I received this card yesterday from an old blogging friend, one who never forgets me no matter how careless I am in sending forth good will. It is one of my favorite cards received this year.
A challenging year it has been, from a serious car accident involving my son, to two small surgeries for myself, and one for my mother. And these are only the outward manifestations of some inner emotional turmoil. But we are all here, experiencing grace, and I am so grateful.
When things are difficult I am convinced it is for our good. Our bodies aren’t nourished on only sweets; our lives are not strengthened by only smooth days. My mother has said to me, “Courage grows strong in a wound.” My father has said to me, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” These are the words I live by.
But at Christmas, I also live by these words:
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. (Like me, so many times.)
And the angel said unto them, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
Luke 2:8-11 (KJV)
And I wish for you good tidings of great joy, of great comfort, and of great hope for 2016. God bless you, each one.
Hi Meredith, this is an inspiring post. I am in awe of your ability to approach adversities with a positive outlook. More power to you. 🙂 Wish you and yours a peaceful 2016! ❤
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I don’t think adversity can be defeated any other way. It is too easy to give in to despair, and then it seems to me that the side for evil has “won”. It’s not always the easy thing to do, to keep hopeful and expectant, but it is what’s necessary. To me, anyway.
I wish you a blessed 2016 as well!
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Thank you for this lovely post, Bellezza! Wishing you a beautiful Christmas, and a New Year filled with joy.
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Wishing you a beautiful Christmas and blessed New Year, Suko! We’ve shared many such happy thoughts over the past several years, have we not? It’s a lovely tradition now.
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Well said. Wishing you and your family a very merry Christmas and a prosperous, adverse-free, book filled new year. Cheers…
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And I wish you a Merry Christmas and adverse-free, indeed abundantly joyful, New Year!
Have I asked you if you have a blog? I thought I might have when we began taking about Emma, and I would love to visit you.
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Hi. No, I am not a blogger; just an enthusiastic reader who, after taking early retirement, finally has the time to really savor all these wonderful books. I came across your blog through Frances of Nonsuch Book mentioning the “Emma” read-along. BTW, finished “Emma” this afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed it. I came away in awe of Austen’s command of the language, her wit and humor in crafting dialog and skewing her provincial so-called ladies and gentlemen. While some found Emma to be an unsympathetic character I found myself gradually warming to her over the course of the three volumes. Also, I’m new to the whole Twitter thing so I was a little shy and, admittedly, puzzled as to what I should be tweeting as a read-along participant. Some of the Emma related articles that were posted on Twitter were very interesting and certainly added value to the read (as did your blog posts).
Started reading “H is for Hawk” today. I am strictly a fiction reader so it’s rare for me to pickup a memoir but I heard Simon Savidge interview the author and read Simon’s review and was convinced that this was one I needed to read. Oh well, cheers and happy holiday…
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The human spirit is resilient. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and we will look forward to new experiences and maybe another read along in 2016. Go well.
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Isn’t that a wonderful thing, that we are resilient?! Sometimes more than others, but usually able to bounce back into some kind of admirable shape. I love that, “Go well.” May you do the same. xo
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M, I love this post! Those are definitely words to live by. Wishing you and yours a wonderful and happy Christmas!!
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Nadia, a very Merry Christmas to you! So glad to have blogged with you these many wonderful years. You’ve introduced me to so many fabulous books, pictures and ideas. xo
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Such a tender, touching post. Each day seems to go a little faster than the last, and it’s good to be encouraged to pause, and reflect. In this season of reflection, I wish you great light, and a fleeing away of all darkness.
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It was my hope to be tender, and hopefully not annoying. Sharing faith in a blog specifically intended for book discussion is perhaps going out of bounds a bit, yet these are my heartfelt thoughts. So glad that you can appreciate them and know from whence they came.
Your wish for great light and fleeing of darkness is gratefully, and humbly, accepted. Thank you for being my friend.
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All the best for 2016 hoping you have a better year and a great Christmas
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Thank you, Stu, and to you as well. I’m so grateful for your inspiration to read internationally and expand my horizons over all the years I’ve read your blog. Merry Christmas!
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You’re on my mind, Bellezza… glad to know your operation went well and that you’re well cared for. Warmest wishes for a Blessed Christmas!
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I hope you had a lovely (and perhaps snowy?) Christmas, my dear friend. We flew to Oregon on Christmas morning and as we took off over Omaha, I gazed out the window, enjoying the snow-covered fields from the warmth of the plane. You know I am not a fan of that white stuff and we got a bit on Christmas Eve, which made everything look pretty and festive. And, from what I hear, we got more today. I’m enjoying the rainy Oregon coast and the huge surf that crashes against the bluff as I go for my walks. Life is good. Be well.
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