Merry Christmas from the Emery family

Happy holidays!
{Hypothetically this is last year's picture. Hypothetically, this year's cards have yet to be sent out...}

The Sunday after the tragedy in Connecticut happened, I was feeling so downcast as I went to church. Then we sang this song, which is also my favorite Longfellow poem (verses 3-5 listed here):

And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed 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."

Till, ringing singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

What a beautiful poem. The right shall prevail. I know that.


This post, about when a painting made me cry in public, has the most page views of any other post on this blog by a lot. I don't know why, but I guess I'd like to think someone reads it often and gets some amount of comfort from it (how conceited is that?). I get comfort from that too. Jesus Christ is here. He's not distracted or late or busy. He's here for us, right here, right now. So let us be happy! This I believe so deeply.

__________

I'm taking a blogging break for a few days to be with my family,

but then I'll be back with tons of updates (including my birthday)

and the return of the Year in Review link-up.

Merry Christmas!