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Isn't that nice?

Here, for your literary pleasure, is the final part to S.T. Coleridge's 'Rime of the Ancyent Marinere:'

"O Wedding-Guest ! this soul hath been
Alone on a wide wide sea :
So lonely 'twas, that God himself
Scarce seeméd there to be.

Edited to say that it got cut off. Just pretend the invisible rest of it was nice.

This message was edited Dec 12, 2005 11:28 PM

The first thing I think of when i hear the word Christmas'



I can still see it in my mind , the first time i was made aware of Christmas .
Strange it was not a tree or presents or any thing that would
really excite a four year old child.
Mother had tucked me in bed and i was ready for my bed time story.
This night she had a huge thick black book with her , i had seen it my her rocker,
and she read it every evening

She told me this was
the story book of God ,and told the story of his love for all people,
over a few weeks she read me all about the start of man to
the fall of mankind
Then one evening we put up a Christmas tree
Kinna puny by todays standards and did not smell very good, i thought !
she pulled out a box of decorations and most were Bible related things
birds ,
Starr's ,angels we put the lights on and then we set around the tree
and she read me the story of my Saviors birth .
So the first thing i think of at Christmas is the Bible
I think how wonderful he gave his son for my sins
then God put ALL, I would need know ,to live my life in this book
a book i could have for my own
and read to my children and grand children
As i got older and went to school every year at Christmas
we would read that book and the story of Jesus
Yes it so, its not mistletoe or bells or snow that i think about
at Christmas
just the wonderful book that told me
" Who so ever Will " and
" God so love the world that he gave his only begotten son "
were would i be with out the book to tell me the way to God ?

patty tanton 12/ 12/ 2005

That is so much more beautiful than Coleridge.

That is so beautifully put, Tazzy. I thank you for telling us all. To God be the glory.

I have read this thread with tears running down my face. We all have so much straight from the heart of God, but even knowing how much He loves each one of us we can get caught up in the awful part of Christmas. Our children see TV commercials telling them what they need to have. The things that are of the most importance can get lost. Christmas is meant to be joyful ad giving. There are five different love languages (can't remember them all right now), but my love language is gifts. I love giving, whether it's something I made, or some little trinket I think someone will really get some joy out of, or a meal for someone who's not feeling well, or just a little treat left on their desk at work or on their pillow, etc. There are so many ways to give. We were pretty poor growing up, but I did not know it because my parents instilled so much joy into what we had, and I was in junior high before I realized that my clothes weren't as fancy as some and that our furniture wasn't as nice as others'. I start in January and have my list of people to do for especially at Christmas...and then I watch for sales all year, or I make something, whatever. For those of us who believe in Christ's birth, this is a time to celebrate and to do for others as much as we can. Do you realize that in America Halloween is now one of the biggest spending seasons--and that America goes straight from Halloween to Christmas. We hardly notice Thanksgiving except for having a day off and more food than we need. We don't stop to give thanks.

Woofens--My heart aches for you. Can you contact the local Toys for Tots or Salvation Army for assistance? Don't be ashamed. That's why they are there. I had a Christmas like the one you are describing when my two girls were small. We had $2 to our name and no tree, no gifts, no nothing. So we spent $1 on some little thing for each of the girls and spent the day together exploring the beach near where we lived. We borrowed snorkeling gear and learned how to do that. Our gifts to each other that day were not only the time we spent, but giving each other the prettiest shell or piece of driftwood. I thought it was going to be the most awful day of my life, and it turned out well because God loved me enough to show me another way. You can bake a birthday cake for Jesus, too, and put the focus back on him. I will be praying for a solution for you to be able to get through such a sad time. Mostly you just have to let God love you as much as He wants to.

Diane

Woofens--You've got dmail.

Before we totally discount the act of giving gifts, please remember that even Jesus gave & accepted gifts. He provided wine at a wedding when the supply ran out. He accepted the gift of perfume poured onto His feet before His death. He accepted the gifts given by the wise men sent by King Herod (even though one signified His death to come).

but today its all about the gifts which is nice to have gift now then but Not what it should be .. People go into debt now.. when the most important gift of all is free--- LOVE......

Twyla

You're right hope43.

And Jesus certainly was about gifts! He gave the SupremeGift, after all. All we have to do is accept it.