TIDINGS OF COMFORT AND JOY

Tidings of Comfort and Joy

God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay,

Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day;

To save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;

O tidings of comfort and joy

Now to the Lord sing praises all you within this place,

And with true love and brotherhood each other now embrace;

This holy tide of Christmas all others doth deface

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;

O tidings of comfort and joy


God bless the ruler of this house,

and send him long to reign,

And many a merry Christmas may live to see again;

Among your friends and kindred that live both far and near—

That God send you a happy new year, happy new year,

And God send you a happy new year

These are only a few of the verses of this old Christmas carol.
The words TIDINGS OF COMFORT and JOY popped right out at me as a glanced at a book lying on my table this evening.

Our family had such a terrify experience this year when my little grandson died so suddenly that I thought this is what we all need right now. COMFORT and JOY. In truth we already have it. We can take comfort in the fact that Jesus was born on Christmas Day. We shouldn’t be dismayed because we have the belief instilled in our hearts that Jesus came to save us all.

This life on earth is so short. It is with our faith in hand that we can have JOY because we know that life doesn’t end. Our earthly bodies fade away, but our souls will be taken to be with our Lord.

So with my heart and hand I wish

That God send you a happy new year, happy new year,

And God send you a happy new year

Words truly written from heart to yours,
Pam ( mostly known as ‘ma’)

My beagle summer of 2008

He loved sitting in his chair at the camper

This is last winter when we had a huge snow storm

His favorite place to be

Or maybe this was his very favorite

He loved the sunshine!

We said good bye today - he will always be remembered.

Getting old is not easy

Saying Good bye

is even harder.

OLD AGE

When I read this poem I decided it was a very good philosphy to live with so I've put in my journal today so that I'll remember it and try as it says to rejoice in what was .

Old age, I decided, is a gift.
I am now, probably
for the first time in my life,
the person I have always wanted to be.
Oh, not my body!
I sometimes despair over my body ...
the wrinkles, the baggy eyes,
and the sagging butt.

And often I am taken aback
by that old person that lives in my mirror,
but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends,
my wonderful life, my loving family
for less grey hair or a flatter belly.
As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself,
and less critical of myself.
I've become my own friend.

I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie,
or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly
cement gecko that I didn't need,
but looks so avant-garde on my patio.

I am entitled to overeat, to be messy,
to be extravagant.
I have seen too many dear friends leave this
world too soon; before they understood
the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play
on the computer until 4 a.m.
and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes
of the 60's, and if I,at the same time, wish to
weep over a lost love... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is
stretched over a bulging body,
and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to,
despite the pitying glances from the bikini set.

They, too, will get old.
I know I am sometimes forgetful.
But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten .
and I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years, my heart has been broken.
How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one,
or when a child suffers, or even when a beloved pet
gets hit by a car?

But broken hearts are what give us strength and
understanding and compassion.
A heart never broken is pristine and sterile
and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough
to have my hair turn grey, and to have my youthful
laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.

So many have never laughed, and so many have died
before their hair could turn silver.
I can say "no", and mean it.
I can say "yes", and mean it.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive.
You care less about what other people think.
I don't question myself anymore.
I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question,
I like being old.
It has set me free.
I like the person I have become.

I am not going to live forever,
but while I am still here,
I will not waste time lamenting what could have been,
or worrying about what will be.
but will continue to rejoice in what was.

author unknown