A Christmas Worth Waiting for....
As a child the days seem never ending,
as Christmas day draws near.
Waiting with the lights turned low
being certain you saw a rain deer.
Christmas morning, presents wrapped
time spent playing with new toys.
Feelings of anticipation ended.
This was Christmas joy.
Was it worth the waiting?
Hours of counting down.
Hoping and praying that on Christmas,
Santa would come to your town.
Others faced a different fate
on that first Christmas morn.
To lose their lives or remain true (1)
that a savior would be born.
Fear could not be present
for faith would need to overthrow,(2)
within the hearts of the believers
who did not deny what they know.
5 long years would pass in time
Amidst wars, threats, and confusion.
At last a day with no night, our Saviors birth!
And a new star in the sky was the conclusion. (3)
2 men waited upon at this Christmas time of year.
One brings gifts, but only if your nice.
The other, everlasting life.
What is worth waiting for on that Christmas eve night?
I hope you all a Merry Christmas. May the spirit of hope and peace that comes with the birth of our Savior to this earth be within yours and your families hearts this year.
Merry Christmas!
1. 3 Nephi 1:9
2. 3 Nephi 1:8
3. Helaman 14:2
Turns out I am sucker for good literature. My mother expresses shock seeing as a young girl I did not enjoy reading. But with age I have truly come to appreciate words and their ability to explain emotion.
Right now I am reading Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol." Have I ever fully read this book? No! But I tell you I have started reading it at least 5 times. I purposely start over because I love the first page. Dickens is funny!
"Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.
Mind! I don't mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is int he simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Country's done for. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail."
See! Funny! I really could re-read that paragraph a hundred times.
But now to share with you a paragraph that I just read today, from a scene that I do not recall depicted in any of the film versions of this work of literature.
The setting: Scrooge is still with the Ghost of Christmas Past. He has just seen the shadow of the girl he was in love with is leaving him. Oh! I have to share this part.
"Your own feeling tells you that you were not what you are," she returned. "I am. That which promised happiness when we were on in heart is fraught with misery now that we are two. How often and how keenly I have thought of this, I will not say. It is enough that I have thought of it, and can release you."
Beautiful.
The next scene is Scrooge witnessing a family, his past fiance now older with her children.
Scrooge's thoughts "And yet I should have dearly liked, I own, to have touched her lips, to have questioned her, that she might have opened them, to have looked upon the lashes of her downcast eyes, and never raised a blush, to have let loose waves of hair, an inch of which would be a keepsake beyond price; in short, I should have liked, I do confess, to have had the lightest license of a child, and yet to have been man enough to know it's value."
I found myself mourning for Scrooge. Something I never really have experienced with a film version.
I have realized something more about myself and why words effect me so much. I am someone who likes to understand things. If something does not make sense, well I figure it out. So when feelings come along, whether they be of joy or sadness or pain. I need to make sense of it all. That is where words come in. Especially written by someone else. It is like this feeling of relief knowing that someone else understands.
So I'm sick. I have been now for a week. Today I decided to take a 'sick day.' Not from work or school, because I don't have either, but from life. I laid in bed all day long! The only reason I like being sick is because I do not feel guilty doing that. Lying in bed all day long. Anyway...
When I'm not feeling well I always watch the same movies. Ones I've seen and wouldn't mind falling asleep to. I think I've watched 'Pride and Prejudice' enough times I could convert the hours spent watching it into money and pay for my entire graduate degree. (That's a lot!) So as I'm watching it today I get to the part where Charlotte Lucas informs Elizabeth Bennet that she is marrying Mr. Collins. "I'm 27 years old. I have no money, no prospects. I'm already a burden to my parents." Then I remembered in Persuasion when Lady Russel is talking to Anne about how she is beautiful and will find someone Anne replies "I'm 27."
Now this makes a 27 year old girl think. But what do I think about? "Which type of Jane Austen romance would most likely happen for me?"
Mansfield Park: Not so much looking to fall in love with my cousin.
Emma: Long time friend 16 years older than me... I like the long time friend thing. And I've been there before that you don't really realize you care that way about your friend until one of your female friends likes him and jealousy sneaks in to reveal your true feelings. But still... not so much.
Northanger Abby: Never read it. Never seen a movie. So it's probably not good enough for me.
Sense and Sensibility: This one I could accept. Edward Farris and Elanor that is. Although finding out that the man I'm in love with has been secretly engaged for years would be a tough thing to get through. I love the mutual adoration that both characters have for one another. Close contender.
Pride and Prejudice: As much as I love this movie. I don't so much love the love story of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. I mean it works for them. But we're talking about me. I don't think it would work well for me to have a guy profess his love after not really showing it all that well. If a guy did that to me today, I probably wouldn't end up with him.
Persuasion: I think I will pick this one as my favorite. I do not really have a relationship that I can relate to Anne Elliot and Capt Wentworth, meaning I was not in love with anyone when I was 18 and would still want to marry them today. However, I love this story. Even though when they were reunited it was rocky and Anne felt no reason to hope. Once Wentworth finally gives in and confesses to her how he feels...(sigh) It's just awesome! Or should I say 'Austen!"
Turns out I'm a bit of a romantic...
