Writing Again

I found some old stuff I had written about 5 years ago. And it occurred to me, I used to write alot. I wrote plays, newsletters, letters, and just nearly anything I could think to write about.

So I looked at myself now, and I hardly ever write anything. So I asked myself, "What's the difference?" I guess alot of it is just habits. I was in a great habit of just writing all the time. Now, I just don't. I liked the things I wrote, and I think I was pretty good.

So, I am now challenging myself. I am challenging myself, to become a writer all of the time. Spoken words are great, but not necessarily remembered except in a general sort of way. Written words can live forever. Think about it, we are still reading things written thousands of years ago, literally since the beginning of time.

Step one for me is going to be to blog. The next step will be to write creatively. Plays, short stories, etc. I am now remembering some of the things that I was taught in literature class: plot, theme, setting, characters, conflict, climax, resolution, irony, foreshadowing. I guess writing reflects either a journey or a situation you are in or have been in. And since so much has changed since I wrote last, I expect my writing to be quite different. Stylistically, I don't expect a great change; content, perhaps; depth, we'll see.

It has begun.

Christmas Song: O Come, O Come Emmanuel

by Isaac Watts

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appears

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee O Israel

O come, thou rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of of hell thy people save
And give them vict'ry o'er the grave

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee O Israel

O come, O Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by thine advent here
And drive away the shaves of night
And pierce the clouds and bring us light

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee O Israel

O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heavenly home
Make safe the way that leads on high
And close the path to misery

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee O Israel

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might
Who to thy tribes, on Sinai's height
In ancient times did'st give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee O Israel

Christmas Song: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

by Lewis Henry Redner

God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay,
Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day;
To save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray.

Refrain
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy.

In Bethlehem, in Israel, this blessèd Babe was born,
And laid within a manger upon this blessèd morn;
The which His mother Mary did nothing take in scorn.

Refrain

From God our heavenly Father a blessèd angel came;
And unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same;
How that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by name.

Refrain

“Fear not, then,” said the angel, “Let nothing you afright
This day is born a Savior of a pure Virgin bright,
To free all those who trust in Him from Satan’s power and might.”

Refrain

The shepherds at those tidings rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding in tempest, storm and wind,
And went to Bethl’em straightaway this blessèd Babe to find.

Refrain

But when to Bethlehem they came where our dear Savior lay,
They found Him in a manger where oxen feed on hay;
His mother Mary kneeling unto the Lord did pray.

Refrain

Now to the Lord sing praises all you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas all others doth deface.

Refrain

God bless the ruler of this house, and send him long to reign,
And many a merry Christmas may live to see again;
Among your friends and kindred that live both far and near—

That God send you a happy new year, happy new year,
And God send you a happy new year.

Journal Entry: December 10th

This is my first journal style entry:

I am having a great day. The events haven't been spectacular, but I am definitely in a good mood. Christmas music is awesome. I have killed two deer with one day of the season left.
I've printed lots of venison recipes. I've decorated for Christmas a lot this weekend. I am ready to start holiday baking. Christmas specials are playing on TV and I probably will get to see Napoleon Dynamite again this weekend.

I guess I have been tired a couple of times this week, but I have stayed in a pretty good mood anyway. I am excited about the kids' performance on the 19th, and next weekend will be very Christmasy. We have caroling next Friday and a Christmas party on Saturday and then the performances on Sunday.

The next two weeks will be awesome and I am ready...

That's it, I'm done.

Christmas Song: O Holy Night

by Placide Clappeau

O Holy night, the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt His worth

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder beams a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine! O night when Christ was born!
O night divine! O night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here came the wise men from the Orient land

The King of Kings lay in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend
He knows our need To our weakness no stranger
Behold your King! before the lowly bend!
Behold your King! before Him bend!

Truly he taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus rise we
Let all within us praise His holy name
Christ is the Lord Then ever, ever praise we
His pow'r and glory ever more proclaim
His pow'r and glory ever more proclaim

Christmas Song: Carol of the Bells

by Peter J. Wilhousky

Hark how the bells,
sweet silver bells,
all seem to say,
throw cares away

Christmas is here,
bringing good cheer,
to young and old,
meek and the bold,

Ding dong ding dong
that is their song
with joyful ring
all caroling

One seems to hear
words of good cheer
from everywhere
filling the air

Oh how they pound,
raising the sound,
o'er hill and dale,
telling their tale,

Gaily they ring
while people sing
songs of good cheer,
Christmas is here,

Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas,
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas,

On on they send,
on without end,
their joyful tone
to every home
Dong Ding dong ding... dong! Bong!.

A Good Excuse

Here's a thought.

If you typically aren't nice, then one day you are, people usually ask, "What do you want?" or "What's going on with you?" or "What's the catch?"

We are supposed to be nice and good to people all of the time.

It is the Holiday Season, so use that as the excuse.

Say, "I guess I am just in the Holiday spirit." People will buy that without question, usually.

Then make being nice your habit instead of out of the ordinary.

