Gentle Thoughts...

[wellie]

and that, SueA, sweetheart, was truly inspired.
Aren't we supposed to bring a lump of coal into the house last thing of the old year and first thing when the chimes sound for to see us into The New Year?
Now that's a lovely Gentle Thought that we could all think then? even with an imaginary lump of coal - THEN we'd have hundreds of lumps of coal......

so my Gentle Thought for tomorrow says:

Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things.
(Henry Ward Beecher)

[moggssue]

My mum (god bless her, I miss her ) always made one of us stand outside the front door at midnight on Dec 31st, knock on the door and wait to be invited inside to hand over a piece of coal. This inevitably led to one poor soul (usually me once I was old enough!) standing freezing outside while the revellers indoors toasted the new year then finally remembered me!!

I still have the same piece of coal and continue the tradition (but now it's OH who stands outside hehe!). This year, I will be thinking not only of my parents and other family members but of you lovely grapes Wellie!! There will be an extra hug going around I think

[Flummery]

On the 'lump of coal' question Wellie. My Ma and Dad used to do the 'first footing' thing each new year. Ma said it should be a tall dark stranger. Dad said he was tall and dark and they didn't come much stranger! Seconds before midnight, Dad would go outside with a lump of coal and a shilling (it was the olden days when Flum was little!) and check his watch for midnight. Ma sat inside with the 'wireless' (I SAID it was the olden days!) and waited for the chimes. Eventually my Dad would think she'd forgotten, and go round to the back door. Ma would open the door to find no stranger of any shade or demeanour. She'd shut the door and go round the back looking for him. By then he was proceeding by the side path to the front door to knock again.

We started nearly every New Year of my childhood with a row!

[wellie]

Oh moggie and Flum, stories to warm the cockles of anyone's heart and make smiles appear on even the most stressed of faces right now....
and moggie; by all means Hug Me, just don't get coal-dust on my nice new Jumpy sweetie?! Flummie, with my vivid imagination, I can sit here and just see your Mum chasing your Dad round the house in the wee small hours with her rolling pin..... Happy Days!

Which leads me very beautifully, into my final Gentle Thought:



HOSPITALITY CONSISTS IN A LITTLE FIRE, A LITTLE FOOD, AND AN IMMENSE QUIET
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)


And I would just like to take this opportunity of 'Bigging Up' my Dad, who gave me this very lovely GENTLE THOUGHTS Book, compiled by Beth Mende Conny (!SBN 0-88088-760-5) which he wrote: FOR SHELLEY, Love Daddy, August 1999. He died of Throat Cancer a year or two later.

Join me in thinking lovingly of those that we miss?

And let's just treasure the people in our lives right now who mean so very much to us, and let's show them all how much we love them.
And then you can tell them all to Pi** Off on Boxing Day!

Thank you for listening, I'm finished now....
X

[Flummery]

It's certainly a time to remember those who are no longer here Wellie, especially perhaps, those who were here last Christmas.

Incidentally petal, do you EVER sleep? There's only one 3:12 on MY clock!

[SueA]

Thanks for all the lovely 'Gentle Thoughts' Wellie. I'll join you in remembering all those we've lost & anyone who is alone, ill or unhappy at this time of year.