Christmas Thoughts 2011

Merry Christmas Dear Reader,

As I sat pondering, piping, and potable last night I thought of you.  Some of you I know well.  Some I have never met.  Some of you will never know how much I love you as I cannot find words to express it.  Some of you I love more than you may realize.  Whether we have met or not, please know that I love you Dear Reader and wish you a Merry Christmas. 

I write for Jesus and my love for him but I also secondly write for you.  So I leave you with the words of my friend and favorite minstrel.   I also leave with a wish that we may one day share a pipe and Christmas bowl whilst we discuss how God has blessed us; everyone.

Photo by Natalie Foley

Hope everybody's ringing on their own bell, this fine morning.

Hope everyone's connected to that long distance phone.

Old man, he's a mountain.

Old man, he's an island.

Old man, he's a-waking says

"I'm going to call, call all my children home."

Hope everybody's dancing to their own drum this fine morning ---

the beat of distant Africa or a Polish factory town.

Old man, he's calling for his supper.

He's calling for his whisky.

Calling for his sons and daughters, yeah ---

Calling, calling all his children round.

Sharp ears are tuned in to the drones and chanters warming.

Mist blowing round some headland, somewhere in your memory.

Everyone is from somewhere ---

even if you've never been there.

So take a minute to remember the part of you

that might be the old man calling me.

How many wars you're fighting out there, this Christmas morning?

Maybe there's always time for another Christmas song.

Old man he's asleep now.

He's got appointments to keep now.

Dreaming of his sons and daughters, and proving ---

proving that the blood is strong.  --- Ian Anderson --- Another Christmas Song

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn