December 2019 – Sugar And Spice… Among Other Things

Au revoir to Hello

Posted on December 31, 2019December 31, 2019 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

Bidding adieu to the last few hours of the year brings back fond memories as well as interesting traditions followed to welcome the new year. While the last day may be a holiday, for some it is the last few hours of another work day. Yet battling the traffic and rushing to make it to home base for the last few hours is done so as to usher in the next year with family and friends. While some are on a rampage while setting up the traditional new year watch night, attend the night service, host the family gathering, get the first few traditional customs of the new year ready and the like, the option lies in joining the fray or sitting on the sidelines and enjoying the celebrations.

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

As we usher in the next year, customs both family and country wise may be followed. From the Siberian tradition of diving into a frozen lake while holding a tree trunk to be placed underneath the ice or the Singaporean tradition of releasing wishing spheres into the river, painting front doors red (Chinese), sprinkling salt on the doorstep (Turkey) are just few of the countless traditional new year customs. Each home and family can make their won set of traditions. Be it enjoying a glass of champagne or ice-cream for the children after the night watch service to having fireside games, each of us can make our own tradition to usher in the new year.

“In our perfect ways. In the ways we are beautiful. In the ways we are human. We are here. Happy New Year’s. Let’s make it ours.” Beyoncé

Through all the celebrations, one mustn’t fail to remember that each day is a new year, a chance to do something new, for the better and an opportunity for new chances and attempts. Each new day is an opportunity to make our closest dreams come true. Life always holds a myriad of new beginnings, it is taking them on and changing the circumstances for making oneself better that makes all the difference.

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

Life, Personal Musings, poetry, Random Thoughts

For the Last Say

Posted on December 30, 2019November 16, 2019 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“Reflect upon your present blessings — of which every man has many — not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings

As the hours of the last year slowly go by and the countdown begins, the preparations of the new year slowly get underway. Looking at the winter canvas and reflecting through the turns of the previous year, each of us have gone through some of the best parts and also the “bad bits” of our lives. Whether the measure may be totally out of or in proportion, only time can ever tell. Whether tomorrow could have been better, one doesn’t know.

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

To comment, critique or to envy would be easy, but each one has their own baggage to handle. Some of it may look light upfront more like the tip of the iceberg while for others, it may be evident. Whichever way it may be, each of us have been blessed in a manner. Some of those blessing may be trying events initially, but whether the disguise falls off and they turn out to be blessings of a kind, only time can tell. On a retrospective view, changing circumstances to do one’s best may be more rewarding than when felt then. To be fortunate, would be so if one has the chance to experience the gift of time and circumstances. For those things haven’t been under the control of man, despite numerous efforts and attempts for the same. Using the talents one has been overtly or subtly blessed with, change or adapt to circumstances, make moments as well as memories over time would be gifts and blessings more rewarding than any other. Venturing into the new year, let what has been done be done with, but embrace the future with His Grace, Love, Kindness as well as an alert mind, patient souls and welcoming hearts.

“It’s never too late. Don’t focus on what was taken away. Find something to replace it, and acknowledge the blessing you have.” Drew Barrymore

Source:https://vk.com/monahos

A Song for New Year’s Eve

Stay yet, my friends, a moment stay—
Stay till the good old year,
So long companion of our way,
Shakes hands, and leaves us here.
Oh stay, oh stay,
One little hour, and then away.

The year, whose hopes were high and strong,
Has now no hopes to wake;
Yet one hour more of jest and song
For his familiar sake.
Oh stay, oh stay,
One mirthful hour, and then away.

The kindly year, his liberal hands
Have lavished all his store.
And shall we turn from where he stands,
Because he gives no more?
Oh stay, oh stay,
One grateful hour, and then away.

Days brightly came and calmly went,
While yet he was our guest;
How cheerfully the week was spent!
How sweet the seventh day’s rest!
Oh stay, oh stay,
One golden hour, and then away.

Dear friends were with us, some who sleep
Beneath the coffin-lid:
What pleasant memories we keep
Of all they said and did!
Oh stay, oh stay,
One tender hour, and then away.

Even while we sing, he smiles his last,
And leaves our sphere behind.
The good old year is with the past;
Oh be the new as kind!
Oh stay, oh stay,
One parting strain, and then away.

