Saint Joseph's Day - 2011

Saint Joseph is my patron saint and today is his feast day. Pictured at left is a photo of a statue of Joseph and the infant Jesus which was given to me by my mom a number of years ago.

The following is a poem by G.K. Chesterton that I'd like to post in honor of my patron saint.

Joseph

If the stars fell; night's nameless dreams

Of bliss and blasphemy came true,

If skies were green and snow were gold,

And you loved me as I love you;

O long light hands and curled brown hair,

And eyes where sits a naked soul;

Dare I even then draw near and burn

My fingers in the aureole?

Yes, in the one wise foolish hour

God gives this strange strength to a man.

He can demand, though not deserve,

Where ask he cannot, seize he can.

But once the blood's wild wedding o'er,

Were not dread his, half dark desire,

To see the Christ-child in the cot,

The virgin Mary by the fire?

-G.K. Chesterton

Christmas 2006 - Part 2

Mom usually mails her Christmas cards out just after Christmas. The one pictured here arrived in January 2007 but still within the liturgical season of Christmas. It's signed "Mom & Dad" which is significant because it was Dad's last Christmas with us. Enclosed with the card was a poem titled 'The Package' that Mom had written in 2006 and pictured is an excerpt from it.

The excerpt reads:

"Take each event

each moment

being grateful for

graces given.

Daily drops of

God's love

in breath

and flower."

-AWL

Snowbound - December 2010

It turns out that December 2010 was the snowiest

December in Minneapolis EVER with 33.6 inches of snowfall. Of course, all of that snow fell over time and not all at once but I think the biggest storm gave us about 18 inches. This was enough to keep us from getting the car out of the garage for a day and I remember having to take the bus to the grocery store to get food. It seems that some years we just barely get a white Christmas anymore. This year we were set! Shoveling got to be a pain in the neck but it sure was pretty to look at. So, although we were more inconvenienced than technically snowbound, it was nice to just stay in and nest at home.

Snow-Bound

by John Greenleaf Whittier

Shut in from all the world without,

We sat the clean-winged hearth about,

Content to let the north-wind roar

In baffled rage at pane and door,

While the red logs before us beat

The frost-line back with tropic heat;

And ever, when a louder blast

Shook beam and rafter as it passed,

The merrier up its roaring draught

The great throat of the chimney laughed.

Sunday After Epiphany

Today is the Sunday after Epiphany and I'm starting to put away the Christmas decorations. I always find it hard to say goodbye to Christmas.

This poem by Auden has a certain resonance for me when it gets to be this point in the season.

Well, so that is that

by W.H. Auden

Well, so that is that. Now we must dismantle the tree,

Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes -

Some have got broken - and carrying them up to the attic.

The holly and mistletoe must be taken down and burnt,

And the children got ready for school. There are enough

Left-overs to do, warmed up, for the rest of the week -

Not that we have much appetite, having drunk such a lot,

Stayed up so late, attempted - quite unsuccessfully -

To love all our relatives, and in general

Grossly overestimated our powers. Once again

As in previous years we have seen the actual Vision and failed

To do more than entertain it as an agreeable

Possibility, once again we have sent Him away

Begging though to remain His disobedient servant,

The promising child who cannot keep His word for long.