Happiness is a fragile gift

My Christmas drift in today's print Herald Express. Silent Night is, I think, a simply captivating hymn. I loved it as a child and it continues to move me today. It is the Christmas hymn for me, and drifts through my mind like now snowflakes softly landing on a winter eve.

As I write, Silent Night, is playing and two candles flicker on my desk. A couple of years ago I was in Rome and attended the midday mass at St Peter’s. As believers queued for communion, the choir sang Silent Night.

The magic of that moment will travel with me forever. St Peter’s is one of the largest churches in the world, yet as the choir sang, I felt as though I was in a small and private place. How odd.

It is worth reading the gentle words of that wonderful hymn, because they offer a calm and perfect picture of universal peace and tranquility. Others might argue differently.

Singer songwriters Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel released a thought-provoking song back in 1966, called 7 O’Clock News / Silent Night. They carefully thread the seven o’ clock radio news of the day into their singing of Silent Night.

I have always been haunted by the contrast between that vision of peacefulness and beauty, set against the stark reality of a harsh and often cruel world.

Being the curious bunny that I am, it seemed an obvious thing to thread today’s news into the hymn. My emotional response was unexpected and my eyes filled with tears.

This broken world continues to twist and turn and I am ever-fearful that some demented politico will press that ever-present self-destruct button!

Surely, we can all do better, rather than constantly looking for fault and biting chunks out of each other?

When my children were young, the house was filled with the scent of pine from a Christmas tree and the atmospheric smell of woodsmoke from a crackling fire.

Christmas decorations and sparkling lights added to the magic. These days I live alone and the only decoration is a little nativity scene; but logs still crackle on an open fire and so the smell of woodsmoke continues to drift around my house!

Christmas should be, I think, a happy occasion. Sadly, for far too many, this festive period is anything but happy. Threading the today’s news between the Silent Night lyrics rather confirms that.

Happiness is a fragile gift and must be treasured. The edge of darkness is never far away and it is the duty of all to spread the light.

Watching my grandchildren participating in school Christmas events is a real joy. Listening to the cheerful voices of young children singing fills my spirit and the magic of the moment swirls around, offering the promise of a brighter future.

I am mindful, especially, of the Christmas story. A distressed family unsuccessfully seeking accommodation and finding none and eventually ending up in a stable with farm animals.

It was there that the baby Jesus is born and everything changed.

Silent Night was written by an Austrian priest Joseph Mohr and set to music by school teacher Franz Gruber, on a cold winter night, on Christmas Eve in 1818. It was sung for the first time at Midnight Mass, as a simple arrangement between choir and guitar.

The thought of that magical moment has helped me to keep the smile!

#Christmas #Hope #Simon&Garfunkel #Refugee #Homelessness