A Prayer On Christmas

For all my readers, friends far and wide -

May the spirit of the Christ child be with you
and all those you hold dear.

May the everlasting love of the Father bless you
and keep you for evermore.

May the new year be filled with hope, joy, happiness
and peace for you and those in your heart.

May you always be surrounded by the love
and companionship of friends and family.

xo,
Liz

Christmas Favorite No. 9

NORAD Tracks Santa.

This is perhaps the best thing that technology has done for Christmas and kids: tracking Santa's flight around the world. It may be just before 10 a.m. here on the east coast, but you see that Santa's busy in the rest of the world already.


I *LOVE* that individuals in our armed forces volunteer to answer phones, emails, and work all night on Christmas Eve to let us know where Santa is. I also *LOVE* the sponsors who think this is so important that they find money for it every year.

Christmas Favorite, No. 8

Moravian Stars.

Ok, granted: if you don't live in Winston-Salem, NC, or Bethlehem, PA, or the Moravia area of today's Czech Republic, you probably just think these are really cool stars. Nope.

The star originated in Germany, and is actually an art from. These stars were originally made of paper and tradition holds that they were the basis of a geometry lesson in 1850. The stars can have any number of points, as long as they are based on polyhedrons. Today's Moravian Stars are often made of plastic (to survive the harsh winter weather) and lit, so that you can see them at night.

Quite obviously, these stars are a representation of the Star of Bethlehem and are known as the Advent Star, because Moravians begin displaying them on the first Sunday of Advent. The star is an outward symbol of the period of waiting and preparation for the celebration of Christmas.

And here's a bit of local trivia: Winston-Salem has named the Moravian Star as our official holiday decoration (which is why two hang from every light pole in the downtown this time of year) and the Moravian Star atop Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is 31 feet tall, one of the largest in the world. (I've tried to find a picture, but can't. Anyone got one?)

For me, the star is also a symbol of home, especially because I've lived in a very Moravian community for more than 20 years now. I'm always shocked to see Moravian stars in unexpected places: Tampa, FL, for example. The star reminds me also of the peace and joy that I feel at the WFU lovefeast every year (and others) as well as the blessed waiting that is Advent.

(Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moravian_star, http://www.moravianbookshop.com/article_page.asp?Event_ID=153)

More on Change

(April 11, 1999)

If the wind was a person, we would probably say something nasty about him. The more we try to ignore it, the more it seems to intrude . . . blowing away the fruit tree blossoms before we have seen them . . . whipping the lilacs and irises when their beauty is at its peak.

It carries seeds of wildflowers and drops them in unexpected places to please us. It helps to unfurl new leaves and to bring rain.

Changes, like wind, have to be endured at times. But eventually we understand and often like the results. It requires our patience--which gives us time to prepare for what is to come, the same way we have patience with a windy person that blows and goes but means well.

Peace,
Tawanka

Christmas Favorite No. 7

This gem that I've not heard nearly enough this season.



Love it. I like the Sara Groves version better, though.

The Joy of the Season

(April 7, 1999)

It seems only yesterday when the first cold wind blew in and laid flat the wild roses and turned their canes gray. Leaves turned and dropped. Snow fell and drifted. Winter threatened to last forever.

But it didn't.

Spring runs in and out like a child opening and slamming a door just to irritate us. The birds are flirting and the wildflowers are beginning to show their heads.

It is time for a change--not only in nature, but in us. We enjoy the break between winter and spring. In our mind's eye we can see the wildflowers spreading their fragrance along the fields.

It is with the same eye that we see ourselves blooming with health and prospering beyond our dreams.

Only those who walk under a cloud miss the joy of this time, the open fields and greening hills.

Peace,
Tawanka

Christmas Favorite No. 6

Two poems by Ogden Nash (who, btw, wrote this fabulous little gem: "Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker.")

"The Boy Who Laughed at Santa Claus"

In Baltimore there lived a boy.
He wasn't anybody's joy.
Although his name was Jabez Dawes,
His character was full of flaws.

In school he never led his classes,
He hid old ladies' reading glasses,
His mouth was open when he chewed,
And elbows to the table glued.
He stole the milk of hungry kittens,
And walked through doors marked NO ADMITTANCE.
He said he acted thus because
There wasn't any Santa Claus.

Another trick that tickled Jabez
Was crying 'Boo' at little babies.
He brushed his teeth, they said in town,
Sideways instead of up and down.
Yet people pardoned every sin,
And viewed his antics with a grin,
Till they were told by Jabez Dawes,
'There isn't any Santa Claus!'

Deploring how he did behave,
His parents swiftly sought their grave.
They hurried through the portals pearly,
And Jabez left the funeral early.

Like whooping cough, from child to child,
He sped to spread the rumor wild:
'Sure as my name is Jabez Dawes
There isn't any Santa Claus!'
Slunk like a weasel of a marten
Through nursery and kindergarten,
Whispering low to every tot,
'There isn't any, no there's not!'

The children wept all Christmas eve
And Jabez chortled up his sleeve.
No infant dared hang up his stocking
For fear of Jabez' ribald mocking.

He sprawled on his untidy bed,
Fresh malice dancing in his head,
When presently with scalp-a-tingling,
Jabez heard a distant jingling;
He heard the crunch of sleigh and hoof
Crisply alighting on the roof.
What good to rise and bar the door?
A shower of soot was on the floor.

What was beheld by Jabez Dawes?
The fireplace full of Santa Claus!
Then Jabez fell upon his knees
With cries of 'Don't,' and 'Pretty Please.'
He howled, 'I don't know where you read it,
But anyhow, I never said it!'
'Jabez' replied the angry saint,
'It isn't I, it's you that ain't.
Although there is a Santa Claus,
There isn't any Jabez Dawes!'

