Light the World

Today is the kick-off for the #LIGHTtheWORLD campaign! The idea is "25 ways in 25 days"--that is, each day leading up to Christmas, people are encouraged to do a service to their fellowman (today the challenge was to lift another's burden.) You can get started on a season of goodwill to man here.

Enjoy the cute little video! Merry Christmas! (I love that I can say that now! Haha:)

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He is the Gift

Time to remember what it's all about. Have an early Merry Christmas.

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Merry Christmas

Picture by Walter Rane

 Veni, veni, Emmanuel, 

 Captivum solve Israel, 

Qui gemit in exilio, 

 Privatus Dei Filio. 

 Gaude! Gaude! Emanuel 

 Nascetur pro te, Israel.

O come, O come Emmanuel 

To free your captive Israel 

 That mourns in lonely exile here 

Until the Son of God appear. 

Rejoice! Rejoice! O Israel, 

 To you shall come Emmanuel. 

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Giving Thanks

Have an excellent Thanksgiving, everyone!

(Don't forget to share!)

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Irish Reading

Property of National Geographic

Need to curl up with a good book this St. Patrick's Day?

Believe it or not, but I've got a list of just a few of my favorites. (I know, I know. I'm addicted to lists.)

The Hounds of the Mórrígan by Pat O'Shea (The book to read on St. Paddy's Day)
Irish Fairy Tales by James Stephens (Be sure to get the version illustrated by Arthur Rackham)
Irish Fairy and Folk Tales by W.B. Yeats (In fact, anything by Yeats brings Ireland to life)
Titanic: The Long Night by Diane Hoh (The Titanic was built in Ireland, and many of the principal characters are Irish)

Heck, even these children's books are fantastic:

A Pot O' Gold by Kathleen Krull
Traditional Tales from Long, Long Ago by Philip Wilson
Tales from Celtic Lands by Caitlin Matthews
Lucy Dove by Janice Del Negro
Fiona's Luck by Teresa Bateman

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Best Literary Couples

Happy Valentine's Day!

Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)
Aragorn and Arwen (The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien)
Mr. Thornton and Margaret Hale (North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell)
Allan a Dale and Ellen (Robin Hood)
Aethelbald and Una (Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl)
Ron and Hermione (Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling)
Martin and Rose (Martin the Warrior by Brian Jacques)
Major Wilbraham and Freda Clegg (Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective by Agatha Christie)

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Merry Christmas

"Let Earth recieve

her King..."

Merry Christmas.

by Carl Bloch

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Happy Thanksgiving

Things I'm thankful for:

1. Sunsets
2.Good books
3. Dark chocolate
4. God and his Son
5. My religion
6. Awesome movies
7. Intelligent conversations
8. Dogs
9. My family
10. Stars
11. The Scriptures
12. Music
13. That I live in America
14. My life
15. Poetry
16. Friends
17. Writing
18. Quotes
19. Cheese
20. Lists :)

(In other news, I finally put my Christmas playlist on this blog. Don't you just love the holidays?)

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Yeah, This Is What I Celebrate

Have a very Happy Birthday, Sir Peter Jackson.

(And, er, Happy Halloween, too.)

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9/11: Ten Years Later

Has it really been ten years since that day?

But no matter how many years pass by, we must never forget.

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The Four Freedoms

Norman Rockwell once did a series of paintings on the freedoms that make America great. I just thought I'd share them.
Have a wonderful 4th of July!

Freedom of Speech

Freedom of Worship

Freedom from Want

Freedom from Fear

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The Best of Celtic Music

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Let's celebrate with a bit of music, shall we?

Altan

A legendary band, and arguably Ireland's best traditional one.

Hayley Westenra

She has the most gorgeous voice I've ever heard.

Julie Fowlis

The only artist who sings in native Scottish Gaelic.

Natalie MacMaster

She does things with a fiddle I never thought possible.

Cherish the Ladies

A fantastic band full of the lovliest voices you'll ever hear.

Déanta

The band that introduced me to Celtic music.

Loreena McKennitt

She sings/composes both World and Celtic music in

her stunning voice.

Enya

Even though she doesn't do Celtic music,

there's no denying that Enya is the absolute best

thing to ever come out of Ireland.

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Love Letters

Picture by Francesco Hayez
Even famous people wrote letters to thier loved ones.
Huzzah for sappy holidays!


A letter from you, and the universe (that's me) sings.
-Malcom Lowry to Jan Gabrial

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart...
-William Wordsworth to His Wife Mary

But your belongings are like that for me-they're sacred. When I see your hat, it becomes "the only hat in the world" for me.
-Katherine Mansfield to John Middleton Murry

The sun cannot shine without you, the birds can make no melody. The flowers have no other beauty or perfume-all is a meaningless waste. I love you darling...You are in every thought, dream, hope, desire.
-Austin Dickinson to Mabel Todd

Everything reminds me of you so much. If I go into the drawing-room, the piano reminds me of you and your violin and the "Shepherds Dance", and "One More", and I feel miserable. Then if I go into the dining-room, there's somebody missing from the table and I'm miserable...
-Unknown Author to Mary Cartland

When you have gone away,/No flowers more, methinks, will be-/No more maple leaves in all the world-/Till you come back to me.
-Yanagiwara Yasu-Ko

The Shortest and Sweetest of Songs

                  Come

                  Home.

-George MacDonald

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Don't Look Back

A wonderful video that uses the Bible story of Lot's wife to tell us to "look not behind", but forward.
Happy New Year!

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Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.

God bless.

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Remembering Shogg

Today is the Official Shogg Remembrance Day, as declared by PsychoAngel51402 on Deviant.com.

R.I.P., Shogg.

SRD '09 Stamp by ~PsychoAngel51402 on deviantART

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Happy St. Patrick's!

 Picture by gamingaddictmike125
Have a great St. Patrick's day!
To celebrate, here's a few fun facts about the Emerald Isle:

-Ireland eats more cornflakes per capita than any other country.
-Irish used the starch water left over from boiled potatoes to stiffen their collars.
-Since he was 14, Peter O'Toole has only worn green socks.
-The Cliffs of Moher are also The Cliffs of Insanity in The Princess Bride.
-In terms of price and quantity, more art has been stolen from the Russborough House than any other museum in the world.
-In Ireland, there are twice as many cattle as people.
-The only horse breed native to Ireland is the Connemara pony.
-The Longest place name in Ireland is Muckanaghederdauhaulia, which means pig marsh between two saltwater inlets.
-The oldest New Testament in the world is in the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin.
-There are no snakes or earthquakes in Ireland.
-The Celtic harp is the symbol of Ireland, not the shamrock.
- Even without touring and only a few TV apppearances, Enya has sold more than 70 million albums!
-Thomas Lefroy was a Chief Justice of Ireland for fourteen years. He's also the man Jane Austen based Mr. Darcy on.
-George Bernard Shaw called his writing studio behind his house after the British capital, so when unwanted visitors came calling, they were told that he was "in London".
-Arists, writers, composers and sculptors that live in Ireland are exempt from paying income tax.

Again, have a great day, and thank you all for following!

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A Thousand Words

I dunno. I just love LOVE.

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Happy New Year!!!

Whew, that's one year of blogging over, with a total of 67 posts!

Thanks to all who read them and commented. If you want me to do any specific posts in the future, feel free to ask.

In other words, please do.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Love and joy come to you,
And to you our wassail too,
And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year
And God send you a Happy New Year

Merry Christmas!

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