Sentimental

I can't begin to put the words together to tell you how pleased I am that my new granddaughter,Ellie Marie Hickey, is being baptized tomorrow. 'That would have been enough',as they say in the Jewish Passover Celebration, but as God always heaps blessings on top of each other,full, overflowing,beyond what we deserve, what we even have the audacity to hope for, she is getting baptized because her parents have a full and rich faith,and they want her to be part of the family of God. That,also, would have been enough, but on top of that, she is being baptized in the parish rich in the history of our family life. My kids were, for the most part, raised in this church.They were baptized, received first communion,were confirmed, and some were even married here. I have celebrated here, mourned here,received comfort and encouragement here,served here.I love my parish. The people are kind and accepting. They love me and have loved my kids.I feel like they belong to me and I am theirs.So, I have a sense of things continuing, of God bringing me to this place in my life. I am grateful.

Cold Song

Every year I buy a new Christmas CD at Starbucks. I bought one already this year because their really good ones always sell out early. this one caught my eye because it is a collection of songs, mostly old or even ancient, about Christmas and winter. Sting put it together. I like it a lot, because the songs are interesting,some I was familiar with(Lo,How a Rose, The Angel Gabriel...) and lots that I haven't heard before. I've written before about how I collect John Dryden quotes, since I am a Dryden myself. Well, there's a poem of his that was put to music(Henry Purcell) on the CD, which is the most depressing winter poem ever. It's called Cold Song, and it's more or less how I feel in the morning at 6:45 in February as I head to work to snowblow when it's - 30 or so. Here it is:
What power art thou who from below
hast made me rise unwillingly and slow
from beds of everlasting snow?

See'st thou not how stiff,how stiff and wondrous old,
Far,far unfit to bear the bitter cold?
I can scarcely move or draw my breath;
Let me,let me, freeze again to death.