Day 7 - Christmas Bells

Just the other day Annie was complaining about not having enough to say in the blog this year. I brushed off her fears because the two of us are engrossing, mesmerizing, and fascinating people so we would have no trouble coming up with amazing posts...right? 

Well, tonight I just don't have very many inspirational or exciting thoughts of my own. I mean, it's almost 10pm which is WELL past my productive hours. However, I have a duty and will try to give you my best 10pm thoughts:

I have a problem. When I stumble across a song I like, I put it on repeat and listen to it a thousand times (Ok, maybe not quite a thousand but at least twenty), drowning my ears in the song before I eventually get sick of it. Tonight's musical playlist included some soft Christmas background music which played along merrily for most of the evening. One of the songs that appeared on the playlist was called Christmas Bells by John Gorka. During the second listen, I realized that I enjoyed the tune and quickly put the song on repeat. About the fifth or sixth listen, I started to pay attention to the words.

This led to a little bit of Googling to find the lyrics. Come to find out, the words are from a Henry Longfellow poem written during the Civil War. The song was written in response to the death of his wife and his son's abandonment of the family to join the army. While I thought the song was beautiful before, it takes on new meaning when you hear the story inspiring it. May you enjoy the tune and may it remind you during this Christmas season to embrace peace on earth and good will to men.

Christmas Bells

I HEARD the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth

The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent

The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;

"There is no peace on earth," I said;

"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."