Love

 

“The spirit of the season never has to end as long as you keep your loved ones near, and the holiday wish in your heart." — Jiminy Cricket

 

*****

Angels From The Realms Of Glory

performed by Sissel and Mormon Tabernacle Choir

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocenOoBWwTM

 

Angels from the realms of glory,

Wing your flight o'er all the earth;

Ye who sang creation's story,

Now proclaim Messiah's birth:

Gloria In Excesis Deo

Gloria In Excesis Deo

 

Shepherds, in the fields abiding,

Watching o'er your flocks by night,

God with man is now residing,

Yonder shines the infant Light;

Gloria In Excesis Deo

Gloria In Excesis Deo

 

Sages, leave your contemplations,

Brighter visions beam afar;

Seek the great desire of nations,

Ye have seen His natal star;

Gloria In Excesis Deo

Gloria In Excesis Deo

 

Saints before the altar bending,

Watching long in hope and fear,

Suddenly the Lord, descending,

In His temple shall appear:

Gloria In Excesis Deo

Gloria In Excesis Deo

 

*****

 

Smoky Cheddar Potato Soup

1/4 cup butter

1 onion diced

3 stalks of celery diced

2 cans of chicken stock

4 cups of potato, peeled and diced

1 can of milk, 12 oz

1 cup of Smoked Cheddar Cheese, grated (may use 1 cup of cheddar cheese and 1 tbsp of liquid smoke)

4-5 dashes of Tabasco

 

Brown onion and celery in butter in a large dutch oven pan.  Add chicken stock and water to level half-way up the pan. Bring to a boil and add potatoes. Boil until potatoes are tender. Stir in milk, cheese and Tabasco.

 

*****

Christ lived a life of love, and love is what I want to share with you.  He did not come to earth in a shower of great power and glory.  He came to earth as a common, ordinary child, not a privileged “king.”   He laughed.  He played. He cried. He did chores.  He honored His parents.  He was a carpenter’s son.  He loved and served the Lord.  He set in motion God’s plan for our redemption.  He paid the required price with His ultimate gift of love – the shedding of His own blood in our behalf.  He gave us the gift of life everlasting.  Christmas is the beginning, but no celebration of His birth is complete without the atoning gift of Easter.  Let us fill our Hearts and lives with love.  ~~  Marilee

 

 *****

The Christmas Angels

 Susan Fahncke

extracted from https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-christmas/inspirational-christmas-stories12.htm

 

It was December 23, 1993. For a single mom who was going to college and supporting my children completely alone, Christmas was looking bleak. I looked around my little home, realization dawning like a slow, twisting pain. We were poor.

 

Our tiny house had two bedrooms, both off the living room. They were so small that my baby daughter's crib barely fit into one room, and my son's twin bed and dresser were squeezed into the other. There was no way they could share a room, so I made my bed every night on the living room floor.

The three of us shared the only closet in the house. We were snug, always only a few feet from each other, day and night. With no doors on the children's rooms, I could see and hear them at all times. It made them feel secure, and it made me feel close to them -- a blessing I wouldn't have had in other circumstances.

It was early evening, about eight o'clock. The snow was falling softly, silently, and my children were both asleep. I was wrapped in a blanket, sitting at the window, watching the powdery flakes flutter in the dimming light, when my front door vibrated with a pounding fist.

Alarmed, I wondered who would stop by unannounced on such a snowy winter night. I opened the door to find a group of strangers grinning from ear to ear, their arms laden with boxes and bags.

Confused, but finding their joyous spirit contagious, I grinned right back at them.

"Are you Susan?" The man stepped forward as he held out a box for me.

Nodding stupidly, unable to find my voice, I was sure they thought I was mentally deficient.

"These are for you." The woman thrust another box at me with a huge, beaming smile. The porch light and the snow falling behind her cast a glow over her dark hair, lending her an angelic appearance.

I looked down into her box. It was filled to the top with delicious treats, a fat turkey, and all the makings of a traditional Christmas dinner. My eyes filled with tears as the realization of why they were there washed over me.

Finally coming to my senses, I found my voice and invited them in. Following the husband were two children, staggering with the weight of their packages. The family introduced themselves and told me their packages were all gifts for my little family. This wonderful, beautiful family, who were total strangers to me, somehow knew exactly what we needed. They brought wrapped gifts for each of us, a full buffet for me to make on Christmas Day, and many "extras" that I could never afford. Visions of a beautiful, "normal" Christmas literally danced in my head. Somehow my secret wish for Christmas was materializing right in front of me. The desperate prayers of a single mom had been heard, and I knew right then that God had sent his angels my way.

My mysterious angels then handed me a white envelope, gave me another round of grins, and took turns hugging me. They wished me a Merry Christmas and disappeared into the night as suddenly as they had appeared.

Amazed and deeply touched, I looked around me at the boxes and gifts strewn at my feet and felt the ache of depression suddenly being transformed into a childlike joy. I began to cry. I cried hard, sobbing tears of the deepest gratitude. A great sense of peace filled me. The knowledge of God's love reaching into my tiny corner of the world enveloped me like a warm quilt. My heart was full. I fell to my knees amid all the boxes and offered a heartfelt prayer of thanks.

Getting to my feet, I wrapped myself in my blankets and sat once again to gaze out the window at the gently falling snow. Suddenly, I remembered the envelope. Like a child, I ripped it open and gasped at what I saw. A shower of bills flitted to the floor. Gathering them up, I began to count the five, ten, and twenty-dollar bills. As my vision blurred with tears, I counted the money, then recounted it to make sure I had it right. Sobbing again, I said it out loud: "One hundred dollars."

I looked at my children sleeping soundly, and through my tears I smiled my first happy, free-of-worry smile in a long, long time. My smile turned into a grin as I thought about tomorrow: Christmas Eve. One visit from complete strangers had magically turned a painful day into a special one that we would always remember...with happiness.

It is now several years since our Christmas angels visited. I have remarried, and our household is happy and richly blessed. Every year since that Christmas in 1993, we have chosen a family less blessed than we are. We bring them carefully selected gifts, food and treats, and as much money as we can spare. It's our way of passing on what was given to us. It's the "ripple effect" in motion. We hope that the cycle continues and that, someday, the families we share with will be able to pass it on, too. --