Said Jabez then with impudent vim,
'Oh, yes there is, and I am him!
Your magic don't scare me, it doesn't'
And suddenly he found he wasn't!
From grimy feet to grimy locks,
Jabez became a Jack-in-the-box,
An ugly toy with springs unsprung,
Forever sticking out his tongue.

The neighbors heard his mournful squeal;
They searched for him, but not with zeal.
No trace was found of Jabez Dawes,
Which led to thunderous applause,
And people drank a loving cup
And went and hung their stockings up.

All you who sneer at Santa Claus,
Beware the fate of Jabez Dawes,
The saucy boy who mocked the saint.
Donner and Blitzen licked off his paint.

"The Abominable Snowman"

I’ve never seen an abominable snowman,
I’m hoping not to see one,
I’m also hoping, if I do,
That it will be a wee one.

Revisiting CF #4

Videos now on YouTube (much better than the ones shot on the Treo):


WFU Concert Choir singing We'll Dress the House.


Joy to the World


Silent Night

Christmas Favorite No. 5

The people who emerge from their busy lives to take two seconds to remember you.

Like the vet. Who sends me (well, Gypsy) a card every year.

Like my peers, who send me notes to invite me to a party or who enjoy amazing chocolate with me at a professional meeting and ask me how I did it (the APR, I mean).

Like far-away family, who pops up in your email, having found you on LinkedIn, asking for a connection, because you really did mean that much when you were much closer.

Like college friends, whom I love dearly, and cross my mind when I write my annual Christmas letter.

Like people who just seem to show up in your life when you didn't expect them to--like my friend and former co-worker, Linda, and (shockingly) my former boss, Stephanie.

Like friends who are thrilled that we could actually work out the book club meeting, especially when you realize that no one really cares about this book, but about the people around us.

Like the reminders that God puts in your life about those you love, too. I've never seen so many cardinals.

Christmas Favorite No. 4

The Annual Wake Forest Lovefeast.

As the program notes, "It is just a simple meal enjoyed as the family of God in the context of worship." It's a tradition that Moravians have been celebrating since the 1720s. While now a staple of many holiday celebrations for Moravian congregations (and some others in the area), a lovefeast can held at any time of the year. For more on the beauty of the ceremony and its traditional roots, visit the Moravian Church in North America.

I discovered the Wake Forest University Community Lovefeast several years ago, while reading the paper (props to the WFU Media Services people). I was intrigued--and continue to be intrigued--by the fact that this is the largest lovefeast in the world every year. They hold the service in Wait Chapel on the first Sunday evening of every December and invite students from every part of campus to help celebrate. (More photos here, but none from this year, yet.)

Among the Sacred Dance Ministry, who are responsible for lighting the advent wreath and the candles at the end of the feast, the flute choir, the concert choir, the divinity school choir and the handbell choir are scattered in several thousand normal, regular people including a bunch of students. As with any mass crowd, the timber of the songs becomes beautiful. Classic, favorite sacred Advent, Christmas and winter tunes are sung, each with the gusto or the reverence they require.

Morning Star, WFU's 44th Annual Lovefeast, 2008

It's perhaps the simplicity of the service, the peace of place and the hope that spreads through the audience through the evening, the stark contrast of the strength of light in a world of dark, the blessing of knowing the bad in order to celebrate the good . . . that really begins the holiday season for me. Emotion is so raw, so real, so true. What better way to welcome the season.

And, then, the coup de grace: the singing of the final song, Joy to the World. As everyone stands, lit only by the delicate yet strong light of thousands of small beeswax candles, on the final verse, candles are lifted on high to celebrate the season.

He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness, and wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love, and wonders, wonders of His love.

Joy to the World, v. 3, 44th Annual Lovefeast, WFU 2008

In My Email Today

Each friend represents a world within us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." — Anais Nin

Our friends nourish and sustain us. They reveal parts of ourselves we never knew existed. A friend can also be a reminder of a certain time or place in our lives. So maintaining the bonds of friendship is important for every woman. In fact, women with good social support weather stress and unexpected turns in the road better than women without it. Whether it's one friend or ten, companionship is part of what makes us who we are.

*Sigh.*

Christmas Favorite, No. 3

Angels.

Actually, angels are a year-round favorite for me, but at Christmas, the representations of them are almost omnipresent. I've actually got a nice little collection going and I'm starting to consider creating an angel tree at some point.

My fascination with angels isn't just because they're beautiful--let's face it, there are a bunch of angel representations out there that are very, very poorly done. It's more that I know that I've got several surrounding me all the time. Really, how else could it be explained that I haven't seriously hurt me/someone else in 31 years? Do you understand that my photo may someday be in Webster's listed under 'clumsy'?

And angels are often harbingers of good news. I can always stand more good news in my life, couldn't you?

Christmas Favorite, No. 2

Cranberry candles.

There's something about a cranberry candle that not only tells me it's winter, but that it's warm and cozy inside (where the candles are). They don't necessarily remind me of any particular memory, and I'm not really a huge cranberry lover.

But the smell is sweet, light and yet, at the same time full. And the light is bright and dancing, so soft and inviting, in a time of year that is filled with fabulous lights, lights that bring out the hope during the darkest time. The gradient of the red candles echoes the depth and strength of the human spirit.

What better to remember that than the darkest days of the year?

Christmas Favorites, No. 1

So, I've decided to start a new thing where I post a list of my christmas favorites every day from now until Christmas. I think that should probably do a pretty decent job of letting me focus on the season, as opposed to all the other stuff happening around me.

So, Christmas Favorite No. 1 is . . .







Hope you enjoy!