December 18, 2025 O come, O come, great Lord of might,who to your tribes on Sinai’s heightin ancient times did give the lawin cloud and majesty and awe. On the West Bank, Palestine, in the city of Bethlehem, lies the oldest site continuously used as a place of worship in Christianity, and the Church ofContinueContinue reading “Advent’s O Antiphons: Adonai”
Tag Archives: Christmas
Reverie ~
December 26, 2023: The Second Day of Christmas ReverieThe tree stands bare in the spillof white candlelightthat beckons remembrance,the still air laden with pungent pine.I unwrap memorieslifted from silk-worn boxes,and passing years emerge,reflecting faces mirroredin each round and shiny ball. A piece of crumpled tissue dropsand here is the rocking horsesuspended on a crimson stringthat markedContinueContinue reading “Reverie ~”
Reverie ~ A Christmas Poem
The tree stands bare in the spillof white candlelightthat beckons remembrance,the still air laden with pungent pine.I unwrap memorieslifted from silk-worn boxes,and passing years emerge,reflecting faces mirroredin each round and shiny ball. A piece of crumpled tissue dropsand here is the rocking horsesuspended on a crimson stringthat marked my son’s first outing,creamed soup with hisContinueContinue reading “Reverie ~ A Christmas Poem”
When the Light Goes Out
For the first time in my life, I have a “Winter Tree” in my home. After removing the Christmas ornaments, I felt a deep yearning for light and more light and was resistant to taking down the tree. A friend of mine suggested that I replace the ornaments with snowflakes to make the tree seasonal,ContinueContinue reading “When the Light Goes Out”
The Vespers and a Poem for Advent
Many of us are familiar with the Advent hymn, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, composed as we know it in 1861 but with roots sunk as far back as the Roman Catholic monastic life of the 8th century. Not as many of us are familiar with the ancient O Antiphons, on which the hymn isContinueContinue reading “The Vespers and a Poem for Advent”
The Art of Waiting
The year of 2020 will no doubt go down in history with many different names, none very complimentary, but if I could name it, I’d call it “The Year of Waiting.” We have all waited to see how a pandemic would unfold, having never experienced one before. We have waited, and are waiting, to beContinueContinue reading “The Art of Waiting”
Soul Song
Ancient guides, ancient paths, ancient stories. Winter seasons throughout the beginning of time have drawn humanity to seek solace in these places, to discern wisdom in the darkness of shadows. I have always found it to be Truth that when I am on a journey through the shadows, the Spirit somehow knows what I needContinueContinue reading “Soul Song”
Loneliness at Christmas
Speaking for myself, two of the loneliest moments in my life occur annually: when I put the Christmas tree up and when I take the Christmas tree down. It wasn’t always that way, not when I had our two children in the house. We had a regular method of getting the tree ready: my husbandContinueContinue reading “Loneliness at Christmas”
Loss of a Mother in December
Today marks the sixth anniversary of my mother’s death. Catherine H. Rice, as she always called herself, was 94 when she died due to complications from Parkinson’s and dementia. Her illness was what a friend accurately called “the long goodbye” as this woman who was once the matriarch and centerpiece of the house slowly gaveContinueContinue reading “Loss of a Mother in December”
Saying “Yes” to the Unknown
Committing to the unknown future.
Spirit Reflections 