Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Ann’s Posts”
“Man is a harp with a thousand strings. Touch the spiritual cord of his heart, and lo, with what inspiration he sings!” (Shaker saying) The Shakers didn’t place the same emphasis on special holiday as some of their neighbors did. The journal keepers sometimes didn’t mention Christmas at all and when they did, it was generally very brief. The South …
May we not spend Christmas or observe Christmas but rather keep it. ~ Peter Marshall Sometimes people seem to want to stop having Christmas as soon as midnight strikes on Christmas Day, but I think Christmas should last all the way to New Year’s and on as we continue to find joy in focusing our thoughts on a long ago starry …
When I married, I started going to the little church where I’m still a member. They always had the children put on a Christmas play. My kids took part when they got old enough to be shepherds, wise men, or angels. The performances were always fun since you never knew what might happen next with a bunch of youngsters. Usually …
December 21, 1966 Jocie Brooke here reporting from Hollyhill, Kentucky. Christmas is almost here, and I don’t know about you, but I can hardly wait. I love Christmas. So many fun things happening, not to mention not having to go to school for almost two weeks! Since I had some time on my hand and I love Christmas, I asked …
“Once you have had a wonderful dog, a life without one is a life diminished.” ~Dean Koontz I’ve never gotten a dog for Christmas. Got one for my birthday once. The many others all showed up in their own good time either when I needed a dog or they needed a home. If you’ve stopped by here before, you probably …
A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer. ~Lucius Annaeus Seneca The stories some of you sent me of special Christmas memories has been a gift to me. Some of the stories made me smile. Some brought a tear. But the thing that connects many of the stories …
“All those cliches, those things you hear about having a baby and motherhood—all of them are true. And all of them are the most beautiful things you will ever experience.” —Penelope Cruz On Christmas after the birth of my first grandchild twenty plus years ago, I had her father set her down on the floor in front of the Christmas tree …
Have you been shopping to find the perfect gifts for your loved ones? Sometimes that perfect gift is illusive and sometimes even when you think you’ve found the very thing that will most please someone, the gift doesn’t live up to expectations. That’s when we try to believe it’s the thought that counts. But sometimes we wonder what they were …
Joy to the world! the Lord is come; Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare him room, And heaven and nature sing, And heaven and nature sing, And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing. How many times have you sung “Joy to the World” at Christmas and thought how wonderfully it matched the feeling of the season of …
The heart of a father is the masterpiece of nature. ~Abbe Prevost I sent out a newsletter last week. If you didn’t get it and would like to read my news, let me know and I’ll send one out to you. In the newsletter, I invited readers to share a Christmas story. I mentioned it could be about a special …