The year 2020, has certainly been a difficult one in so many ways; now, the holidays have arrived, and before long, we will embark on a new year altogether.
As I think about the upcoming season, I am reminded of the old English rhyme which names the things a bride should wear and carry, on her wedding day for good luck.
We are planning for the holidays, and certainly not, a wedding; still, the rhyme gives rise to possibilities in adjusting our attitude in this season of 2020. We need as much ‘good luck’ as possible!
According to tradition, a bride should have something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. The last line of the rhyme, declares a fifth object: ‘A sixpence in your shoe’.
Let’s begin with the very first line, ‘something old’. Even with everything in our world turned upside down, we can still make memories this year celebrating past traditions. How so?
We can decorate our homes and our Christmas trees with vintage ornaments and decorations that spark a vision of Christmas past. This provides a visual reminder of how blessed we have been all of our lives.
We can send holiday cards and letters to people we will not be able to see in person. We can let them know how much we love them, even if we cannot be together at this time.
Most importantly, we can honor Christmas in our hearts, as we do each and every year; that is something 2020 cannot change. Christmas past reminds us of who we are, and who we will always be; we follow a star that brings us to our Lord and Savior, the baby Jesus, born in a manger.
We remember the blessings of past Thanksgivings…all the wonder and beauty of autumns’ past. We are lavished with the gifts of family and friends. Our ‘tables’ overflow with good things. At Thanksgiving, though we may not be able to celebrate as a large, extended family unit, we can still give thanks as we always do; we can still thank God for His incredible bounty of blessings.
In terms of ‘something new’, we can create new traditions for 2020 that we may have never done before. If we use our imaginations, there is no end to the ideas we can come up with. No, it is not the same as in years’ past, but, yes, we can share the love of Christ with one another at Christmas, whether we are in the same room, or not. Love is the one thing that we can offer that has no boundaries. It does demand our creativity; we can always find new ways to say, “I love you!”
When it comes to ‘something borrowed’, again, the possibilities are endless. Can we ‘borrow’ a happier outlook, and maybe, it will carry over into the new year? Can we share with one another on a deeper level, ‘borrowing’ a bit more time to help someone else complete a project, or maybe, just alleviate someone else’s lonely hours?
The idea of ‘something blue’, holds potential as well, as we focus on the holidays. Blue is a serene color, the color of the sky, and the sea. Even in the midst of a pandemic, how much better might we feel if we enter the season in a state of calmness and serenity?
Lastly, ‘ A sixpence in your shoe”, for good luck, is wise advice for the holidays also. Prosperity is not just about money. Feeling prosperous is also a state of mind wherein we understand how rich we are in the blessings God provides for us. In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Each and every day, God provides for all of our needs. Our hearts overflow with thanksgiving. God is so good to us, all of the time.
So, may we enter the holiday season, with the same intentions as a bride about to make her debut into marriage; may we remember that love is the greatest gift of all, and one that we carry in our hearts, no matter the year, or the season. May we remember that the happiest hearts are always full of thanksgiving. Yes, it is the year, 2020, and the year of the great pandemic, but oh, we have so much to celebrate!
Luke 2: 10-14: ” And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
On November 17th, 2020, one week and one day ago today, I underwent a hip replacement on my right hip. I thank God that the surgery went well and I am mending. The holidays are looking a little bit different for me, but the tree is up, and soon to be decorated! I hope to keep up with all the wonderful blogs that I read. (I am certainly going to try and catch-up!) I want to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving, and a great start to the holiday season!
How beautifully expressed, Linda, as always! I love the analogy of the bride’s traditions. And you used it to full measure. Gratitude and creativity and embracing God’s unending love all come together in the midst of these unusual days.
Well said, Martha!
🙂 🙂 🙂
Thank you! God’s unending love is the glue that holds everything together! Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Thank you for this message of hope and a healthy state of mind for the upcoming holidays and the year ahead. It’s much appreciated! I hope your healing for the hip replacement continues to go well.
Thank you Liz! Every day is a little bit better! Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!
You’re welcome, Linda! Enjoy your day tomorrow!
🙂 🙂 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving Liz!
Thank you, Linda! I hope you’re having a good day.
