One Night, One Moment

I'm a sucker for a good Christmas movie, and most of the time I'm content with the bubblegum fluff of an "Elf" or a "Santa Clause". But every now and then, one comes along with a little bit more heart.

"Nativity!" from a few years ago is one of those ones.

It's basically the story of a primary school in England that decides to put on a show-stopper of a Nativity in order to show up the local over-achieving school. Things escalate and hilarity obviously ensues. 

But it's the end of the film where we actually see the results of what they've worked on that is the crowning jewel of the film. Below is one of my favourite parts, apologies for the bad quality. Blame youtube for that...!

I love the lyrics, and it really hits home on what Christmas is really all about. 

"One night, one moment, and everything is changed."

One instance in history when everything changes. And because of that moment, as the song says "We'll never feel lonely again."

Incredible. So I'm thankful this Christmas Eve for Christmas itself, and exactly what it means, and hoping not to forget it in the busy-ness of tomorrow!

Green fingers.

Yesterday I posted about the depths of Winter.

And yet that didn't stop me using my day off on Monday to do a bit of planting. The weather has thankfully taken a turn for the mild, and I realised that if I don't get some things planted now, I might not see them in time for Spring.

In a few months, my mind will turn to vegetables, but for this week, it was all about the flowers.

Daffodils and tulips. And I need to investigate sunflowers...though I think I might have a bit of time to play with before those need to be in the ground.

So today I'm simply thankful for outdoor space in the city (even though I'm actually rockin' the 'burbs). Watch this space for more garden updates as (hopefully) things grow!

Winter.

I sat shivering in my car on Sunday morning as I turned the heater on full (which served merely to blast arctic air in my direction) and willed the 3-inch thick (or so it felt) ice to melt so I could get on my way.

As I sat there, hating the experience and bemoaning the fact that, once again, I had forgotten to leave that vital "defrosting time" to get to work on time, I thought about thankfulness. Winter is not my favourite time of year...but as I sat in the car with a few minutes to spare, could I come up with a few things that this time of year made me thankful for? What are the things that make the cold wait in the car in the morning worth it?

• Hot water bottles. At any time of the day.
• Listening to the Sufjan Stevens Christmas album without having to justify it.
• Crunchy ice grass.
• During the snow last year, my car got stuck in a pile of ice and snow brushed to the side of the road. Seriously stuck. I was attempting to get out on my own, until people kept popping out of the woodwork to help me. Cardboard for under my wheels from their boots, a shovel from their shed, an extra set of hands to push. It was not a fun situation, but I left (finally free!) with a smile on my face, cheered by the sense of community that I had experienced. You don't get that in the Summer...
• Scarves, layers, and wrapping up.
• Hands curled around a warm cup of coffee when you actually NEED warmed up.
• Christmas, and the anticipation of Advent.

So those were my few thoughts before I was on my way, happier and more content with the season we're in. (But it doesn't stop me being glad that the weather has taken a turn for the mild...!)

Full Sundays

This was a full day.

It is Sunday night and I am one sleepy church-employee.

Not one. Not two. But three family services. All within 7 hours of eachother...! Different locations and different congregations. Different types of services, different talks, and about a gallon of post-service instant coffee.

It was a busy day, but I drove home with a big smile on my face. I love what I get to do. I love standing at the front and seeing full churches celebrating the run up to the birth of our Jesus. 

Great stuff. So thankful tonight.

X Men

Warning: This post contains a minor spoiler for Ultimate Comics: X Men #  1. If that bothers you, you can stop reading now... And if it doesn't bother you, then why not? You should read Ultimate Comic: X Men # 1.

I maintain there is no other medium of media that is as perfectly suited to the "twist in the tale" than comic books. Films twists are great, but there, the pace of the interaction is dictated by a far off director. A good twist in a book is great, but the visuality of it all is up to you. 

With comics, it's a juxtaposition of both the visual effect and the turning the page when you are ready and at your own pace. That, for me, results in more gasp-worthy moments than I've had anywhere else.

One book that never disappoints on this front has always been the X Men.

At its core, the X Men is the story of a persecuted minority coming to the aid and protection of the persecuting and bigoted majority because of a belief in the basic tenets of humanity. The very humanity that is denied to them by the majority.

Powerful stuff. (If you buy into it!) Of course, there are space battles and the stuff of sci-fi along the way, but at it's heart, the X Men is all about the battle to embrace difference, and the struggle that it is to be unaccepted, and also to be the un-acceptor (if that's a word...).

In the most recent comic in the Marvel Ultimate universe, Jean Grey, great stalwart of the X Men, arrives at the house of a newly powered teenage mutant (stay with me....!) who we see in the background playing joyfully in a home video on the TV screen with new powers of telekinesis. 


This story has been told before, so many times up to now Jean Grey has wowed the parent with the promise of excellent education combined with the assurance of control over the aforementioned uncontrollable powers. However, this time the spiel doesn't go as expected. Halfway through the conversation, the mother breaks down, and they hear a bang from upstairs. Turning the page, the next panel is this:

The parents of this 12 year old girl chose to put her out of her "misery" rather than force her to grow up in a world that sees her as an abomination. The mixture of the images of the joy on the girls face on the TV screen and the utter devestation on the parents faces is not an easy one to look at, but a powerful one to remember.

They have given in to the fear of what's different, and it's clear that this is a direction and a theme this run of issues is going to go in. The parents in the story have allowed this fear to consume them, to the extent that they are willing to sacrifice the child they have brought up.

Shocking stuff. Bet you weren't expecting that were you?

So, out of this, I'm thankful for messages and lessons in unexpected places, and for art, artists and storytellers who try to translate those messages in creative and ever-reaching ways.

And I'm thankful for the X Men. For all they have taught me over the years and continue to, both shocking, challenging and entertaining.

You should give them a go...

Good music

After driving from Belfast to Dublin this afternoon, with Radio 1 on the whole way, I am thankful that there are some musicians out there who make great music, unlike some of the stuff I heard this afternoon... Naming no names.........Kelly Rowland

But generally I love music. Love it. Today I'm thankful for some great stuff. 

I'm not always the best at listening to lyrics, I can often find myself parroting off words, only months later to stop and realise what I'm actually singing! But when I do, I'm glad I have. One of my favourites at the minute is a guy called Dallas Green, who goes under the pseudonym "City and Colour"... Dallas...Green... Great. 

Here's the chorus from one of the best tracks from his new album. (Link on the name.)

"How can I instill such hope,

and be left with none of my own?

What if i could sing just one song,

and it might save somebody's life?"

- City & Colour "Hope For Now"

And then, a bit of a classic at the minute, a great cover by one Mr. Bon Iver, if you listen to nothing else, make sure you listen to the piano introduction for the first 55 seconds. It's like eating a Galaxy Caramel with your ears.

The Sea

Sometimes I forget the blessing that it is to live by the sea.

That for many people, seeing that great expanse of water is not an everyday experience.

This morning, it was all sunny blue skies and wind, and I turned a corner whilst out running and was faced with a blustery, choppy sea. I just smiled. It's so easy to forget the little blessings, to forget that ocean-side life is not the norm.

So I'm thankful for where I get to live.

After all, I'm in easy walking distance to the sea, a cinema and a book shop. What more could I ask for?

---

Devotion

Robert Frost

The heart can think of no devotion

Greater than being shore to the ocean-

Holding the curve of one position,

Counting an endless repetition.