Christmas Isn't Over

When the song of the angel is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
     To find the lost,
     To heal the broken,
     To feed the hungry,
     To release the prisoner,
     To rebuild the nations,
     To bring peace among brothers and sisters,
     To make music in the heart.

Howard Thurman, African American author, educator, philosopher (1899-1981)

As the sleet of our first winter storm beat against my window, I sat in my rocker tonight with Cat curled on the footrest and some hand-stitching on my lap, a Christmas gift that didn't quite get finished in time for the 25th. All is calm, all is well, in my little abode. Advent and Christmas have been heart-warming and I'm hoping to hold fast their messages of building hope, joy, peace and love throughout the coming year.

I did manage to finish the wine carrier with the appliqued Nutcracker before Christmas. Just. Those who sit around me on the daily commute have watched him materialize over the past few weeks but he finally stood tall with some help from Mom. S-I-L has a thing for men in uniforms . . . and wine . . . so I figured this was an apropos gift. ;-)