I Heard the Bells...

This has been a hard week for the country and especially here in Connecticut. It is difficult to be excited about the coming Christmas holiday when you think about how much suffering is going on just a few miles away on the other side of our very small state. I live near the eastern end of Connecticut, but I grew up very close to Newtown. It is a beautiful area, right out of a Norman Rockwell painting and my heart is aching for the terrible losses that town has endured.

Yesterday in church, our young pastor could hardly speak. He has two beautiful little children, so I'm sure it all hit very close to home for him. He chose to have us sing "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" with Longfellow's poignant lyrics, written during our bloody civil war, that first question where this promised peace on earth is but end triumphantly with the Hope we all hold on to through good times and bad. I am so looking forward to the spring. Meanwhile, I made some jars of Friendship Soup to give as gifts to some very dear women. The recipe can be found all over the internet and it seemed like a good alternative to the sweets overload we all have around this time of year. What holds me up at times like these, when it is tempting to despair of everything, is the love of those I am surrounded by, be it family or friends and of course, the Lord. Joy comes in the morning and spring will come again!