I have been reading Howard Thurman’s, “The Mood of Christmas.” It is excellent and I wanted to share two short poems from that book with you as well as a verse from a Christmas hymn that moves me every year. I hope you enjoy these.

I Will Light Candles This Christmas
Candles of joy, despite all sadness,
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch,
Candles of courage for fears ever present,
Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days,
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens,
Candles of love to inspire all my living,
Candles that will burn all the year long.

~Howard Thurman

 

The Work of Christmas
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,
To make music in the heart.

~Howard Thurman

 

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd boy, I would bring a lamb.
If I were a wise man, I would do my part.
But what I can I give Him, give Him my heart.

~In the Bleak Midwinter, verse 4.

 

May God bless you all,
Coe