One of my favouries

 Twas the Night Before Christmas: Full Text of the Classic Poem

By Clement Clarke Moore

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window, I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!

On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONNER and BLITZEN!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my hand and was turning around,

Down the chimney, St. Nicholas came with abound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT

 Taken from TeacherVision Staff website

Faith

We have faith, our faith may not be the religious kind of faith, where we believe in an omnipotent or all-powerful entity that does or does not control our lives. Our faith may be that we have faith that we will see our loved ones again. We may have faith that when we go to sleep at night we will wake up the next day. Some say that faith and religion are the same. I believe there is a difference and that is faith is the complete trust and confidence in someone or something whereas religion is a specific system of belief and/or worship, often involving a code of ethics and philosophy.

In Christian theology, faith is the divinely inspired human response to God’s historical revelation through Jesus Christ and, consequently, is of crucial significance.

However, no definition I have found allows for the identification of “faith” with “religion.” Some inner attitude has its part in all religious traditions, but it is not always of central significance. For example, words in ancient Egypt or Vedic India that can be roughly rendered by the general term “religion” do not allow for “faith” as a translation but rather connote cultic duties and acts. 

In Hindu and Buddhist Yoga traditions, inner attitudes recommended are primarily attitudes of trust in the guru, or spiritual preceptor, and not, or not primarily, in God. Hindu and Buddhist concepts of devotion (Sanskrit bhakti) and love or compassion (Sanskrit karuna) are more comparable to the Christian notions of love (Greek agapē, Latin Caritas) than to faith. Devotional forms of Mahayana Buddhism and Vaishnavism show religious expressions not wholly dissimilar to faith.

Some still will equate faith with religion so whatever you call it or equate it to, we all have it or need it. Another word for faith is belief, so if we believe in ourselves and our abilities we have faith. We have faith if we believe in the people that we love. Faith is important to all of us and during this time of year when the days are short and the dark nights are long we hold on to our belief or our faith that all will be soon well.

Purpose and Hope

Today is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest day in the Southern Hemisphere. This is a day of hope and this season is a time for celebrations. Humans are optimistic by nature, I would argue. When we plan for the next day, when we think about the future we are showing optimism and hope. Tomorrow is not guaranteed for anyone, and life happens by happenstance and randomly even though we try to plan. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the days are short, the weather terrible and this is a time when hope is something, an outsider would think we are short of, but at this time of year, we have an overabundance of hope. 

We see it in our grandchildren's eyes as they think about Christmas, we see it in the faces of strangers as they look at the decorations on display. Those who are of the Christian faith, see this time as a renewal of the promise of their god to take on and forgive the sins of humans. 

Buddhists, see this time of year as a  time to observe and mark the time when Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment  

Hinduism has many festivals that celebrate the idea of growing which comes from having purpose and hope. At this time of year, one of the celebrations is Lohri is a traditional celebration, particularly observed by Northern India and linked to the Punjab region, to mark the passing of the winter solstice and welcome longer days and the sun’s journey to the northern hemisphere. 

All faiths have festivals that celebrate hope and purpose, in Islam the event is Ramadan, and the main goal during Ramadan is for people to become the best version of themselves. They make an effort to read and understand the Qur’an every day, try to be more charitable, and try their best to ditch bad habits.

For many, the Winter Solstice marks the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere), all thanks to the tilt of the earth. In many cultures, the day is a day of feasting and celebration, but even if you’re totally agnostic, you can still find a reason to rejoice, because, after today, you’ll see gradually shorter nights and longer days, which means you can look forward to the emergence of spring, and with spring comes hope and with hope comes purpose. 

Time to think about purpose

Purpose isn’t waiting to be found. Everyone has a purpose, but it rarely just reveals itself. Instead, you have to make a proactive choice to discover your purpose.

It’s common knowledge that having a sense of purpose gives a person direction, fulfillment, and happiness, but research has shown it also has a tangible benefit on your health.

•    A study at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, found that rating a person’s sense of purpose even one point higher on a seven-point scale decreased the risk of death by 12 percent over 14 years. Plus, the benefits were seen across people in their 20s to 70s, suggesting it’s never too late to find your passion.

•    A study by Rush University Medical Center found that people who have a lower sense of purpose in their lives could be more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease compared to people who have a greater understanding of purpose.

•    Researchers for the American Heart Association analyzed several studies. They found that over an average follow-up of 8.5 years, having a high sense of purpose in life was associated with a 23 percent reduction in death from all causes and a 19 percent reduced risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes.

•    A study by the University of Michigan found that those who reported having greater life purpose were more likely to make better use of preventative healthcare and spend less time in the hospital than those with a lower sense of purpose.

Finding purpose in retirement isn’t just nice it’s a necessity! Here are some thoughts you can do to help unlock your purpose as you age.

1.  Describe the finest chapter in your life thus far. What made it the finest? How can you manifest those qualities in your next chapter?

2.  Ask yourself, “How can I grow and give?” Review your calendar. Make regular appointments with yourself to grow and to give.

3.  Who is your ageing exemplar, and why do you admire this person? What qualities of growing old do they embody?

German philosopher Immanuel Kant, who famously wrote that, to be happy, it is essential to have:

•    Something to do: Whether your passion is volunteering, crafting, taking continuing education classes, golf, or some other hobby or pastime, activities that engage you fully and give pleasure are the ones that are essential to our well-being.

•    Someone to love: As we age, as well, we come to understand better that connecting with the people we love is necessary. Whether it is the family you are related to or the family you have chosen, interpersonal relationships sustain, especially later in life. Sadly, we saw the impact social isolation had on so many people during the pandemic.

•    Something to hope for: Older people who flourish have a wide range of purposes and things to hope for that give meaning to their lives. Meaning and purpose come from caring about something beyond ourselves. This could be a social cause, family, spirituality — whatever energizes you.

 How To Find Your Purpose In Life

According to St. Ignatius of Loyola, here are six ways to find your purpose in life.

1.     Pick The Right Time To Think About It

2.     Imagine Yourself In The Future

3.     Ask The People Who Know You Best

4.     Think About How The Rest Of Your Life Is Affected

5.     Pretend You Are Another Person Giving Advice To Yourself

6.     Imagine You Are Living Your Last Moments

a.  Are you happy with the way you have lived your life? If not, what can, and would you change?

b.  This is a profound question all retirees need to answer as they move into the last third of their lives. Remember you never retire from making contributions.