A Christmas Carol

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s lap,
His hair was like a light.
(O weary, weary were the world,
But here is all aright.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s breast
His hair was like a star.
(O stern and cunning are the kings,
But here the true hearts are.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s heart,
His hair was like a fire.
(O weary, weary is the world,
But here the world’s desire.)

The Christ-child stood on Mary’s knee,
His hair was like a crown,
And all the flowers looked up at Him,
And all the stars looked down.
--Gilbert Keith Chesterton 


(A blessed Christmastide to you all, dear readers. I thank you for all of your lovely comments and well-wishes and, most especially, for your prayers. And I pray that Almighty God will richly bless you and your dear ones during these twelve joyful days in which we celebrate Our Blessed Savior's holy birth. May Our Lady be near you throughout this sacred season.--KS)

The sleep of sickness

The sleep of sickness is different
from the sleep of health.
It does not refresh
nor restore, but helps us
to endure the weighty pain
which illness brings.
And all that we would do,
were we not ill, is forgotten
in the drowsy spell
of deep and dream-tossed sleep.
How gladly we'd awake
to take our places in the world!
How long must we be patient?
No one can tell. Yet,
such slumber serves to show
what a gift it is to be well.
--Kindred Spirit


(My apologies for my absence, dear readers, but I have been under the influence of a particularly virulent form of influenza. Thanks be to God, it appears that I am on the mend. I send my best wishes to you all, and ask you to pray for my speedy recovery. May Almighty God bless you and Our Lady protect you.) 

God is awake

 

Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.
--Victor Hugo

Days

"What very mysterious things days are. Sometimes they fly by, and other times they seem to last forever, yet they are all exactly twenty-four hours. There's quite a lot we don't know about them."

--Melanie Benjamin

Disappointment

"Disappointment to a noble soul is what cold water is to burning metal; it strengthens, tempers, intensifies, but never destroys it." 

--Eliza Tabor

Words

Words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness.

--Mother Teresa

Best gifts

“To be rich in admiration and free from envy, to rejoice greatly in the good of others, to love with such generosity of heart that your love is still a dear possession in absence or unkindness - these are the gifts which money cannot buy.”

--Robert Louis Stevenson