Good Morning! Happy day after Thanksgiving! I hope all is well. I always love this day…turkey leftovers in a happy little sandwich! 🙂
Good morning! Yes, all is well. We will be having ham sandwiches in my household.
oh so glad your op was a success, I have two dear friends waiting for the same surgery. Yes we still have much to be grateful for and this is such a cheery post, thanks Linda!
It is amazing what they can do these days…it is a very different procedure than years ago. They want you up and about right away. I must admit, I am feeling quite cheerful about the whole thing. I will pray for your friends. The hip pain is so bad before the procedure; just knowing you are doing something to help yourself is such a relief.
oh they have been on the waitlist for years and have very limited movement so I can’t imagine their pain 🙁
thanks for your prayers, I will let them both know 🙂
I knew a year ago that I was supposed to have this procedure done. With the lock-down in place, there were no elective procedures of this kind being done in March when I was considering going. Unfortunately, it is one of those things that only gets worse. You are supposed to keep moving and walking, but it is very hard to stay active at all. It is especially hard when it is cold or it rains. I had the best relief in the summertime.
I’m sure it is debilitating, so glad you got the op … our elective surgery is still on hold. Fear of infection I think ..
Praying for your friends and for the end of this Covid mess!
yes for us the covid seems controlled here Linda but hearing that you are amidst a massive second wave, take care 🙂
Sadly, this is true…difficult days to journey through. One step at a time, one prayer at a time, we go forward.
I feel you next president will act on this issue, unlike the current one who openly encourages mass mingling!
I am praying that a vaccine will soon become available. Everyone must do their part…I wear a mask wherever I go and I social distance. I have missed not seeing my friends, and members of my family. At the same time, I think the personal sacrifices are little compared to the common good.
well said, we are blessed to be on top of it here and the restrictions are lifting 🙂
I love the spin that you put on this!
The thought came to me about the ‘something blue’, and got me thinking. More than anything in the world, we need to remind ourselves to stay calm. When we are calm, we can think more clearly. We can choose to give ourselves moments of serenity. We can take a deep breath and savor the quietude of letting things go for a bit…release the anxieties, the pain, the fears. We are all in this together, and we must be strong for one another. Happy Thanksgiving to you!!!
Amen & Happy Thanksgiving to you too.
🙂 🙂 🙂
I’m so glad you were able to have your hip replacement, as I know that is considered elective (although it really isn’t, since the pain before you have it is life-altering). And I love your take on the holidays. Yes, we can honor our traditions while still creating new ones that work in these changed times. Plus, I’ve always thought that the holidays are so much better when we focus on the real reason for them, rather than trying to create some kind of Normal Rockwell perfection. Because no matter how much money we have, or what kind of year we’ve had, we can always celebrate the birth of Christ. Always!
You are so right,Anne! I think sometimes our happiest moments are when we are not trying for Norman Rockwell perfection. We miss so much when we don’t grab the beauty of the given hour and all that hour holds.There are only so many hours; we are wise to celebrate all that we can, both the perfect and the imperfect. I always think of Christmas as The Twelve Days of Christmas and of Thanksgiving as Thanksgiving week or weekend. That way, not all of my expectations have to be compiled into one day only. We can spread the celebration out more, giving ourselves plenty of time to enjoy the little moments.
That’s a very wise way to look at it!
Happy Thanksgiving and I am glad to hear that you are healing after the hip replacement.
Happy day after Thanksgiving to you! Since you are an amazing and talented chef, I know the meal at your house was wonderful. Enjoy the weekend and keep the celebration going! My little hip is coming along nicely. (I think I will need to eat a lot of turkey leftovers to aid in my recovery.) 🙂
I remember you mentioned having issues with both hips, so one down and one more to go. No matter how dark the day, the sun always shines when we’ve had relief from pain – I guess God gave you a Thanksgiving gift, Linda.
Your post got me reflecting on what we can do to make a day special. And I realised that for anything to work, we have to get our motivations right. To cheerfully and sincerely do things for others (whether they care for it or not) and to do little things for ourselves which make us happy, can make all the difference. You are such a person, Linda, and I hope that your Thanksgiving was sweet and gentle.
