Photo by Dan FelsteadWood and Pixels Narratives - http://www.woodandpixels.blogspot.com/
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Suggested Prompt...
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For those not in America here is an explanation of Black Friday.
Though do not feel you have to write of holiday shopping,
anything that you find holiday inspired.
____________________________
T'is the season of snow
though not everywhere
does the ground become white
with cold Winter air.
T'is the season of lights
except in the dark
in the deep forests unreached
by the gaze of the stars.
T'is the season of love
for all those who have it
but not for the lonely,
forgotten and deprav'ed.
T'is the season of hope
for those that are lost
that they may find their way
to warmth and not frost.
T'is the season of faith
in whatever you believe
not only Hannukah, Kwanzaa
or Christmas Eve.
T'is the season of joy,
celebrations unfurl,
for anyone and everyone
all over the World.
~ Cynthia S
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14 comments:
I can hear the rain falling gently outside. It comes softly down and down through the boughs of the pines until it reaches a ground carpeted by the recently fallen oak leaves. And the sound of each drop is muffled by their wet softness there. A thousand, ten thousand drop in a moment make barely a whisper. It is as if the world is offering up a quiet sigh. And there is a peace to it.
I could sit for hours and listen to the rain. To breath in the freshness of it all. To feel the giving of it all. Life is water. That is no metaphor, it is simply a truth. Without water we all will die. And so in these moments is it mortality I feel? I am not sure. But I take a deep breath and feel renewed, alive, special in that I can slow down long enough to be truly alive, aware in this moment.
I want to see more clearly the moments that matter. See that taking time to cook a meal matters. Not for the mere sustenance, but for the offering of myself to others. See that knitting a scarf, or painting a picture, offering a sentence of beauty, or any other thing that I do, that I share is good. See that taking a walk and seeing nature is good for my soul. See what I do in the world, giving a helping hand to another, being kind, sharing myself, doing the right thing when it is hard. All of it matters.
And so in this holiday season, I will try to refocus. Not on the things and the stuff and the trimmings that sparkle and twinkle, but on the people. Not on the gifts, but on the giving. I will write a note of caring and take the time to put it in an envelope, not because I must out of some peer pressured holiday guilt. No, I will do so because I hope when my friends and loved ones open that envelope I will have made their lives better. It does not matter our religion, our beliefs in any God, what matters is our hearts, our human hearts and the good that is in them. I want to remember what makes us the same, rather than what makes us different.
It is the season, for love and caring. And that can be difficult in trying times when the world seems out of control with worry, hate and fear. But I will try to offer what I can to make the caring for others, for doing good the thing. I will take the time to listen to the rain and be renewed in love.
________________
Offered here and on my personal blog.
beautiful pic!
it's sort of snowing here today and i'm going to do a bit of shopping, our day here is called red friday, it's a day to use cash, because the debit and visa machines will crash later due to the shopping in the states.
During the holidays, Sarah loved to go sliding. When the drizzle was just right and the temperature so low that the streets were iced upon contact, that's when she jumped in her SUV and tore into the night. She'd whipped around a corner, stomped the brakes, and laugh wildly as the car slung itself through crazy twists.
Most people thought that she was insane, that she had a deathwish. And maybe they were right. It was true that she hadn't started to go on such dangerous outings until after her father died. And he had died two days after Christmas a little under three years ago. So, you figure it out.
Her SUV was a beast. Huge strips of paint had been scraped off of her fenders. One license plate hung off the back bumper; the front bumper had long ago lost it's plate, torn off on some telephone pole like an old scab. When people saw that car on the street, they tried to take an immediate detour to avoid her one-woman demolition derby. They'd take a hasty right or left and pray that she'd get arrested again, hoperfully thrown in jail. At least there'd be a few days with her off the streeets that way.
KW - I always feel a bit insane during the holidays. You captured the manic feeling well with this. :)
Tis the season for
common decency,
a kind word,
good manners,
respect for others.
What happened to the Walmart employee today was a sad commentary on the value we place on the commercial business of Christmas.
Not one of man's proudest moments.
