It has been a while since I have wrote something. o apologies. No excuses. Just the feeling of nothing to say or anything worthwhile to say. I really don't know what to say or really how to feel, except for the last few days i have been having the feeling of a case of the Blahs. "No man's Land" of feelings. There is something wrong but yet there is nothing wrong. I don't like this feeling mainly because it brings an unsettled feeling and not one of calmness. If it was a feeling of calm I would be fine but this feeling makes me wish I was either happy or sad. I'd rather be crying my eyes out or laughing. Better yet I'd rather be laughing so hard that I am crying.
The real scary part of this feeling is that, in addition to my anti-depressants, I want to drink to help make it go away and that is sooooo not me. I can go years without taking a drink but for some reason I want to really drink and not my usual creme sherry or brown ale. I have liked having my blended egg nog in the past but this is the second Christmas in a row where I think it would be too sweet. With whiskey, brandy and rum in the egg nog I don't know why I feel it would be sweet but I guess my taste buds are getting funny. Anyway, If all I drink is a small glass of sherry at night every once in while I think I will be alright.
Maybe if I write more things will straighten out.I don't know. I really have no one to talk to. Right now I feel more alone than I have in a very long time.
I wish each of you that are a mother a Happy Mother's Day and for those that have their mothers and grandmothers or whatever mother-figure you've had in your life hug them tighter than usual, because I can't do that anymore.
Sorry to be a downer but this is a hard Mother's Day for my family because the Matriarch, my Maw Maw, died April 14 of this year. Even though my Mother had three sisters, Maw Maw was really the last thread I had to my own mother, who died when I was eight, and I just feel so empty and sad. My Mom (step-mother) did the best she could, I suppose, and I guess in the end I was hers, but I just really missed the hugs. Still do.
I guess this melancholy feeling has been with me all week but I had been too busy to notice up until a couple of days ago and so...well.. I don't really know, I just feel empty. If I feel like this I hate to think what my three aunts are feeling like, especially my youngest who was heavily relied upon by my Maw Maw.
Anyway, I hope everyone has wonderful Mother's Day and remember to hug tighter than normal and fill it with love.
I have loved this 'The Christmas Guest'since I was about nine or ten years old. Then it would give me goosebumps now I just cry. I don't know why but I have seemed to have gotten more weepy as the years have gone by. Oh well, it's a good release. Anyway, the song is by Grandpa ones and all I really know of him is that he was on the American television show 'Hee-Haw' with Buck Owens and Roy Clark and this is the only song I ever remember hearing from him. Anyway, the story of 'The Christmas Guest' is that of a man whose family has died and he is all alone on Christmas until the Lord speaks to him and tells the man to expect Him as on Christmas. So the man tells his friends and makes his house ready for his special Christmas Guest. He waits all day and three times his door is knocked upon by strangers in need of help, in which the man does help them, but the Lord does not show up. At the end of the day the man kneels and asks the Lord why He did not visit like he had promised... I do not want to spoil the end of it for you so I'll let you watch the video. But you may have it already figured out. But just in case you haven't :
The Christmas Guest
It happened one day near December's end
two neighbors called on an old friend
And they found his shop so meager and lame
Made gay with a thousand bows of green
And Conrad was sitting eith his face ashined
When he suddenly stopped his stitch a twine
And he said "Oh friends at dawn today
When the cock was crowin the night away
The Lord appeared in a dream to me
And said 'I'm comin' your guest to be.'
So I've been busy with my feet astir
And strewn my shop with branches of fir
The table is spread and the kettle is shined
And over the rafters the holly is twined
Now I'll wait for my Lord to appear
And listen closely so I will hear His step
As he nears my humble place
And I'll open the door and look on His face"
So his friends went home and left Conrad alone
For this was the happiest day he'd known
For long since his family had passed away
And Conrad spent many a sad Christmas day
But he knew with the Lord as his Christmas guest
This Christmas would be dearest and best
So he listened with only joy in his heart
And with every sound he would rise with a start
And look for the Lord to be at his door
Like the vision he'd had a few hours before
So he rant o the window after hearin' a sound
But all he could see on the snow-covered ground
Was a shabby beggar whose shoes were torn
And all his clothes were ragged and worn
But Conrad was touched and went to the door
And he said "You know, your feet must be frozen and sore
I would just like to say that I appreciate everyone who has stopped by and read my blog, it is gratefully appreciated. So, here is wishing you and yours a Peaceful and a Happy Christmas.
Nativity by Italian Renaissance artist, Pietro Perugino, ca. 1504
Let us not forget those that will not be able to be here with us because of wars.
This is from the Disabled American Veterans. There is no title but I call it 'A Soldier's Night Before Christmas' and it was written by Lance Corporal James M. Schmidt.
Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,
in a one bedroom house made of plaster and stone.
I had come down the chimney with presents to give,
and to see just who in this house did live.
I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,
no tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
No stocking by mantle,just boots filled with sand,
and on the wall pictures of far distant lands.
With medals and badges, awards of all kinds.a sobering thought came to mind.
For this house was different, so dark and so dreary,
the home of a soldier, now I see clearly.
The soldier lay sleeping, silent, alone,
curled up on the floor in this one bedroom home.
The face was so gentle, the room in such disorder,
not how I pictured a United States soldier.
Was this the hero of whom I just read?
Curled up on a poncho, the floor for a bed?
I realized the families that I saw that night,
owed their lives to these soldiers who are willing to fight.
Soon round the world, the children would play,
and grownups would celebrate a bright Christmas day.
They all enjoyed their freedom each month of the year,
because of the soldiers, like the one lying here.
I couldn't help but wonder how many lay alone,
on a cold Christmas eve in a land far from home.
The very thought brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees and started to cry.
The soldier awakened and I heard a rough voice,
"Santa don't cry, this life is my choice;
I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more.
my life is my God, my country, my corps."
The soldier rolled over and soon drifted to sleep,
I couldn't control it, I started to weep.
I kept watch for hours, so silent and still,
and we both shivered from the cold evening's chill.
I didn't want to leave on that cold, dark, night,
this guardian of honor so willing to fight.
Then the soldier rolled over, with a voice soft and pure,
whispered, "Carry on Santa it's Christmas day, all is secure."
One look at my watch, and I knew he ws right.
"Merry Christmas my friends and to all a good night."
_______________________________________
I hope I'm not the only one crying my eyes out.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Well, I have a Christmas tree but the problem getting it decorated are as follows: the base of the tree is too big for the stand no matter how much is shaved away with a hatchet and then one of the stand's legs got bent out of joint and the whole tree now has fallen over. The upside is that the tree is not decorated. Now up in the attic I keep thinking that there is another tree stand. At least I hope so. If not, I'm in a real pickle because I went to look for one at Walmart and Kmart and they have nothing. Kmart I don't know why but Walmart I suspect put them back up in storage and just tell people they don't have any tree stands. With their reputation that sounds like something they would do. But never fear tomorrow is another day...and it won't end.
I guess that's what happens when one doesn't have Christmas spirit and for some reason this year I don't have it.
I just would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I hope you are able to enjoy your family and friends but if you're not you will be in my thoughts and prayers. Andif you are able to spend time with your family and Santa doesn't give you what you asked for just remember, sometimes the answer is no. Maybe that's because there is a bigger reason than we could ever imagine.
Saint Nicholas was a historic 4th century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra, Lycia, Asia Minor ( modern day Turkey). Because of the many miracles that are attributed to his intercession, he is also know as Nikolaos the Wonderworker. Saint Nicholas had the reputation for gift giving in secret for example, putting coins in shoes of those who would leave them out for him. This became the model for Santa Clause, whose modern name comes from the Dutch Sinterklass. His reputation evolved among the faithful, as did most early Christian saints. His relics were quickly moved to Bari, in southeastern Italy, in 1087, for which he is also known as Nikolaos of Bari. His feastday is December 6.
As a historical figure, Saint Nicholas is remembered and revered by Orthodox Christians and Catholics. He is also honored by various Lutheran and Anglican churches. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, thieves, prostitutes, fisherman, pawnbrokers, pharmacists,merchants,broadcasters, the falsely accused, travelers, virgins,shoemakers and children.He is also a patron of the Varangian Guard of the Byzantine emperors who guard his relics in Bari.
Not much is known to be historically certain about Saint Nicholas only that he was the Bishop of Myra in the 4th century.
Now according to tradition he was born a Greek in the town of Patera, which was a port city on the Mediterranean Sea, at the time, and was located at Myra, Lycia at the time when the region was of Greek heritage,culture and outlook and was part of the Roman province in Asia. As the only son of wealthy Christian parents, Saint Nicholas was raised to be a devout Christian. According to tradition, Saint Nichols was said to be a rigorous observer of the canonical fasts of Wednesdays and Fridays. His parents died of an epidemic while Saint Nicholas was still young. He was taken in by his uncle, whose name was also Nicholas, and who was the Bishop of Patera. While in his youth Saint Nicholas made religious pilgrimages to Egypt and Palestine. Shortly after his return he was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known for his generosity to the needy,his love of children and his concern for ships and sailors.
Under the rule of the Roman Emperor Diocletian (284-305 AD), who was ruthless in his persecution of Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith by being exiled and imprisoned. There were so many priests, bishops and deacons in prison that there was no room for real criminals... murders, thieves and such. After his release from prison because of the accession of Constantine, Saint Nicholas is said to have attended the first Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. Saint Nicholas died on December 6, 343 AD in Myra and was buried in cathedral church, where a unique relic called watery liquid that smells like rose water called, manna. It is believed by the faithful to hold miraculous powers.
