Carrying Christmas in my Heart ~ Closing of the Year

Happy Christmas Dear Reader,

I have seen so many memes and posts about how bad this year has been.  As we end the second decade of the twenty-first century, we seem to collectively be lacking in hope.  I, however, feel more hopeful than I have in quite some time. 

The entire idea of hope is vital to truly celebrating the closing of a year.   We do have challenges and pain.  There is difficulty in our time and we all have misfortunes.  Never will I discount the pain of others or diminish one’s perspective on his or her trials.  This night, however, heralds hope even to those who do not have a solid foundation on which to erect it.

I may not be able to comfort everyone.  I can offer hope.  The universe is unfolding as it should.  I would recommend that if we look carefully over the last twelve months, we can find things for which to be grateful in the midst of our twelve days of Christmas.  As we move into a new decade, there is hope.  It is found in the knowledge that we can carry Christ with us throughout the year.  We are moving closer to the reclamation of all things for good.

The world is not as we wish it but we seem to all pause for a moment to welcome another year into existence.  The year holds 366 opportunities to hope in faith.  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  It is not that hope yields faith, but rather that faith gives substance to our hope.  It is what puts us on the path home and keeps us moving along it. 

As we close the year, I completely wish for your new one to be filled with love, grace, and abundant hope.  There is truth in our journey that can keep us moving.  That truth is in the certain knowledge that we are headed toward better things.  It is in the understanding that if we walk in love with each other, the world will not matter.  The circumstances do not determine our hope.  It is faith in the one we follow that gives us hope. 

Dear Reader, know that I love you and cherish your company on the journey.  Instead of resolving to fix this or that thing in our lives, perhaps we should all agree that we are going to love each other more purely and deeply.  Then no matter the circumstance of the new year, we can walk together in hope and carry the Joy of Christmas with us into the deep winter and the long dark.

Closing of the Year – Wendy and Lisa

If I cannot bring you comfort

Then at least I bring you hope

For nothing is more precious

Than the time we have, and so

We all must learn from small misfortunes

Count the blessings that are real

Let the Bells ring out for Christmas

At the closing of the year

Let the Bells Ring out for Christmas

At the closing of the year

Up on the knees of a Sergeant Major

Ride through the woods with the wind in your hair

Silver bells on a golden reindeer

As they race to the castle over there

If I cannot bring you comfort then at least I bring you hope

Now all the winter bells are ringing

Hear them echo through the snow

And the children’s' voices singing

On the streets so far below

This is a time to be together

And the truth is somewhere here

Within our love of people

At the closing of the year

We'll walk in the sun

With all of the faith

And all of the Patience

All of the way

With all of us right

And all of us saying

"No one an island"

We'll fly in the arms of time

Walk in the waves, never fall

Don't fall...

At the closing of the year...

At the closing of the year...

At the closing of the year!

If I cannot bring you comfort, then at least I bring you hope

Then at least I bring you hope...

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn

Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon          

Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

Facebook       Twitter        

Medium          Instagram 

This BLOG:  http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/ 

Closing the Year: I DARE YOU TO MOVE ~ Get Up

Greetings Dear Reader,

We hear and see the time the memes about getting up and trying again.  One of my favorites is that you are not a failure until you stop getting up again.  We also hear everywhere that this year has been a hard and trying one.  Many are anxious for it to end.

In just a few hours the new year will begin on the other side of the world.  Drinks will be hoisted.  Kisses will be exchanged.  Resolutions will be vowed and shared.  Over the next twelve days most of those resolutions will be broken.  It is one of the many ways we fall.  We will fall and fail and fracture.  It is the nature of humans.

When we choose not to get up is when we are in danger.  It is in those failures that cause us to quit that we really lose.  The choice never to quit is one that no one can take from us.  When we quit on each other we do it out of choice.  We can justify it all that we want to salve our conscience.  We can redefine what we have said to make it seem like it allowable to treat others with less than love and respect.  All we are resolving is our own rationalization. 

We know what is best for us.  We know what we should be and how we should act.  Instead we fall into habits that salve our pain and hinder our progress.  We dream and talk but we do not move toward deeper love and stronger peace.  I am working at both.  I have a long way to go and situations and other humans keep knocking me down but I will keep getting up.

I think there Is not a day where I do not fall in some way.  It is getting up that will allow me to keep following; moving.   It is getting up no matter how painful it hurts to do it that will put me in the right way to reach my destination.  So, I dare you to move by getting up.  I dare to keep loving, keep working at peace, keep showing mercy and grace Dear Reader. 