You are one of the few people that I told early on about my hip. I had difficulty accepting at first that my hips had simply ‘broke down’. I had trouble talking about it, or even thinking about it! I remember now that you prayed that there would be a miracle for me. And here, all these many months later, the miracle has come. I have a brand-new hip and I am very happy about it. (The other hip is not quite as bad.) Thank you for your prayers and the hope that you inspired in me. To know that someone is praying for you is such a profound blessing…thank you!
Linda, that was so lovely to hear. God takes our prayers and fashions His miracles from them.
God’s miracles are always right on time. This was the perfect time for my new hip. My heart overflows with thanksgiving, because, once again, I can walk. It is like Christmas every hour of every day; I have felt such an outpouring of love from friends and family. Deep within my heart, the Christmas bells are ringing…
It is like Christmas every hour of every day
What a beautiful start to Christmas.
Love is the heart of Christmas…the Christmas spirit is alive within us all the time. I love the verse by Helen Steiner Rice:”Peace on earth will come to stay, When we live Christmas every day.” There is so much truth in these words.
Live Christmas every day
Thank you so much for sharing that with me. God truly spoke through you❤
Congrats on the successful surgery and a “new” hip – there’s your new for the holiday season. I like your idea of the “old” – bringing out our old over-the-years ornaments when we decorate our tree. Some people say, “why bother having a tree? we can’t have family or friends over.” But I agree with you – we need the light and the cheer and the traditions. We’ll get our normal “too tall” tree and decorate it with love and joy. Cause that’s what the season is all about. Celebrating love and light.
Heal well!
I hope you post pictures of your ‘too tall’ tree! You are such a crafty and creative person. And you certainly are a writer! In just those two words, ‘too tall’ Christmas tree, I already have a visual picture. This is a time when we must infuse our lives with as much joy as possible. Those twinkling Christmas lights do much to lift our spirits. More than ever before, we must fight against the negativity! I love my new Thanksgiving hip…I feel blessed by this gracious gift from God.
I love your attitude! And oh yes yes to xmas lights. Every year I’ve wanted to buy window candles (battery and timed) for our home windows, but every year we think: save the money. Well, guess what gift I gave myself this year? Yup, 12 candles for my windows to spread holiday cheer to all who pass by and to destroy negativity. So glad you’re happy with your hip – soon you’ll be dancin’ to holiday tunes. 🙂
Your house will be magical with all those candles! I do hope you are right about those holiday tunes…I love music, and I love to dance. I look forward to dancing! 🙂
First of all, I rejoice with you at your successful surgery! Lifting you in prayer right now, for continued healing and strength, dear Nancy. Finally, I want to thank you for this wonderful image. A bridge preparing for her wedding. This is the hope and joy that I want to carry with me, as I remember God’s love for me. So beautiful!
Thank you Melissa for your prayers! I do wish you joy in this beautiful season of Advent!
A lovely message, Linda. The holiday season is so different this year. I definitely miss being with my family and sharing our usual traditions, but it is still possible to see beauty and feel love.
Wishing you all the best as you recover–and to walking and dancing pain free with your new hip! 💙
Thank you so much for your well-wishes with my new hip! I have good days and not so good days. Mostly, I am learning to be very patient with myself. We always seem to have so much patience for others, but when it comes to ourselves, not so much. I walked with my walker out on the road yesterday. It was wonderful to be out in the fresh air! Like you, I miss my family and friends that I cannot visit with. And like you, I celebrate the love I have for them in my heart. Your poetry and photographs inspire me…you highlight the beauty that is all around us, and that is a wonderful thing. Thank you!
❤️❤️
I have no idea why I didn’t receive this post in my reader. Perhaps I was to read it now, as we approach Christmas. Thank you for your profound and poignant message that was given during a difficult and uncertain time. Looking back at those who came before reminds us that the story of humanity is framed within uncertainty and in the unknown. These are the times to embrace friendship and kindness, hope and resilience. Together, we are whole. I am glad that we are entering 2021 together. Looking forward to the many conversations that are waiting for us there.
I sometimes miss posts also…I am so happy to read them later when I find them! 🙂