In August of 1071 in the Battle of Manzikert, the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire, Romanus IV, faced the Sultan Alp Arsian of the Seljuk Turks. The battle ended in the defeat and capture of Romanus. As a result Asia Minor was temporarily taken control of by the invading Turks. The Byzantines did regain its control over Asia Minor during the reign of Alexius I Commenus. But early in his reign Myra was overrun by Islamic invaders and in the confusion sailors from Bari in Apulia took the remains of the saint from his burial church in Myra over the objections of the Orthodox monks. Saint Nicholas' remains arrived in Bari on May 9, 1087. In some variations the relics of Saint Nicolas were taken by thieves or pirates. In others they are said to be taken because of a vision of Saint Nicholas appeared and commanded that his relics be removed in order to be kept safe from the impending Muslim conquest.
There have been many stories and legends about Saint Nicholas' life through the centuries. These accounts help us understand his life and his devotion plus why he is so loved a revered as protector and helper of the needy.
One story seems to have a Sweeney Todd feel to it. In this one a famine has struck and a malicious butcher lures three children to his house, where he kills and butchers them, putting the children's remains in a barrel to cure, with the plan to sell them off as ham. Saint Nicholas, who is visiting the region to care for the hungry, sees through the butcher evil crime and brings the three children back to life through his prayers. In another version of the same story, it was three clerks that who wished to stay the night. The man murders them and upon the advice of his wife he turns them into meat pies. Saint Nicholas sees through this scheme and bring the clerks back to life.
Another story, which is one of the oldest, shows Saint Nicholas as protector of children even after his death. The townspeople of Myra were celebrating Saint Nicholas on the eve of his feast day when a band of Arab pirates from the island of Crete came into the district. They came and stole treasures from the Church of Saint Nicholas as booty. On their way out of town they kidnapped a young boy, named Basilios, to make into a slave. The ruler or emir of the Arabs chose Basilios to be his personal cupbearer, because Bsilios did not know the language of his captor he would not understand what the emir was saying to those around him. So, for the next year Basilios was the emir's slave, waiting on the emir and bringing him his wine that was in a golden cup.Meanwhile, Basilios parents were full of grief over the loss of their only child and the year passed very slowly for them. As the next Saint Nicholas day neared, Basilios mother would not join in the celebration because for her it marked a day of tragedy. She was, however persuaded to have a simple observance- with quiet prayers for son's safe keeping. Meanwhile, as Basilios was doing his duties of serving the emir, he was whisked up and away. The boy was terrified but Saint Nicholas appeared to him and set Basilios back at his home in Myra, still holding the emir's cup. This is the first story that has Saint Nicholas protecting children.
Now what is perhaps the most famous story of Saint Nicholas is the one of the three sisters whose family was so poor that there would be no dowry for any of the girls, thus forcing them into prostitution:
In those days a young woman's father had to offer prospective husbands with something of value- a dowry. The larger the dowry the better prospects of a good husband for the young woman. Without a dowry, the more unlikely a woman would marry (sound familiar Jane Austen fan?). Anyway, there was this poor man that had three daughters and of course he could not afford proper dowries for them. So this would mean that they would remain single and probably, because of no other employment,would end up becoming prostitutes. Hearing of the plight of the poor man and his daughters, Saint Nicholas decided to help them. But because Saint Nicholas was a man who was too modest to help the man in public and because the man may have been to humiliated to accept charity, Saint Nicholas went to the man's house in the cover of night and threw three purses ( one for each daughter) filled with gold coins through an open window into the poor man's home. The bags of gold are said to have landed in either a pair of shoes or a pair of stockings that were left before the home's fire to dry.
One version has Saint Nicholas throwing a bag of gold for three consecutive nights. Another one has him throwing the bags over a three year period, each time on the eve of when one of the daughters is to come of age. The third time this is to happen the father want to know who their benefactor is, so he lies in wait. In one version the father confronts Saint Nicholas, only to be told by the saint that it is not he who should be thanked, but God. In another story, Saint Nicholas learns of the father's plan and instead drops the third bag of gold down the chimney instead.
This is what has led to the custom of hanging stockings or putting out shoes, in anticipation of Saint Nicholas. In a variation of the story it is gold balls that Saint Nicholas gives the sisters instead of bags of gold money. That is why gold balls, sometimes represented by oranges, are one of the symbols of saint Nicholas. And therefore Saint Nicholas is a gift giver.
This is Misha's Blue first official holiday and I would like to thank everyone who has come and visited my blog.
I know that my blog is a bit scatter-brained, but then I happen to be REALLY scatterbrained, but in spite of the shortcomings I really do hope you have enjoyed my blog. I have strived to make this an enjoyable stop on your web surfing maybe you have been informed about and enjoyed a song that you may not have heard of before or maybe forgot about but may have brought back a fond of memory. Then again you could have enjoyed the sports section (so to speak) and maybe my rants about the NBA, which I hope I have kept you informed in a way in which you can understand ( me being scatterbrained). For whatever reason you have visited my blog, I thank you for your kindness and for visiting, because without you my dear friends I wouldn't have a blog.
So may you all have a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving. For those that do not have Thanksgiving, I wish for you happiness and the best in life. Again Thank You everybody.
I hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween for me it's O.K. but it's no big deal for me. For a long time I couldn't remember why I didn't like Halloween, but in the last few years I have actually remembered and it is because when I was very young I was traumatized. I've told this story to my Daddy and the only point he corrected me on was age, I thought I was 5 years old when this happened but it turns out I was 3 years old. The story is as follows:
When I was three years old and it is my first memory of going out trick or treating, my Mother was staying home to hand out the candy and so my Daddy was the one to take out on Halloween. Everything was going good until we went to this one house that had a screen door that has an aluminum bottom panel with the wooden front door shut ,well I rang the door bell or knocked on the door ( can't remember which) and I waited with a smile on my face so I could say trick or treat to the nice person ( and I'm sure they really were nice people) that was going to answer the door. But when the front door opened, instead of the screen door opening as well a devil mask came up from the aluminum part of the door. I was stunned for a few seconds and then I remember thinking that I had been a bad girl and that the devil had come to take me to Hell. I screamed, ran past my Daddy and started running down the sidewalk crying. Some how I thought to retrace our steps, so I'm going down the sidewalk doing this and I got to the point where my Daddy and I had crossed the road so I did that again, but by myself. I don't know if I looked straight at it or if it was my peripheral vision, but I remember the headlights and I don't think I stopped I'm pretty certain I just kept going because the next thing I remember I was in my Daddy's arms crying and wanting my Mommy. So of course I was taken home.
I had been scarred by this incident ever since then. When I would go out on Halloween when I was a few years older something would happen that would trigger me and I would get all upset again. I think I was about 7 years old when I went out trick or treating for the last time. Can't say I felt like I missed anything, which may explain why I'm indifferent towards Halloween. And I guess it's a good thing I'm not that crazy about candy, because it has been known to go bad around me.
Now a days I will go to the cemetery and put chrysanthemums at the headstones and make sure that the graves are all ready for All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day. There is nothing worse than a neglected grave, so I have heard a few times.
The days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as the Days of Awe(Yamin Noraim) or the Days of Repentance. This is a time for serious inward reflection , a consideration of the sins of the previous year and repent before Yom Kipppur.
One of the ongoing themes of the Days of Awe is the idea that G_d (A way of avoiding writing the name G_d so to avoid the risk of the sin of erasing or defacing the name), has "books" that He writes our names in, writing down who will live and who will die, who will have a good life and who will have a bad life, for the rest of the year. The books are written in on Rosh Hashanah, but our actions during the Days of Awe can alter G_d's decree. The actions that change the decree are "teshuvah, (repentance) tefilah (prayer) and tzedakah (charity). These "books" are sealed on Yom Kippur. This idea of writing in the "books" is the source of the common greeting "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year".
Among the customs of this time, is seeking reconciliation with people you have wronged during the previous year. The Talmund maintains that Yom Kippur atones only for the sins between man and G_d. To atone for sins against another person, you must first seek a reconciliation with the person and if possible, right the wrongs you have committed against the other person.
Now another observed,but rarely practiced, custom is the observance of kapport. Basically, you buy a live chicken or another kind of fowl, and on the morning before Yom Kippur you wave it over your head reciting a prayer asking that the fowl be considered an atonement for your sins. The bird is then slaughtered and given to the poor ( or its value is given to the poor). Today, some Jews substitute a bag of money in place of the bird. This tradition is observed in its true form by Hasidic and occasionally Orthodox Jews. But most reform and Conservative Jews have never heard of this custom.
Work is allowed as usual during the intermediate Days of Awe, from Tishiri (1st month of the year)3 to Tishiri 9, except of course Shabbat (Sabbath) during the week.
Two lesser special occasions take place during the days of Awe :
Tishiri3, the day after the second dayof Rosh Hashanah is the Fast of Gedaliah . This commemorates the killing of the Jewish governor of Judah, a critical event in the time of the downfall of the first commonwealth.
The Shabbat that occurs in this time frame is known as Shabbat Shuvah (the Sabbath of Return). This is considered to be an important Shabbat.