You may feel you cannot get up.  Yes, you can.  Even if there is a moment where you really cannot Jesus promise is to carry you if necessary.  We believe we cannot more often than is true.  We do not get up because it seems more comfortable to stay in our old familiar pain.  As we close the year, I dare you to move.  Tell me about it so that I may walk with you.

Reckless Love – Cory Asbury

Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me
You have been so, so good to me
Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me
You have been so, so kind to me

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah

When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me
You have been so, so good to me
When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me
You have been so, so kind to me

And oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine
And I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah

There's no shadow You won't light up, Mountain You won't climb up
Coming after me
There's no wall You won't kick down, Lie You won't tear down
Coming after me
There's no shadow You won't light up, Mountain You won't climb up
Coming after me
There's no wall You won't kick down, Lie You won't tear down
Coming after me
There's no shadow You won't light up, Mountain You won't climb up
Coming after me
There's no wall You won't kick down, Lie You won't tear down
Coming after me
There's no shadow You won't light up, Mountain You won't climb up
Coming after me
There's no wall You won't kick down, Lie You won't tear down
Coming after me

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine
And I couldn't earn it, I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn

This BLOG:  http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/ 

Novels on Amazon             

Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

Bookings at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

Facebook      Google +    Twitter  Medium   Instagram  Kids BLOG   

Closing the Year: I DARE YOU TO MOVE ~ Welcome to the Fallout

Greetings Dear Reader,

When I speak of fallout, I am not talking about the radioactive kind nor am I referencing the popular video game.  I am referring to “the adverse side effects or results of a situation.”  When we take action to change our lives there is always fallout.  We need to expect it.  We need to prepare to weather it.

When we have become comfortable in the things that are unhealthy for us, we find that others are comfortable with those things as well.  There is fallout when we change.  There will be those who do not see things the way we do and will dislike or even hate us for it.  When we move, we will be judged and found wanting by others. 

We cannot change without there being fallout.  We must choose if the change we aspire to accomplish is good and right.  We must also choose if the fallout is something we can navigate.  We cannot control the responses of others.  We may not even be able to explain our choice in a way that makes sense to them.

It is in following that we find the path and not in the approval of others.  It does not mean that we do not care or that those who are impacted by our change do not matter.  It means that we must trust that the one we follow has that fallout in his hands as well.  The fallout is almost always the result of my sin and that of others.  It is the consequence of sin or the painful process of recovering from sin. 

When we attempt to shake of those things that make us less than we should be, it will not always please those around us.   It will not be easy or painless.  There will be consequences that we do not wish.  Still, Dear Reader, I dare you to move.  I know that I must.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn

This BLOG:  http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/ 

Novels on Amazon             

Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

Bookings at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

Facebook      Google +    Twitter  Medium   Instagram  Kids BLOG   

Closing the Year: I DARE YOU TO MOVE ~ The Tension is Here

Greetings Dear Reader,

We all live in the tension of the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.  What am I going to do different?  What do I wish to accomplish?  What to I need to change?  Whether we are told in kindness or not, others tell us what is wrong with us.  We decided if we agree and are going to do anything about it.

Rigel shines bright as it navigates
 the tension of its binary existence

Notice that the choice is binary.  The first is that question of whether or not we agree with the things that others point out as needing change in us.  We may dice it up into facets but we still choose whether or not we agree with others about who we and what we need to change.  It is yes or no. 

Disagreeing can be honest or it can be denial.  Our philosophical differences or our social alignment may influence whether or not we agree.  The difficulty is that in most cases, disagreement can damage the peace of the relationship.

The other binary choice is whether or not we will act to change that in us which should be different.  Most of the time we do not.  More often we dismiss the truth of the need to change.  We also make weak resolutions to the change no matter what time of year it is.  It is summed up by example in the person who says, “I should lose some weight,” whilst cutting that second piece of cake.  It is not easy to change.

I work at making sure my life lines up with my beliefs.  I fail at times.  I am blind sometimes to my faults.  The tension is always there between who I am and who I should become.  I cannot fix it all at once.  I can work today to become better than I was yesterday.  There are things I can stop right away.  There are things I can do and things I can stop doing. 

