Angel Song is Everywhere

That which we believe to be born anew symbolically every Christmas Night, is the human soul in its original nature, the childhood-spirit of man as it was at the beginning of earth-evolution; then it descended as a revelation from the heavenly heights. And when the human heart can become conscious of this reality, the soul is filled with the unshakable peace that can bear us to our lofty goals, if we are of goodwill.

~ Rudolf Steiner

 

As sit here, waiting for the words to come, I'm looking out my window and watching the snow fall. It's light, but deliberate. It's steady and will continue to build upon the foundation that lies awaiting it's fall upon the earth. Much like me at this time, I am steady and mindful of my actions, my words. I am light but deliberate with thinking, my love. I am building on the foundation that we as a family have built up together, honoring every brick, every bit of mortar. The power of these 12 holy nights has been astounding.

 

 

There are several images from the week that have stayed with me. The image above is a picture of our Remembrance table at our church. This table is decorated every Christmas by the same lady in honor of her husband who passed away at a young age after a long, brave battle with cancer. I grew up with that family so it always stirs my emotions to see the beauty of their love poured out onto this table. She dedicates her act of honor not just to her husband but to all those who are being missed. I saw this table, took a deep breath, and realized (like I do every year) that there were Angels all around us. All over the world there were families missing someone dear to them, our family included. Less than two hours away from me there were 26 families missing, deeply, little angels and warriors that had been taken. I see this table and I see the love of so many, the memories of millions, the longing, the acceptance, and the peace.

Then there is this image. My Charlotte, singing her little heart out with the other children in her Sunday School class. It melted my heart in a way I didn't know it could melt. Her sweet little voice echoing above the others, the words flowing from her mouth like water from a fountain. She didn't waver once. She knew every line. Her 4 year old little heart sang to its deepest content.......and I cried. I cried not because of pride but because I could feel the deep reverence of the moment, the waterfall of peace, the selfless gift of her life. I felt endlessly grateful for her, for my other children, for the children that surrounded her, and for all the other lives that have touched mine.  My gratitude has peaked in a way I never knew it could. 

The fourth light of Advent is the light of man.

The light of love, the light of hope,

To give and understand.

 

 

This week has truly been about giving and understanding hope and love. With a world in turmoil, I have never had more hope for a brighter future than I do now. I'm not quite sure that I understand this new sense of hope, but I know it stems from this avalanche of love and gratitude that has been renewed within me. I have always had much love and gratitude but it seems deeper, fuller, less conditional and more open now. Understanding comes from experience.....living in this light has been life changing. This post would go on for days if I explained it all to you, but I'm confident that you might understand.

 

 

The powers which bring peace to the soul can be found within ourselves. True peace of soul is present only when that peace has sure foundations, that is to say, when it is a force enabling man to know: In thee lives something which, if truly brought to birth, can, nay must, lead thee to divine Heights, to divine Powers. — The lights on this tree are symbols of the light which shines in our own souls when we grasp the reality of what is proclaimed to us symbolically on Christmas Night by the Jesus Child in its state of innocence: the inmost being of the human soul itself, strong, innocent, tranquil, leading us along our life's path to the highest goals of existence. May these lights on the Christmas Tree say to us: If ever thy soul is weak, if ever thou believest that the goals of earth-existence are beyond thy reach, think of man's divine origin and become aware of those forces within thee which are also the forces of supreme Love. Become inwardly conscious of the forces which give thee confidence and certainty in all thy works, through all thy life, now and in all ages of time to come.

~ Rudolf Steiner

 

As I delve deeper into these holy nights, I will be more and more immersed in this season of mindfulness. A quite profound gift came my way.......a book of soul and spiritual exercises by Rudolf Steiner. I opened the package and tears just flowed freely. I knew immediately why this book had made its way into my hands and my heart and soul were rejoicing.  The season of my life has just begun, and the tasks at hand are more colorful. I couldn't be more relieved!

 

Speaking of color.......here are a few photos of how we celebrated our Christmastime. I didn't take too many, for once, I put the camera down and just experienced the moments!

 



Father and Son impromptu guitar play! Oh, it was magical!

 

 

love

 

 

We finally got some sledding snow and a wooden, 6 person toboggan!!!

 

This past year of blogging has been so full and satisfying. I'm loving that in many ways it has become a testimony to the life I lead with my family, honoring our moments together, and keeping them in a place where they can all look back on and see. A living album of our days. I've enjoyed, very much, sharing this space with you......thank you for welcoming us into your lives. We look forward to more time together.

 

From our family to yours, we wish you a blessed year, full of love, peace, anticiaption, and discovery.