William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878)

Source:https://vk.com/monahos

Christian, Family and Society, Random Thoughts, Reflections

Given Another Try

Posted on December 29, 2019October 21, 2019 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

One of the local downtown stores was having it’s usual year end sales. While most sections were having the regular holiday rush, one section set apart as a temporary built structure was having an unexpected inflow of customers. For a change this year, they had opened a new section meant for second hand goods like old toys, clothes, decors, sports goods and the like with the proceeds going to the local orphanage. As the second hand goods went at throw-away prices, all these products were given a second chance at being useful to those in need, somewhere else or to someone else.

https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

A lot like these goods, many people are in need of second chances. While second chances do indeed transform lives, when this chance is from God, there is a whole new lease to life as it unfolds. Many a time we encounter His Grace whether it be through sheer luck, unexplained acts of random kindness or a stroke of luck or goodness that happens by chance; all these second chances gives a fresh face to life.

“Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!” (Micah 7:19)

Source:https://vk.com/slideshowarts

With the year coming to a close, there may have been mistakes made, some knowingly or by chance (as just happened) or inevitable circumstances. Setting all these causes and factors aside, while changing the circumstances mayn’t be possible, giving ourselves a fresh chance to cope with them would help face the day. While this year or month mayn’t haven’t gone as per plan, one can always attempt again or find a new way. All of us need second chances, for no one is perfect at every strike or moment. Accepting His Grace and seeking His Help would help us overcome the downhills and find a fresh chances in the coming year.

Source:https://vk.com/slideshowarts

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https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

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Daily, Food, Stories Around the World

Christmas, Candy and Canes

Posted on December 28, 2019November 26, 2019 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

What is the best to keep a crowd of noisy children quiet ? The best option would be to give a bag of sweets, preferably mints or hard boiled candies for then there would be snatches of quiet.

On similar lines as per folklore, the choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral ( Cologne, Germany 1670) wished to quieten the noise made by the children during the long Living Crèche ceremony of Christmas Eve at church. He asked the local candy maker for some “sugar sticks” and add a crook to the top of each stick. While the latter would have probably been meant to be symbolic of the shepherds visiting Infant Christ as well as to justify the practice of giving candy to children during worship services. With the white colour of converted sticks, children were taught about Christian belief in the sinless life of Jesus.

Source:https://vk.com/comeshome

Their popularity from Germany had spread to the rest of Europe, wherein these candy canes were handed out during plays reenacting the Nativity. Another legend connects candy canes to the anniversary of the death of St. Nicholas (343 A.D.) with the candy cane representing the crozier or bishop’s staff of St. Nicholas. Though other legends may run through various locals, the candy cane especially the classical red and white one is synonymous with Christmastide. Records also mention of August Imgard (Wooster, Ohio, 1847) decorating a small pine tree with paper ornaments and candy canes.

With the similarity to the polkagris, candy canes are a part of Christmas tradition which stays on till New Year. From the simple red and white ones to the more coloured and striped ones, with various flavours of peppermints to spicy or salty variants, candy canes keep the confectioners busy for the end of the year season. Intermixing the essence of candy cane into varied desserts, from cookies to truffles or cupcakes, experimentation with candy cane is an experience in itself. With the smells of candy canes and Christmas time, the golden yesteryear of childhood still stay fresh in the mind. For that is what happy memories are all about.

Source:https://vk.com/comeshome

Source:https://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/microwave-candy-cane-fudge/a336175d-5319-4ada-8766-e01000a336ef

Source:https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/candy-cane-recipes/

Source:https://cakescottage.com/2014/12/05/candy-cane-oreo-truffles/

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

Life, Personal Musings, poetry, Reflections

Getting Back On

Posted on December 27, 2019November 8, 2019 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“Courage isn’t having the strength to go on – it is going on when you don’t have strength.” Napoleon Bonaparte

Winding down to the end of the year, while many of us may have a feel of pleasantness and personal achievements to remember the year by; for few it mayn’t be so. This year may have brought more struggle, loss or grief than the years before. This year may have brought unhappiness from the start, bringing more memories of sorrow than joy. Despite all this, the courage to go on is what matter the most.

Source:https://vk.com/monahos

True that one may have more than their fair share of experiences of the “downhills” more than many. Yet looking beyond all this, to have the opportunity to see another tomorrow may be the gift of our presence and support to someone else. Life never goes as planned. Even when the ship goes smooth sailing, knowing how to face the turbulence and brave the storm makes the journey more enriching and rewarding. In the face of all odds, taking each day as it comes helps one to gear and get prepared for another chance or experience of the year to be.