Instead of creating resolutions for the New Year, I have been working at my resolve to live in the moment as an obedient follower.  It is both difficult and easy.  My mind and spirit wrestle with the old and the new.  My heart and thoughts harm and heal me.  I begin to understand Paul when he says, “The things I do I would not and the things I would I do not.”

The tension is here between who you are and who you should be.  Until you are perfect it will always be that which we must encounter Dear Reader.  The question, again, becomes one of the binary sort.  Will you move or not?  I dare you to.  I know that I must.

“Welcome to the fallout
Welcome to resistance
The tension is here
The tension is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be”

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn

This BLOG:  http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/ 

Novels on Amazon             

Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

Bookings at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

Facebook      Google +    Twitter  Medium   Instagram  Kids BLOG   

Closing the Year: I DARE YOU TO MOVE ~ Things to do at the Gym

Greetings Dear Reader,

Were I still working with my friend Dwight, he would observe how much he would hate going to the gym next week.  He is faithful in his exercise and activity.  His disdain is for the influx of newbies coming and mostly soon leaving.

We all know how irritating it is in January when the gym resolution-aires show up and get in the way of our routine.  We have been faithful all year and here come the short timers thinking they own the place.  Here are some ideas to thin the herd and get a laugh or two.  Dwight let me know if you try any of these.

• Clean out a Hershey’s chocolate syrup bottle and use it for a water bottle.  Enjoy the staring eyes, gaping jaws, and unfettered judgment.
• Wear a fat suit on Monday through Thursday – Return without it on Friday.  Offer to sell your secret for $1000.
• When no one is looking, place a large bowl of left-over Christmas candy on the check in counter.
• Slip empty candy wrappers into the gym bags of strangers who come as a couple ~ don’t get caught.
• Have the most unhealthy food you can find delivered to the gym in the name of someone else there.
• Arrange for a food truck to show up at breakfast time.
• Place coupons from competing gyms on the wind screens of cars in the parking lot.
• Greet newcomers warmly and be their BEST FRIEND EVER.  As they leave tell them that next time you will introduce them to the Brotherhood of Suffering for Shape.
• Put Pringles cans in the water bottle holders on the tread mills.

In the event that some of you do not see my Cheshire smile or the tongue firmly implanted in my cheek, I am not suggesting that anyone sabotage another’s efforts at health.  We do need to find humor in the changes that people vow to make and for some reason cannot manage.  We also need to change our feeling of discomfort over others using “our” space.  The problem is not the crowd. It is how we view that crowd.  It is almost always our heart and attitude that creates inconvenience.

So Dear Reader, if you need to exercise then go do it.  If you feel put out by the influx of newbies in your circle perhaps you should find a way to welcome them and help them succeed.  I know that I need to be more fluid concerning changes when they come.  I need to understand that the time to change for the better is the moment I realize that I need to and not on an arbitrary day on the calendar.  It is vital to my progress that I dare to move closer to Christ and allow others to move as well, even if it is to MY elliptical.  

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn

This BLOG:  http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/ 

Novels on Amazon             

Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

Bookings at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

Facebook      Google +    Twitter  Medium   Instagram  Kids BLOG   

Closing the Year: I DARE YOU TO MOVE ~ Put it Down

Greetings Dear Reader,

Movement is best accomplished unencumbered.  It is the things we carry that weigh us down and hinder our progress.  We have to travel.  It is our nature.  We choose if we will follow the path or search vainly on a false one.

When I arrived in the South some people gathered to help me understand how to navigate the path I needed to walk.  One of the things on which I needed to focus was seeking and giving forgiveness.  It has always been easy for me to forgive when forgiveness was sought.  As is the nature of the journey, the Father wishes to press me for more.

One of the ways in which we can move is to move first.  I am determined to learn to forgive before it is asked for.  I am going to learn to go further and ask the Father not to hold to account those who sin against me.  It will not be easy but it is right.  It will not be fun but it will bring joy.  It is not possible to make war if we constantly seek peace.

I had determined to follow this part of the path and as is the way of things, it was immediately truly tested.  In a situation where I would wait for the individual to realize their wrong and seek forgiveness, I instead dismissed the offense and prayed for the Father to not hold this sin against them.  It was not easy.  It was painful and difficult.  It was also genuine and from the heart.

I am in a place seeking forgiveness where I fell.   I am trying to unravel the wrongs I have created and finding ones I did not know existed.  Since I am in such need of real forgiveness I must up my skill in immediately giving out the same.  I must keep no accounts, even for a moment.  I must move first and do so in love and humility.

