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AGNUS DEI

Ecce agnus Dei, originally uploaded by Nick in exsilio.

Lamb of God Born To Us
I attended the Christmas Cantata, AGNUS DEI, at my church tonight. Following is an excerpt from the front of the program.

Agnus Dei comes from two Latin words: agnus, meaning 'lamb' and dei, 'of God'. The traditional litany said or sung during Communion is:

Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world-
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world-
grant us peace.

It is based on John 1:29, John the Baptist's salutation, "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

In the history of God and man, two themes are juxtaposed: Man's sinfulness and God's triumph over it. The songbook of God's people is a liturgy of counterpoint: We fail, the future looks hopeless, but the Lord God Almighty reigns.

Nowhere have the two themes intersected more poignantly than at the moment the Lamb of God came into the world. Nowhere has there ever been sung a more glorious song than this: "Today is born for you, a Savior."

The music was beautiful. I was reminded of the greatness of God's love for me. It was a much needed moment of peace in the frenzy of activity that comes with Christmas and gave a lift to my spirit which tends to sink a bit during the Holidays.

Over The River...

I am thankful to be able to spend this day at home (dare I say it?) alone. No sympathy, please. It is my choice and I am also thankful my friends who invited me to dinner, thereby giving me a choice. Both my girls are busy elsewhere today and I choose to take advantage of some desperately needed downtime at home.

I am doing things that one does when at home with no demands - a little cleaning, a little cooking and eating, a lot of coffee (made in my French press, yum), and my favorite: randomly going through books and other "stuff". I recently brought out the old Childcraft books. They were published one year before me. I fondly remember my mother reading poems to me from the now battered Volume 1: Poems of Early Childhood. I want to share this page in honor of the day. Click on the image to view it full size.


Note: I had to play around with the scanned images in Paint Shop Pro to stitch them together. So I even learned something. I think, by George, I am nurturing my muse. Go figure.

Being Thankful Today

I have much to be thankful for
And I am

For family and friends
For food, clothing and shelter
I give thanks to God

Most of all
I am thankful to be loved
By a merciful God
For blessings, grace and mercy
Freely given to to one so unworthy
For the promise of eternity
To be lived in His presence
For the gift of Faith that came
With the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ
Who lived and died and lived again for me
For a heart that was changed
Jesus, I thank you

Pushing Through The Gap

Just one more, then I must get some work done. As you can see, I have been sitting here rambling around cyberspace. This video is from Ira Glass of NPR. He is talking about the gap between what is created and what is in the mind of someone who is new at their craft. It is so true. How many projects I have abandoned because the work did not meet my standards. Then I revisit it, sometimes years later, and wonder why I never finished. It's because I wanted instant mastery without going through the steps to get there. Hmmm, I think that applies to more in my life than art. That's food for thought, eh?



BTW, The Redhead Creates is where I stumbled upon this.

Building A Starry Night

I know. I never post anything. I have things to say. I really do. But, by the time I sit down here at night, my mind can't find them.

Life is good. I am struggling to finish unpacking eight months later (sigh), trying to find time for art and find my quiet time again. I am making progress in everything, though you might need a microscope to detect it. You see, I still spend a lot of time overwhelmed and doing, well, nothing.

Today I ran across this video while doing "nothing". I am lately amazed at the creativity found in some of the videos out on youtube. I love it. Enjoy.

I Feel Like a Bear...

...'cause I've been TAGGED by Loretta.

Here are the rules:

1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Write six random things about yourself
3. Tag six people at the end of your blog
4. If you are tagged, just do it and pass the tag along

Well, there are not six people left to tag because it took me a week to document my randomness. If anyone stops by and wants to play, just leave a comment with either your six or a link to your blog.

Six random things about me...

1. Entering my fifties was an extreme trauma for me. I was crushed by the realization that my life was essentially more than half over, that so many of the things that I would do 'one day' were probably not going to happen. With 53 rushing in this month, I find myself very content and mostly happy. I have begun to "do".
2. I hitchhiked to Atlanta when I was 17. That one is in the Top 5 stupidest things I have ever done! Maybe one day I will write a post about the adventure. Note to daughters, "Don't even think about anything so stupid!". (this might be news to them, ehem.)
3. I work in a beautiful yarn store a couple of Saturdays each month, for fun. I typically spend more than I get paid!
4. Fall is my favorite season and October, my favorite month. Go figure. My favorite day of the year is the first day that I notice the light has changed and the air feels and smells different.
5. Off the top of my head, these are my favorite fiction reads of the last 52 years. Just David, by Eleanor Porter (first read to the class by my 6th grade teacher), Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott (first real novel I ever read), A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L'Engle, LOTR Trilogy, by Tolkien, Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell, The Stand, by Stephen King, The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis, Zion Chronicles Series, by B&B Thoene and Zion Covenant Series, byB&B Thoene. I think these are in chronological order of my reading.
   
6. The plumber is in the other room lining the inside of my fresh air return so I won't get mold.

Is that random enough for you?

**Correction**
A random mistake - The guy in the other room was not the plumber. It was the HVAC guy.