For Christmas I went to Brian's house. One of the best parts of this time of year is the food. Naturally, being everything-free (gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free), food has become a sort of freakish preoccupation. Menolly and Brian, fortunately, are food freaks, so we ate like royalty. Healthy royalty. Wanna know what was on the menu? Christmas dinner: smashed potatoes (done with chicken broth), asparagus, ham (the kind that was raised on a sunny farm in a happy place where the farmers sing happy little bed-time songs at night and never-ever-ever inject their meat with anything other than 200 cc of pure love), Brian-made wassail, and pumpkin pie. Throughout the week we partook of other seasonal delights including, but not limited to, ginger cake, pumpkin waffles, fish tacos, creamy squash soup, corn bread, and (naturally) green smoothies. And I didn't cook any of it. Not a lick. BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER!!!
The boys were perfectly behaved (see attached video).
We went to church Christmas Day. We sang Christmas hymns, speakers read from the scriptures the account of the birth of the Savior. It was simple and pretty. The closing song was supposed to be I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, but because the program ran longer than expected they skipped the closing hymn. Sad day! It's my favorite of all! I love it because it's true. See because hate is strong, and it does mock the song of Peace on Earth. But that's not where it ends! Our friend, Henry, holds true to the end: "Then peeled the bells more loud and deep, God is not dead, nor doth He sleep. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail with peace on earth, good will to men." And I want to jump up and sing with all the breath my asthmatic lungs can muster. "That's right!" I want to sing, "God isn't dead. He doth not sleep! He is aware and watchful and careful over all His wee ones. The wrong will fail!" Another hymn mourns the "...change and decay in all around I see...." Yet, for a beautiful, blessed minute I don't see the change and decay. For a minute I'm right there with Longfellow, and all the Heavenly Hosts singing praises to my King. And as my heart is tuned to praise and gratitude, truly, those bells peel more loudly and more deeply the promise of Peace on Earth. And for that minute I can see how it could really happen-- one quiet, peace-filled heart at a time. My little heart longs for it, aches for it, watches for it. Our King of kings, our Lord of lords, He who is Wonderful, Counselor, the Everlasting Father is also the Prince of Peace. And he really is going to come again.
I sang all the way home.