It is also necessary to avoid the trap of being prideful in my forgiving.  It is enough to do it in my heart and not seem self-righteous by expressing it to the offender.  It is sufficient to silently pray for the person even whilst they are assailing me.  It is the right path to follow. 

So, Dear Reader, as we enter into a new year, I dare you to move first.  I challenge you to forgive without any other reason that to love the other person.  There are many other valid reasons to do so including not carrying the weight of grudges and anger that sap our souls.  I dare you to put it all down and keep your love and mercy; your kindness and grace.  We all need it so much we dare not withhold it from others.  I dare you to move.

“Maybe redemption has stories to tell
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself?”

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn

This BLOG:  http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/ 

Novels on Amazon             

Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

Bookings at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

Facebook      Google +    Twitter  Medium   Instagram  Kids BLOG   

Closing the Year: I DARE YOU TO MOVE ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

On Boxing Day many places in the world are enjoying another day off to revel in the season.  In other places the thoughts of the world turn to the closing of the year and the new one ahead.  Resolutions are proposed and posted.  We envision plans and change.

What I hope to do is put in place a determination to move.  In managing life, we can dream about what we want all we wish.  If we do not move in the direction of our dreams we will never get there.  I have heard so many people talk about how terrible the past year has been.  I admit that it has been a very hard year but it has also become the staging ground for changes that are vital to me rebuilding my life.

I am not going to tell you that I have all the answers but I do know that if I do not move, I will be in the same place this time next year.  I am counting as lost the things that I used to use to shore up my fractured self.  I have things to accomplish and places to go.  I have fences to mend and wounds to heal.

It is not that I can accomplish this.  It is that I must not resist the movement necessary for it to be accomplished.  I am not going to make resolutions but I am going to lay a foundation for ways to keep moving.  As I do that, I hope that you can find something to help you down the road as well. 

I am too flawed to be an example and too broken to be of great use to you Dear Reader.  I can, however, be open about where I am going and hope that we can help each other avoid a snag or two.  Your company in the journey is always welcome, even if you only see my flaws.

Dare You to Move – Switchfoot

Welcome to the planet
Welcome to existence
Everyone's here
Everyone's here
Everybody's watching you know
Everybody waits for you now
What happens next?
What happens next?

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened before

Welcome to the fallout
Welcome to resistance
The tension is here
The tension is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be
Yeah

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened before

Maybe redemption has stories to tell
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself?
Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna go?
Salvation is here

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself
To lift yourself up off the floor

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened
Today never happened
Today never happened before

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn

This BLOG:  http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/ 

Novels on Amazon             

Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

Bookings at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

Facebook      Google +    Twitter  Medium   Instagram  Kids BLOG     

I Do Not Know and That is OK...

Greetings Dear Reader,

This is the first day of my next year.  Most people see their opportunity for a new year at the beginning of the calendar year.  I choose to start mine the day after my birthday.  I ponder what the year will hold.  I have two book projects near completion.  I have other ventures that will emerge or fail this year. 

I have been working at improving my process and doing better marketing.  My web page has been revised and renewed (aramisthorn.com).  I started a Kid Friendly BLOG so that my Grandsons and their friends can get some good safe content geared to their age.  This is also in preparation for the launch of my first children’s book in 2019. 

As I ponder how the year will unfold I know that there are things I would like to accomplish.  Aside from the two new books I would like to schedule some more speaking engagements.  I would also like to get into some high school English classes to challenge and encourage young writers. 

The answer to how the year will unfold is this: I do not know.  I am not aware of how I will get through this month.  That is OK.  I am determined to work hard and live by faith.  I am sure that as things unfold I will gain better understanding of where I am headed.  I start the new year of my journey with few answers, stable faith, and great hope. 

Keep me company Dear Reader as we travel the path together.  I promise to keep encouraging you along the way.  I will keep sharing my journey and ask questions that we can discuss as intelligent humans. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Be More Aware

Happy New Year Dear Reader,

At some point in our lives things change without warning.  We may be in the midst of things that seem so very important.  Our plans may be grand and hour hopes high.  Then we get that phone call or knock at the door.

My beloved friend’s J and L got such a call yesterday.  L’s father passed away on the final day of 2017.  I met him only a few times and know that L loved her father dearly.  Their family has already had great loss this year.  Their lives have not begun to recover from it.

