THE
LORD'S POET
TRADITIONS OF CHRISTMAS:
SHARE MINE-----------------------FIND YOURS
NO
CONNECTION
There's
often no connection
Between
what my eye sees
And
my mind recalls.
Curled
ribbons on a gift
Call
to mind paper stars
Made
so many years ago.
But
if you closely examine
The
connection can be found.
It
isn't in the visual impact
But
the emotions deep inside
That
join two such different things
Into
one memory of Christmas joy.
Kathi Phillips
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TO TOP
POPS
AND DROPS
One
of my most treasured memories of Christmas is visiting my great-grandmother's
home. She always had two treats for the children. The first was a barley
pop, a lollipop made with barley sugar and shaped like a toy. They
had a distinctive flavor: none! But Christmas was not Christmas
without a barley pop. The second treat was spice gumdrops the were on a
special tree that decorated the center of Nana's dining room table. Children
were permitted to take two: one from the branches of the tree and
one from the attached dish. These treats required that I make the
most difficutlt decisions of the year: Which toy? Which colors? It
often took me ten minutes to choose the perfect pop and drops!
BACK
TO TOP
BARLEY
POPS AND GUM DROPS
What
is your fav'rite Christmas treat?
Is
it gifts you get or food to eat?
What
brings you joy beyond all measure
And
fills your heart with joyous pleasure?
My
mind is full of many thoughts:
Of
gifts to make and ones I bought,
And
cards to mail to friends not here,
And
memories of other years.
I've
memories without an end
Of
holidays with special friends
But
barley pops and spice gumdrops
Are
surely, truly, quite the tops!
Kathi Phillips
BACK
TO TOP
A
NEW TRADITION
Ribbon
curls to paper stars:
Memories
of Christmases past
That
still fascinate.
Little
things send my thoughts
Flying
back to a distant time.
I
look at the ribbon
Around
a friend's gift
And
my roving mind recalls
A
Christmas Eve with Mom.
I
was seven (or maybe six).
Mom
placed before us
(My
sisters and I)
Some
paper and scissors,
Then
patiently explained just how
To
fold and cut and convert
That
paper into lovely stars.
She
then taped our efforts
To
every window.
And
another tradition was born!
Kathi Phillips
BACK
TO TOP
WHAT'S
LOST
Christmas
comes around once more
But
we feel a troubled loss,
As
if something were missing.
We
know we should be
Expectantly
joyous
In
this season of giving
But
try as we might
No
efforts reveal
That
which we've misplaced.
We
seek and search,
Trying
many ways
To
return the kidnapped joy.
We
look and seek
And
search some more
Hoping
soon to find it.
But
we're simply unaware
That
the reason we've lost it
With
Christmas time
Is
because we've totally lost,
Completely
forgotten,
The
full meaning of Easter.
Kathi
Phillips
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