“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” Marcus Aurelius

Source:https://vk.com/monahos

Promise Yourself

To be so strong that nothing
can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity
to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel
that there is something in them
To look at the sunny side of everything
and make your optimism come true.

To think only the best, to work only for the best,
and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others
as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past
and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times
and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself
that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear,
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world,
not in loud words but great deeds.
To live in faith that the whole world is on your side
so long as you are true to the best that is in you.”
― Christian D. Larson

Source:https://vk.com/slideshowarts

Christian, Random Thoughts, Stories Around the World

Twelve Days On

Posted on December 26, 2019December 19, 2019 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“For Christmas is tradition time—
Traditions that recall
The precious memories down the years,
The sameness of them all.”
Helen Lowrie Marshall

With the Christmas bells still ringing on, the festive feeling still runs on. With all the family gathered at the homestead yesterday, the laughter, food and music were in the air. To pass the time before the dinner, the carol game of recall and forfeit was played (more of a family Christmas tradition) among the teens and the adults in the group.

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

Interestingly, one of the most popular Christmas carols, “The Twelve of Christmas” was believed to have originated as a children’s memory and forfeit game. As per the song, the twelve days start with Christmas Day or the day after Christmas (Boxing Day or St. Stephen’s Day, the feast day of St. Stephen Protomartyr) to the day before Epiphany or the Feast of the Epiphany (6 January, the Twelfth Day). The eve of the Epiphany is formerly the last day of the Christmas festivities and observed as a time of merrymaking”. Epiphany formerly celebrates the revelation of the God prophesy of Christ. Historical evidence and records point to the North of England, specifically the area around Newcastle upon Tyne, as the origin of the carol somewhere around the early 18th century (approx.1714) onward.

“This piece is found on broadsides printed at Newcastle at various periods during the last hundred and fifty years. On one of these sheets, nearly a century old, it is entitled “An Old English Carol,” but it can scarcely be said to fall within that description of composition, being rather fitted for use in playing the game of “Forfeits,” to which purpose it was commonly applied in the metropolis upwards of forty years since. The practice was for one person in the company to recite the first three lines; a second, the four following; and so on; the person who failed in repeating her portion correctly being subjected to some trifling forfeit.”
Husk, 1864 ( Cecil J. Sharp, A. G. Gilchrist and Lucy E. Broadwood, “Forfeit Songs; Cumulative Songs; Songs of Marvels and of Magical Animals,” Journal of the Folk-Song Society, Vol. 5, No. 20 (November 1916), p. 280.)

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

Another reference to the popular Christmas carol can be traced as a Christmastime game played before supper. As written by Lady Gomme (1898), “The Twelve Days” was a Christmas game. It was a customary thing in a friend’s house to play “The Twelve Days,” or “My Lady’s Lap Dog,” every Twelfth Day night. The party was usually a mixed gathering of juveniles and adults, mostly relatives, and before supper — that is, before eating mince pies and twelfth cake — this game and the cushion dance were played, and the forfeits consequent upon them always cried. The company were all seated round the room. The leader of the game commenced by saying the first line. […] The lines for the “first day” of Christmas was said by each of the company in turn ; then the first “day” was repeated, with the addition of the “second” by the leader, and then this was said all round the circle in turn. This was continued until the lines for the “twelve days” were said by every player. For every mistake a forfeit — a small article belonging to the person — had to be given up. These forfeits were afterwards “cried” in the usual way, and were not returned to the owner until they had been redeemed by the penalty inflicted being performed.”

As this song evolved as an English Christmas carol as a catechism song for young Catholics, along with the surface meaning, each element in the carol has a link to the Christian faith (although this aspect is highly debatable). As children sang these songs, they could remember the background and principles behind the Christian teachings. Starting with the “True Love” one hears in the song is referenced to baby Christ because truly Love was born on Christmas Day. The partridge in the pear tree also represents Him because that bird is willing to sacrifice its life if necessary to protect its young by feigning injury to draw away predators. The two turtle doves signify the Old and New Testaments while the three French hens stood for faith, hope, and love. As the four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; the five golden rings represent the first five books of the Old Testament, which describe man’s fall into sin and the great love of God in sending a Savior.

