With tiny lights, like heaven's stars, reflecting on the snow.
The sight is so spectacular! Please wipe away that tear,
For I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.
I hear the many Christmas songs that people hold so dear,
But the music sounds can't compare with the Christmas choir up here.
I have no words to tell you, the joy their voices bring,
For it is beyond description to hear the angels sing.
I know how much you miss me, I see the pain inside your heart,
But I am not so far away, we really aren't apart.
So be happy for me dear ones. You know I hold you dear,
And be glad I'm spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.
I send you each a special gift from my heavenly home above.
I send you each a memory of my undying love.
After all "LOVE" is the gift, more precious than pure gold.
It was always most important in the stories Jesus told.
Please love and keep each other, as my Father said to do,
For I can't count the blessings or love He has for you.
So, have a Joyous Christmas and wipe away that tear,
Remember, I'm spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.
---Anonymous---
Whether this is your first Christmas since the loss of your loved one or yet another year, I hope that this small poem will offer you some comfort and bring some of the Joy of Christmas into your heart.
1997!
T'was the night before Christmas
By: Jim LaPolla
and all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring,
'Cept me and my spouse.
My kitchen was cluttered
From ceiling to floor
With bowls, pots and pans
And dishes galore.
It will surely be morning
Before we are done,
But our #1 goal
Is the kids having fun.
The last cookie sheet
In the oven it goes,
Twelve little Santas
All lined up in rows.
While off in the distance
..From the basement I hear
A frustrated daddy
Yelling, "Gimme a beer!"
I peered down the stairs
To see such a sight
The room was in tatters
But he was alright!
Parts to the left of him
Parts to the right
A mechanical genius
He ain't this night!
Johnny's toboggan
And Mary's doll house
Are scattered in pieces
All over the place
I heard him mumbling
And I finally concluded
It was something about
"Batteries not included."
I heard him exclaim
As he slammed the back door,
"Some assembly required....
Never more, never more!"
Santa is coming,
Or so the kids say
But will there be toys
Come this Christmas day?
In the wee hours of morn,
The kitchen is clean.
I went to the basement
Where all seemed serene.
There on the floor
Amid all the kids' stuff
Lies poor old dad sleeping
He'd had quite enough.
But the job was soon finished
And all was prepared
Santa's reputation
Would once more be spared.
I leaned down and whispered,
"A job well done...
Now let's get some sleep
Before up comes the sun."
We placed all the presents
Under the tree,
Then climbed into bed
My hubby and me.
With arms 'round each other
We let out a sigh.....
We'd heard the kids footsteps
In the bedroom nearby.
It couldn't be morning
Not yet, anyway.
In our warm, cozy bed
We wanted to stay!
But in they ran
With squeals of delight
For Santa had come
Sometime in the night!
I smiled and I thought
Heck, what's one night's sleep?
The kiddies' excitement
Beats counting sheep.
I crawled out of bed
And tripped down the steps
Merry Christmas to all!
(Just look at this mess!)
©1998
May You Always Have an Angel by Your Side
Watching out for you in all the things you do
Reminding you to keep believing in brighter days
Finding ways for your wishes and dreams
To take you to beautiful places
Giving you hope that is as certain as the sun
Giving you the strength of serenity as your guide
May you always have love and comfort and courage
And may you always have an angel by your side
May you always have an angel by your side
Someone there to catch you if you fall
Encouraging your dreams, inspiring your happiness
Holding your hand and helping you through it all
In all of our days, our lives are always changing
Tears come along as well as smiles
Along the roads you travel,
Mmay the miles be a thousand times
More lovely than lonely
May they give you the kind of Christmas gifts
That never, ever end: someone wonderful to love
A dear friend in whom you can confide.
May you have rainbows after every storm
May you have hopes to keep you warm
And may you always have an angel by your side.
Emilia Larson
On this Holy Christmas Day
That is praise to birth of Jesus-
Long ago and far away;
And I kneel to Him, in worship-
Offer thanks and quiet prayer-
For the grace his birth affords me
From a lifetime of despair.
He is love of mine, forever-
Son of God and Heaven's Fold_
Who was born to be my Shepherd_
And the Savior of my soul.
---Michael Dubina---
1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
1:28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
1:29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
1:33 And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
1:36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
1:38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
1:39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
1:40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
1:41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
1:42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
1:43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
1:44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
1:45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
1:46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
1:47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
1:48 For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
1:49 For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name.
1:50 And His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation.
1:51 He hath shewed strength with His arm; HE hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
1:52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
1:53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away.
1:54 He hath helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy;
1:55 As He spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to His seed forever.
1:56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
1:57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
1:58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
1:59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
1:60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
1:61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
1:62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
1:63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
1:64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
1:65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
1:66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
1:67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
1:68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people,
1:69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
1:70 As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
1:71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
1:72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant;
1:73 The oath which He sware to our father Abraham,
1:74 That He would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve Him without fear,
1:75 In holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life.
1:76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
1:77 To give knowledge of salvation unto His people by the remission of their sins,
1:78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
1:79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
1:80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2:2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
2:3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
2:4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
2:5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
2:6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
2:9 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.
2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
2:12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
2:15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, tthe shepherds said one to another, "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us".
2:16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
2:17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
2:18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
2:19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
2:20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
2:21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
2:22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;
2:23 (As it is written in the law of the LORD, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)
2:24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
2:25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
2:26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
2:27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
2:28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
2:29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
2:30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
2:31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
2:32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
2:33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
2:34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
2:35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
2:36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;
2:37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
2:38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
2:39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
2:40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with Child of the Holy Ghost.
1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
1:22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
1:24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
1:25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2:2 Saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship him.
2:3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
2:4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
2:5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
2:6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
2:7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
2:8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
2:9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.
2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
2:12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
2:13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
2:14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
2:15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
2:17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
2:18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
2:19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
2:20 Saying, Arise, and take the young Child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young Child's life.
2:21 And he arose, and took the young Child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
2:23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
Continues......
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