I love these dear friends and long to comfort them.  More importantly I want to be aware that today is not a happy day for everyone.  The new year dawns for some with sadness, sorrow, and loss.  My prayer is happiness for everyone but I must be more aware that the sudden sorrow of others is not something I can ignore.

This family faces the long journey “home” to bury a father and grandfather.  There are journeys in the journey where it is hard to find joy.  We must be aware of the needs of those around us.  The sorrow of others is not an intrusion on us.  It is the opportunity to show love and compassion that can lead to hope.  It is the chance we have to remember that there is always a need for our hearts to be in tune with the needs of others. 

J, L, JT, I love you and am here for you.  I extend that standard to all who sorrow today.  Do not ignore or hide your grief.  It is not something you can schedule.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Winter Transitions ~ Closing of the Year

Greetings Dear Reader,

It is cold.  I am sipping my last cup of coffee for the year.  I have closed out many of the things that need closing.  I am not a party person.  My New Year’s Eves of late have been spent quietly watching the year drift in and then retiring to a long winter’s nap.

The year has not unfolded at all as I expected.  I am not sure how the coming year will unfold at all.   I am at peace with all of that. 

As I close this year I recount some losses that have grieved me.  Tonight, I will lift a glass to absent friends with the hope that their journey goes on walking a much brighter path.  I feel their absence and do not wish them back but wish I could see them.

I have improved in some things that I wished to do.  I am closer to some of my family and this is precious to me.  I have had more time with my Grandsons and that is a treasure.  Watching them grow is a beautiful experience. 

The sand has slipped through the pinch.  New experiences have marked some of the days.  There has been almost enough baseball to satisfy me.  I feel a little older.  Since the end of my year is not far past the end of the actual year I mark it well. 

As I write this I have my real hour glass sitting before me.  I can see all of the sand but I am focusing on the grains in the pinch.  It is hard to do so.  It takes discipline.  That, however, is how we are supposed to live; aware of the past, an eye on the future, but focused on the moment.  I have been trying to hone this over the last few months.  If one works at it one can do it.  Like all thing that matter, however, it takes discipline.

Thank you for your company this year Dear Reader.  As the New Year unfolds I will begin by looking at the difference between being led and being driven whilst still following.  Your companionship is most precious.  I hope we have many more discussions along the path next year.  The journey draws us ever onward.  Happy New Year Dear Reader.

Closing of the Year – Wendy and Lisa

If I cannot bring you comfort

Then at least I bring you hope

For nothing is more precious

Than the time we have, and so

We all must learn from small misfortunes

Count the blessings that are real

Let the Bells ring out for Christmas

At the closing of the year

Let the Bells Ring out for Christmas

At the closing of the year

Up on the knees of a Sergeant Major

Ride through the woods with the wind in your hair

Silver bells on a golden reindeer

As they race to the castle over there

If I cannot bring you comfort then at least I bring you hope

Now all the winter bells are ringing

Hear them echo through the snow

And the children’s' voices singing

On the streets so far below

This is a time to be together

And the truth is somewhere here

Within our love of people

At the closing of the year

We'll walk in the sun

With all of the faith

And all of the Patience

All of the way

With all of us right

And all of us saying

"No one an island"

We'll fly in the arms of time

Walk in the waves, never fall

Don't fall...

At the closing of the year...

At the closing of the year!

If I cannot bring you comfort, then at least I bring you hope

Then at least I bring you hope...

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Winter Transitions ~ Dreams

Greetings Dear Reader,

We all have dreams of some kind.  I am not talking about the night dramas that play in our heads when we try to rest.  I am talking about the things upon which we pin our hopes and if brave enough our efforts.

I have some that I have begun to put hands and feet on.  For some time may have passed them by in a way this makes them unattainable.  One of the transitions that occur as we transit to the new year is we reassess our dreams.

Too often we cast aside the courage to pursue them.  We get caught up in the business and busyness of getting by instead of building our dreams.  I dare to dream of great things.  I am becoming better at working at those things and believing that I can get there.

The thing I intend to do is to do something every day to get there.  The transition to make is to build something.  Create something that is you.  If I am truly following Christ then I will find my way in his shadow.  As I hone the gifts I have and shed the things that hinder me it becomes clearer that I must awaken from the dream that keeps me from my dreams. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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Winter Transitions ~ Time is Fleeting

Greetings Dear Reader,

Two years ago today I lost a friend very suddenly.  He went to work and died.  He had plans to fulfill and promises to keep.  He was only a building away from me.  I saw the ambulance and it did not occur to me that I was losing a friend.  I did not learn of it until an hour later when someone called me.

