Joy to the World ...

Luke 2:10-11

10  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of 
       great joy, which shall be to all people.
11  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

May you too experience the joy that the angel proclaimed to the shepherds, and which God intended for all mankind, not just at Christmas but throughout the year.

Have a blessed Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year !

The Night Alight

Like moths attracted to a porch light, we were likewise drawn last week to the 'Alight at Night' festival at Upper Canada Village, a reconstructed town that replicates life as it was in the mid-1800s. It's hard to imagine how long it took to string up the almost 1 million lights that illuminate the village during this season of light.

It was certainly impressive as we toured the village on a horse-drawn wagon, and enjoyed a ride on the riotously-festooned train.

Hop aboard.

[since there would have been no opportunity to deploy a tripod, these are hand-held using my trusty $92 50mm f1.8 lens - a must have in every camera bag]

"No, I am NOT tired !  Why do you ask ?"

Looking both ways

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

2012 is rapidly drawing to a close. That dawned on me as I was looking back on my blog and realized that my 3rd blogging anniversary had flown right on by. What started off as an 'experiment' back in Dec. 2009 is now in its 4th year (and I realize that it's still in its infancy compared to some stalwarts). I'm no longer posting at the torrid pace of 2010 (a Project 365 year), but God's wonderful creation continues to inspire.

It's good to look back also to see where God's hand has guided, and conversely where we have decided we knew the way better. Looking back provides a good perspective on life if we have eyes to see. I'm reminded of these words:

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

And 'time' for each of us is different - some are given much, others relatively little (think of last week's event in Newtown, CT). Relative to eternity our time here is barely a dream, and who among us will be well-remembered in a couple of generations ?

And yet we may look forward with confidence:

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while life shall last,
And our eternal home.

Since we will be celebrating Christmas with family over the next week, it's unlikely I'll post during that time. [I'm still slowly visiting your blogs as our internet connection permits]. Thank you each and every one for your visits and kind words over this past year.

I wish all of you a Blessed Christmas.

Square peg meets round hole

Our sense of the familiar has been challenged as we try to 'get into the Christmas spirit'. This is the second year that we are spending the weeks leading up to Christmas in the balmy south. For all of those previous years we had grown accustomed to the weather turning cold and blustery, and we literally meant it when we hummed along with "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas". In our experience, there's something incongruous about standing on a street dressed in shorts and sandals in mid-December looking at palm trees adorned with bright Christmas lights.

Good thing that the joyous message of Christmas - the birth of the Saviour of the world - remains the same without regard to geography or weather.

"May all your Christmases be bright."

(Day 359) A Christmas Wish

To all my blogger friends:

I wish you all a blessed Christmas. May you have a wonderful day with family and friends, as you celebrate the reason for this joyous day, and make memories that will warm your hearts for years to come. God bless you all.

Rick

(60mm  f3.2  2 sec  ISO200)

(Day 337) 'T is the season

On my way home from my photo shoot by the pond last night, I drove through the neighbourhood briefly to see who had put a lot of effort into their outdoor Christmas decorations. I didn't have far to go. This evening after our regularly-scheduled after dinner walk, Sasha and I set out again with tripod and camera to get a few shots. The 'winning' home was on a fairly busy corner and a lot of cars slowed down as they passed by. I wasn't sure whether they were slowing down to see the scene or to look at someone standing behind a camera on a tripod with a white, very furry dog lying beside him. I have to admit that it's the first time I've seen palm trees festooned with Christmas lights, but 't is the season, even here.

(both shots made with a 18-55mm lens at f8, ISO200 and shutter speeds of 1 and 1.3 seconds)

click on photo to enlarge

Cribbage for Christmas ??

Christmas 2009 is already in the history books (and I missed the midnight deadline, however, I consider a post on time if it is still done prior to the 'real' end of the day).

What can the connection between cribbage and Christmas possibly be ? Well, for the cribbage aficionado (who call the game 'crib'), the photo below represents a perfect crib hand (29 points !). And Christmas day is 'perfect' when it celebrates the birth of the Saviour of the world with family. The perfect gift for an imperfect world.

And to cap off this Christmas evening, my youngest daughter and I played a few hands of crib, after everyone else retired, which is something we don't often get the opportunity to do (no, neither of us got such a rare perfect hand). Too soon it will be time to part ways again as the family scatters to various places, however, good memories were and are still being made. Make the most of these celebrations so they can be treasured.

'T was the day before Christmas ...

... and I was looking at the tree and the ornaments on it, a lot of which have a special meaning or memory associated with them, and I found this one (see below - yes, I know it's another photo of an ornament), hidden a little on the side of the tree near the wall. It was given to me a few years ago by an elementary school student on my bus and it's a tribute to the many women and men who get up early every school day to ferry students to school and back home safely. I think most of them (if not all) have a guardian angel near their bus.

If you're a parent of a school-bused child, don't forget to say thank you to your child's driver.

Season of Light

From the original Christmas star over Bethlehem to the millions of lights people put up to high-light the occasion, 't is truly the season of Light. Let's not forget the true meaning of Christmas - the birth of the Saviour of mankind - in our rush to shop til' we drop: a person's life does not consist in the abundance of his/her possessions.

Today's photo reminds me of the Light ushered into the world.