opportunity to people-watch. … More People Watching
‘We celebrated Christmas last Saturday. Yes, the full, bulging, indulgent, glittered stocking of festivities…’ … More Missing the Christmas Rush
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