Let's go out of our way to be kind to one another. Shake a hand, a warm hello, a simple smile to someone you would have merely passed unconsciously yesterday.
black indeed
i am more tired
it seems
than ihave ever been
and the justifications
touch me
a feather across the face of my consciousness
but still
illuding me
when it counts
when i need to hold them
for comforts sake
so i go to another
a mistake
i know
even as i am
but the edge
is a frightening place to be
alone
looking down
black indeed
T'is the season of snow
though not everywhere
does the ground become white
with cold Winter air.
T'is the season of lights
except in the dark
in the deep forests unreached
by the gaze of the stars.
T'is the season of love
for all those who have it
but not for the lonely,
forgotten and deprav'ed.
T'is the season of hope
for those that are lost
that they may find their way
to warmth and not frost.
T'is the season of faith
in whatever you believe
not only Hannukah, Kwanzaa
or Christmas Eve.
T'is the season of joy,
celebrations unfurl,
for anyone and everyone
all over the World.
My Downtown
Tail lights,
Head lights,
Street lights
a glitter.
Moon shine,
Stars shine,
My eyes shine
As I consider...
I love my small
one-stop-sign town.
dedicated to Miss H~ out in Montana
Tis the Seasons for children. Eyes wide on Christmas morning. A morning like no other. A morning that burns itself into our memories. The shopping is finished, the tree decorated and the candies made. First light of dawn and the sleepy eyes appear in their footy pajamas surveying the surprises that Santa delivered. A quick glance to the plate and just like last year, the milk half drank and only crumbs left where the cookies were. We live Christmas each year through childrens eyes.
at the other end, here we've just got out of an encounter with the evils.............
it had hurt our souls...........but we will recover
......i wish always we had the same bright day...........keep writing..............all the best
As I stood in the long checkout line, I was surprised to feel a peck on my shoulder. A girl about my age says, "Follow me. I found someone to check me out over here. I'm sure she will you too." Then she offered me her second coupon for an extra $10 off, since she could only use the one. I smiled, as I thanked her.
I felt another peck as I was paying for my things. I turned to find a little old woman asking me where I found that beautiful coat I had and how much I paid for it. After she found out the price, she wanted to get one for her granddaughter. I directed her down the isle to the where the coats were hanging. I smiled again. Everyone was so kind.
We made our way to our second stop of the day to be greeted by such wonderfully happy and smiling employees.
At the third stop, we found a long line stretched out the doors waiting for them to open. As we took our place in line, we were greeted by a store employee. He was handing out coupons to the first in line to make sure those there first got what they wanted. While we waited, we talked and laughed with the others in line about how early it was. We laughed about the adventures we had all had so far that morning. As the doors opened, more smiling employees directing us into lines at different counters based upon what item you were after. Everything so orderly and everyone so friendly. Office Depot definitely got it right.
The final stop of the day, we found all the deals had been gobbled up. As we walked around the store, we found goodies stashed in every section. The employees frantically tried to recover the products and put them back in their rightful places. Stuck in the middle of a walking traffic jam, I saw an employee struggling to reach her buggy of merchandise to restock. I was one of the ones standing between them. I began handing the prodcuts to her and others soon began helping. I smiled. It felt good to help someone. Good karma came my way as I picked up a video game in the stack to hand to her. There it was the one game I had came after that they thought they had sold out of. One copy and I stumbled upon it. I smiled again as I laughed out loud, "This is just what I was looking for."
My shopping day was blessed with so many kind people and so many acts of kindness. When I returned home, I learned of the death of the Walmart employee. I heard the stories of the pushing and fighting. My heart was saddened. I wish everyone could have experienced the kindness I did.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this photo, so much so that I've gone to his site to enjoy more of his photography. Thanks for sharing this. And all the writings just made it all the more wonderful!
Monica
Have we forgotten the reasons?
It is not about the lights
nor the carols
nor the cookies.
It is not about the best deals
nor the smiling santas
nor the tinsel.
Today is the start of Advent.
The waiting.
The hoping.
The change within.
I never go shopping on "black Friday". I cannot even comprehend why you would.
The crush of the crowds?
The thrill of the hunt?
The best "deals"?
I choose
to not go shopping
to not wait in line
to not listen to the carols
But
that doesn't make me a scrooge
or a bah-humbug
On the contrary
I am waiting for a stillness in my soul
I am hoping for a sense of calm
I am wishing for peace in my heart
I am waiting-hoping-wishing for that for you too
Peace
Erin
http://treasures-found.blogspot.com
nice poem by Cynthia S
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