Source:https://vk.com/slideshowarts

Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Days_of_Christmas_(song)#/media/File:XRF_12days.jpg

Source:https://vk.com/slideshowarts

For the words “six geese a-laying” signify the six days of creation. The “Seven swans a-swimming” represented the seven fold gifts of the Holy Spirit—–Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy while the eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes. The “Nine ladies dancing” were the remaining nine fruits of the Holy Spirit which are charity, joy, peace, patience (forebearance), goodness (kindness), mildness, fidelity, modesty and chastity. As remaining of “ten lords a-leaping”, “eleven pipers piping” and the “twelve drummers drumming” symbolize the Ten Commandments, eleven faithful Apostles and the twelve points of belief in The Apostles’ Creed respectively. Although this interpretation is highly debatable, it highlights the fact that there is always a meaning behind each word.

All in all, these few carols when sung in full swing or even played as a Christmas time game, bring all of us closer in the spirit of love, joy and kindness. For the real Christian faith goes beyond the surface, carrying His Teachings and the principles that guide us through the good times as well as the tough days.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

[Verse 1]
On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree

[Verse 2]
On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree ………

[Verse 12]
On the 12th day of Christmas my true love sent to me
12 drummers drumming
11 pipers piping
10 lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree

Note: “The Twelve Days of Christmas” known today was the arrangement as popularized by Frederic Austin (1909). Original source for the history behind the song : Fr. Calvin Goodwin, FSSP, Nebraska

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Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Days_of_Christmas_(song)#/media/File:12_days_angus.png

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Christian, Daily, Photography Art, poetry

Glow of Peace

Posted on December 25, 2019December 11, 2019 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

In the wee morning hours, as the church service had come to a close, the rays of dawn had lighted up the chapel hall. The colours of dawn through the glass stained windows had brought a sense of peace within. Through the stillness of winter, those rays bring colour, hope and joy to the gray and dark times.

One of the best parts about His Grace is handing over our troubles of life in His Hands. There is nothing as fulfilling as being blessed with the feeling of quietness and harmony within the soul. Leaving all the mundane worries, trifling matters and sorrows in His Hand, the soul is rested and comforted. Such is due to the blessing being bestowed on man on the blessed day of Christmas.

“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Luke 1:76-79)

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem

Thunder rumbles in the mountain passes
And lightning rattles the eaves of our houses.
Flood waters await us in our avenues.

Snow falls upon snow, falls upon snow to avalanche
Over unprotected villages.
The sky slips low and grey and threatening.

We question ourselves.
What have we done to so affront nature?
We worry God.
Are you there? Are you there really?
Does the covenant you made with us still hold?

Into this climate of fear and apprehension, Christmas enters,
Streaming lights of joy, ringing bells of hope
And singing carols of forgiveness high up in the bright air.
The world is encouraged to come away from rancor,
Come the way of friendship.

It is the Glad Season.
Thunder ebbs to silence and lightning sleeps quietly in the corner.
Flood waters recede into memory.
Snow becomes a yielding cushion to aid us
As we make our way to higher ground.

Hope is born again in the faces of children
It rides on the shoulders of our aged as they walk into their sunsets.
Hope spreads around the earth. Brightening all things,
Even hate which crouches breeding in dark corridors.

In our joy, we think we hear a whisper.
At first it is too soft. Then only half heard.
We listen carefully as it gathers strength.
We hear a sweetness.
The word is Peace.
It is loud now. It is louder.
Louder than the explosion of bombs.

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

We tremble at the sound. We are thrilled by its presence.
It is what we have hungered for.
Not just the absence of war. But, true Peace.
A harmony of spirit, a comfort of courtesies.
Security for our beloveds and their beloveds.

We clap hands and welcome the Peace of Christmas.
We beckon this good season to wait a while with us.
We, Baptist and Buddhist, Methodist and Muslim, say come.
Peace.
Come and fill us and our world with your majesty.
We, the Jew and the Jainist, the Catholic and the Confucian,
Implore you, to stay a while with us.
So we may learn by your shimmering light
How to look beyond complexion and see community.

It is Christmas time, a halting of hate time.

On this platform of peace, we can create a language
To translate ourselves to ourselves and to each other.

At this Holy Instant, we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ
Into the great religions of the world.
We jubilate the precious advent of trust.
We shout with glorious tongues at the coming of hope.
All the earth’s tribes loosen their voices
To celebrate the promise of Peace.

We, Angels and Mortal’s, Believers and Non-Believers,
Look heavenward and speak the word aloud.
Peace. We look at our world and speak the word aloud.
Peace. We look at each other, then into ourselves
And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation.

Peace, My Brother.
Peace, My Sister.
Peace, My Soul.
— Maya Angelou
(Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem)

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments