“But judge not him who every morn
Feels in his heart the Lord Christ born!” ~ John Greenleaf Whittier
b December 17, 1807; d September 7, 1892.
The Mystic's Christmas by John Greenleaf Whittier "All hail!" the bells of Christmas rang, "All hail!" the monks at Christmas sang, The merry monks who kept with cheer The gladdest day of all their year. But still apart, unmoved thereat, A pious elder brother sat Silent, in his accustomed place, With God's sweet peace upon his face. "Why sitt'st thou thus?" his brethren cried, "It is the blessed Christmas-tide; The Christmas lights are all aglow, The sacred lilies bud and blow. "Above our heads the joy-bells ring, Without the happy children sing, And all God's creatures hail the morn On which the holy Christ was born. "Rejoice with us; no more rebuke Our gladness with thy quiet look." The gray monk answered, "Keep, I pray, Even as ye list, the Lord's birthday. "Let heathen Yule fires flicker red Where thronged refectory feasts are spread; With mystery-play and masque and mime And wait-songs speed the holy time! "The blindest faith may haply save; The Lord accepts the things we have; And reverence, howsoe'er it strays, May find at last the shining ways. "They needs must grope who cannot see, The blade before the ear must be; As ye are feeling I have felt, And where ye dwell I too have dwelt. "But now, beyond the things of sense, Beyond occasions and events, I know, through God's exceeding grace, Release from form and time and space. "I listen, from no mortal tongue, To hear the song the angels sung; And wait within myself to know The Christmas lilies bud and blow. "The outward symbols disappear From him whose inward sight is clear; And small must be the choice of days To him who fills them all with praise! "Keep while you need it, brothers mine, With honest seal your Christmas sign, But judge not him who every morn Feels in his heart the Lord Christ born!" ** This poem is in the public domain.
Source: Poets.Org
Poem in the public domain
Photos: Author’s album
…waiting. Nativity.
To you, who celebrate Christmas in December, Merry Christmas; Happy Christmas; Happy Holidays! And if Christmas is not your cup of tea, I understand. There are several holidays that fall in the month of December besides Christmas; namely, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, and the newly secular HumanLight. To you all, whichever way it is you celebrate, I wish you Happy/Super/Joyous December Celebrations.
I’m a simple woman who dares to see the beauty in ordinary. I’d love to connect with you and like pen pals, I want something beautiful to blossom between us. Will you join me? Selma is my middle name. Its meaning—peaceful, complete, are euphoric affirmations I like to think of myself as having. They compliment the joy I feel when I write. I sincerely hope you decide to join me on my writing journey. I Wish You Miracles.
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Extremely loving the Christmas spirit, what a poem this is and the picture stunning. 💖
That’s a delightful poem, capturing the essence of Christmas beautifully. Nice selection for the season and theme. And what an amazing Christmas decoration you have put up at your place! 🤩 It’s delightful and simply reflects your own positivity and exuberance 😊💖
Hey, Sam. Glad you took this one in so purely. And yes, the photo is my share of what Christmas is to me. Notice how the crib is empty, and how Kings Kacper, Melchoir, and Baltazar look like they’re searching… They are. We wait. On Christmas Day, the baby will lay in the crib, but until then, we empty our hearts to receive the blessings we know to expect. I bless you so expect good things to come.
aside: I tried to rectify what feels more and more like something out of my control. But I did feel lost-ish with the interface of this month’s
newsletter. Let me know how that went at your end. With all the changes and notification of changes, I feel lost-ish. Let’s hope it’s an indication of growth. Stay sweet. Let’s talk again soon, my PP. *wink*
Isn’t it wonderful that you wait for “the moment” when the king is born 😀 Simply splendid gesture!
Did anyone else also face the problem with receiving the newsletter or is it just me? If it’s just me, it’s possible the problem could be at my end. If you have other pen pals who claim to not have heard from you, please let me know.
Gorgeous verse and photo. Lovely share, Selma. ✨
Hey, Michele Lee, sweet one: Thank you for finding the combination to your liking. It warms my heart that you enjoyed it. Happy holidays to you and your loved ones. xo
You are most welcome. Thank you so much, Selma. May your week be filled with joy and wonder! 🎄💖
Sweet of you. I bless you. 🎄
Ahh, this was a great one.
Again, I am overjoyed you thought it great as everything I share is because I consider it worthy of great readers like you. Thanks for bringing me this positive affirmation. xoxo
More than a pleasure Selma.
TYSVM 💕
Wonderful poem, Selma but still I’m not having the feel of christmas. 🤔 Feel sad for poor people, many are become jobless.
Our world is unbalanced. It will take lots of light, kindness, empathy, hope and perseverance, and lots of heart and lots of brains to right the scales. I see and feel it too, Jane dear. Just like you, breaks my heart. Still Let’s allow hope and light to shine brightly, and not let the sad state to consume our inner flame. And there’s still something to be grateful for: Let’s focus on that.
I bless you.
Yeah! You are right dear ❤️