That's it, I'm done.

Recipe: Caramelized Onion, Gorgonzola, and Rosemary Pizza

courtesy Don Pintabona

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 yellow onions, thinly sliced
1-tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 cup softened butter
1 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Crust
10 ounces Gorgonzola, crumbled
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
In a large saute pan over high heat, warm the oil. Add the onions and rosemary, and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add butter and lower heat and continue to caramelize for about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Spread the pizza dough with the onion mixture and scatter Gorgonzola over top. Bake in a pizza oven or a preheated 400 degree oven until lightly golden and the crust is browned, about 20 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

Christmas Song: Mistletoe & Holly

by Sanicola, Stanford, and Sinatra

Oh, by gosh, by golly
It's time for mistletoe and holly
Tasty pheasants, Christmas presents
Countrysides covered with snow

Oh, by gosh, by jingle
It's time for carols and Kris Kringle
Overeating, merry greetings
From relatives you don't know

Then comes that big night,
Giving the tree the trim
You'll hear voices by starlight
Singing a Yuletide hymn

Oh, by gosh, by golly
It's time for mistletoe and holly
Fancy ties an' granny's pies
An' folks stealin' a kiss or two
As they whisper, "Merry Christmas" to you

Christmas Song: I Love the Winter Weather/I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm

by E. Brown, Irving Berlin, Tickler Freeman

I love the winter weather
So the two of us can get together
There's nothing sweeter, finer
When it's nice and cold I can hold my baby closer to me
And collect the kisses that are due me
I love the winter weather
Cause I've got my love to keep me warm

I can't remember a worse December
Just watch those icicles form!
What do I care if icicles form?
I've got my love to keep me warm
Off with my overcoat, off with my glove
I need no overcoat, I'm burning with love!

I love the winter weather
So the two of us can get together
There's nothing sweeter, finer
When it's nice and cold I can hold my baby closer to me
And collect the kisses that are due me
I love the winter weather
Cause I've got my love to keep me warm

The Unexpected

I've heard a lot of opinions and sayings about what to do when the unexpected happens.
"Expect the unexpected," not possible.
"Be trained and ready for the unexpected," once again, not really possible.
So what do you do when the unexpected happens?

I guess, first, I need to define the unexpected. The unexpected is when something that should never happen, could never happen, or would ever happen happens. It is when something that is totally off the radar comes and hits you. The unexpected is stealthy and undetectable, and often so new or unique that it also unexplicable. And usually, it doesn't just seem to fit.

If the unexpected is something good...we are all very happy, shocked but happy. An example of this would be someone discovering gold on your property when you had no clue.

If the unexpected is something bad...we are all left in shock and disarray. Sort of like a punch to the gut in the dark that knocks the wind out of you.

If the unexpected is good and fits, we adapt it into our lives with no problem. I once had a pair of friends who just ran off and got married over the holiday. It completely came out of nowhere. It's great though, they have been married like 10 years and have a kid.

If the unexpected is good and doesn't fit, we have to adapt quickly or we could lose it. I guess the easiest example of this would be one of those cash machines where you have to grab the money while it blows around.

If the unexpected is bad and fits, we are sad for a little while. Thats like a grandma or grandpa dying all of a sudden. We didn't want it to happen but it was going to eventually and we understand that.

If the unexpected is bad and doesn't fit, that is where the problem arises. I had a 22 year old cousin die in a car accident, that was rough.

Since we can't expect the unexpected, or see it coming and plan for it, or just accept it as part of everyday life, then we must figure out how to deal with it. More often than not it is also a cutting place where either people turn to or away from God.

Well, I can say for sure that the only way to handle this is to turn to God.

You can use the early disciples as an example. They didn't know what they were running into everytime they came around a corner. They could be stoned, put in prison, or accepted. They simply had the attitude that God was going to take care of them, no matter how bad it seemed. Jesus told them that they wouldn't even have to plan what they were going to say, that the Holy Spirit would reveal it to them.

David said that he had never seen the righteous forsaken or God's seed begging for bread.

Alot of people think that God will only handle parts of it, but the rest has just got to hurt. Well, I completely disagree. If He can do miracles in one thing, He can do it in another.

Paul said God hasn't given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.

So what do you do?

Romans 8 says that's why we have the Holy Spirit. He helps our weaknesses. He helps us pray when we don't know what to say. He searches both our heart and God's heart.

Don't get trapped trying to do it your own way.

That's it, I'm done.

Christmas Song: The Christmas Waltz

by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne

Frosted window panes
Candles gleaming inside
Painted candy canes on the the tree
Santa's on his way,
He's filled his sleigh with things,
Things for you and for me

It's the time of year
When the world falls in love
Every song you hear seems to say
Merry Christmas
May your New Year dreams come true

And this song of mine
In three quarter time
Wishes you and yours
The same thing too

Merry Christmas
May your new year dreams come true

And this song of mine
In three quarter time
Wishes you and yours
The same thing too

Merry Christmas to you.