The world moves at its constant consuming pace and two more years slip through the glass.  The entire idea of time becomes more precious as the sand migrates downward.  I like Pratchett’s imagery of our lives being represented by an hour glass that will eventually run out.  It is often too late that we realize every grain matters.

As I make my winter transitions this year I realize how much time I have to pursue things that really matter.  I am becoming better at doing so.  It is still there, the wish to go back and redeem some of the time lost and not used.  That wish is also a waste of the present. 

The transition to the New Year is the time marker we all share.  Starting the New Year gives us all some measure of hope.  It is also the scapegoat for our wasted time from the previous year.  Time is given to us as a gift.  I must not squander it further.  The bell will one day toll for me. 

Time – Pink Floyd

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day

Fritter and waste the hours in an off-hand way

Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town

Waiting for someone or something to show you the way

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain

You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today

And then one day you find ten years have got behind you

No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking

Racing around to come up behind you again

The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older

Shorter of breath and one day closer to death

Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time

Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines

Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way

The time is gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say

Home, home again

I like to be here when I can

When I come home cold and tired

It's good to warm my bones beside the fire

Far away, across the field

The tolling of the iron bell

Calls the faithful to their knees

To hear the softly spoken magic spell

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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Winter Transitions ~ Analysis

Greetings Dear Reader,

One of the things we drift into during the doldrums of the week between Christmas and the New Year is an analysis of things.  We begin to weigh the gains and losses of Christmas whether they be financial, material, social, or the scale.  We begin to think about the coming year.

Some find that they have overextended.  Some have overeaten.  Some had hopes that were realized and some had expectations that never can be so.  There are friends who walk through this time for the first time without a loved one.  I have been through this pain and it is inconsolable.  I would carry  it  for them if I could.

Whatever our situation we do some analysis over the past year and look into the new one.  We prepare for the transition with the balance of our lives waiting.  Most of us determine that this will be a better year.  Most of us do not have the courage to make is so. 

What we do not analyze is what keeps us dong the same things over and over when our dreams call for us to come live differently.  As we analyze our transitions we must see the things that hinder us and determine how to dissolve the hindrance.  It may not have to be drastic and take the guillotine drop of the New Year ball.  It may be that we need to slowly change the trifles that lead to our greatness.  Sometimes we can effect great change by changing the little things.

A Little Bit of Everything – Dawes

With his back against the San Francisco traffic

On the bridge's side that faces towards the jail

Setting out to join a demographic

He hoists his first leg up over the rail

A phone call's made, police cars show up quickly

The sergeant slams his passenger door

He says, "Hey son why don't you talk through this with me?

Just tell me what you're doing it for."

"Oh, it's a little bit of everything

It's the mountains, it's the fog

It's the news at six o'clock

It's the death of my first dog."

"It's the angels up above me

It's the song that they don't sing

It's a little bit of everything."

There's an older man who stands in a buffet line,

He is smiling and he's holding out his plate,

And the further he looks back into his timeline

That hard road always led him to today,

Making up for when his bright future had left him

Making up for the fact his only son is gone,

And letting everything out once, his server asks him

"Have you figured out yet, what it is you want?"

I want a little bit of everything

The biscuits and the beans

Whatever helps me to forget about

The things that brought me to my knees

So pile on those mashed potatoes

And an extra chicken wing

I'm having a little bit of everything

Somewhere a pretty girl is writing invitations

To a wedding she has scheduled for the fall

Her man says, "Baby, can I make an observation?

You don't seem to be having any fun at all."

She said, "You just worry about your groomsmen and your shirt-size

And rest assured that this is making me feel good."

I think that love is so much easier than you realize

If you can give yourself to someone, then you should

'Cause it's a little bit of everything

The way you joke, the way you ache,

It is getting up before you,

So I could watch you as you wake.

So on that day in late September,

It's not some stupid little ring,

I'm getting a little bit of everything.

Oh, it's a little bit of everything

It's the matador and the bull

It's the suggested daily dosage

It's the red moon when it's full.

All these psychics and these doctors

They're alright and they're all wrong,

It's like trying to make out every word

When they should simply hum along

It's not some message written in the dark

Or some truth that no one's seen

It's a little bit of everything.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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