Grateful

I just wanted to thank all you wonderful people who follow me.  Opening Blogger this afternoon and seeing that I've made it to thirty followers was just such a lovely surprise!   I really appreciate so many people taking an interest in my insignificant little postings.

Poster made by me, via Picnik

Feast of the Holy Innocents

I'm aware that posting about feast days when they're almost over rather defeats the purpose - I do apologize, my dear patient readers.  I was so entirely absorbed in reading North and South that I forgot...  *sigh*

Since it's so late, I'll just give you a couple links and a song.  You can read about today's feast at my usual sources, if you'd like - here and here.

The relatively obscure Coventry Carol is about today's feast.  It was first used in medieval mystery plays, sung by the mothers of the children murdered by the soldiers of King Herod.  Just thinking about it makes me tear up...those poor, poor mothers.  But these innocent children, killed because of Our Lord, merit the title of the first martyrs even though they knew not what they died for.  (If you don't believe me, read the second link.)  They were rewarded in Heaven.
I'm sure I can't be the first one to have thought of this, but the Holy Innocents must be special protectors of unborn children in danger of abortion.  We could invoke their prayers for all the babies threatened by a death worse than theirs because unsanctified by martyrdom or baptism.

This is the version of the carol that I own.

Holy Innocents, pray for us and for all children, born and unborn.

Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway at Shealynn's Faerie Shoppe!

Hello, darling followers and friends and random readers and..... well, you get the idea.

Shealynn of the ah-mazing Shealynn's Faerie Shoppe is hosting a Twelve Days of Christmas giveaway, which means that there will be a new giveaway every day for the twelve days after Christmas Day.  What a lovely reminder that Christmas isn't just one day!
Go check it out - you never know, you might win something awesome! :)

Note: this post gained me an extra entry in the first giveaway.  Nevertheless, it is entirely sincere, and you REALLY REALLY REALLY should enter.  Just because.

Journaling Page - Music and Rainclouds

I'm in a journaling page mood right now, so I thought I'd write one up.

Outside my window... The sky is a flat, pale shade of gray, and there's a sprinkle of rain coming down - the sort of weather that makes you want to curl up with a favorite novel, a cup of tea (preferably Earl Grey), and a pretty quilt.  Goodness, I just love rain.  Growing up in Germany, it was cloudy or raining nearly all the time, so to me it just feels like home.  The only trouble with this particular type of weather is that it is unfortunately not very ideal for bicycle riding, especially bicycle riding done by a certain young person (whom we shall not name) who is getting over a cold and is, incidentally, very out of shape indeed.  If I were the sort of person to tell such things, I might mention the difficulties this particular young lady had in just pedaling around the block last time she went bicycling - and she was in perfect health that time, too.  But of course I never say such things about anybody.

I'm listening to... a lovely piano cover of the song Innocent by Taylor Swift.  I love it when musicians take a modern song and turn it into an instrumental piece, thereby making it timeless.  By the way, if anybody knows of any other good ones, pretty-please-with-sugar-on-top tell me about it!
This song completely fits the quiet, rainy feeling of this particular afternoon... other lovely "rainy songs" would be Orla Fallon's ethereal Siuil a Run, the heartbreakingly beautiful North & South soundtrack, and various Enya songs, particularly Only Time. 


I'm thinking about... why, music, of course.  North & South music, to be exact.  It's just SO beautiful, I can hardly believe it's real. *drifts off into dreamland*  ......  Oh, hullo, are you still here?  Sorry about that.  *cough*

A picture thought I'm sharing...

And that's all for now, m'dear!  Merry Christmas!

The O Antiphons - O Emmanuel

English translation: O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Hope and Salvation of the nations! Come and save us, O Lord our God.


This is the last O Antiphon.  I hope you enjoyed learning about these beautiful prayers for the week before Christmas!  (Oh, and sorry I couldn't find a better image of the Infant Jesus.  Everything was so cutesy-pie...)

Now for all the "acknowledgements".  I made the posters on Picnik with images from Google Images.  The Latin translations of the antiphons are from Fish Eaters and the English translations are from TIA.  

 May you all have a blessed Christmas!