Christmas Bells by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

CHRISTMAS BELLS -
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
(1807 - 1882) 
 
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."

This poem was written Dec. 25, 1864, months before the end of The Civil War. Addressing the deep despair that surrounded the heart of every American at that time, it invites us into the heart of Longfellow himself, as Christmases past were times of his own personal tragedies. And yet, despite utter sadness there is also utter, undeniable, hope... "The Wrong shall fail,/the Right prevail,/With peace on earth, good-will to men."

May we look forward with hope as we celebrate this Christmas season and the New Year ahead!

This post first appeared in the Canon City Daily Record.

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The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

This review can also be read in the Canon City Daily Record.

Every once in a while, a reader needs to take a break from something cerebral or intentional, returning to a book that had been thoroughly enjoyed at one point. This cooler weather has brought on the desire to curl up with a good book that never disappoints. It can be hard to explain why we love a favored book. All I can do is tell you what the book is about so you can grab a copy of the magical fiction, The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen - see if this clean, gentle love story transports you, too.

Josey Cirrini is no longer the petulant, spoiled child the town of Bald Slope remembers her to be. Rather she has become quiet and demure, cowed and invalidated by her hard and widowed, Southern Belle mother. Josey's sole purpose in life is to cater to her mother's needs, driving her to luncheons and hair appointments, and helping her keep up the illusion of privileged independence. There are only a few things that bring joy to Josey each day - the handsome man who delivers the mail, travel magazines, and a closet filled to the brim with a secret stash of sweets.

Yet lemon drops and snow caps are not the only things in her closet. Della Lee Baker, a local waitress, suddenly takes up residence there beside the bottles of pop and licorice whips. And does not leave. Instead, the rough and blunt, bleach-blonde woman imparts assignments and food orders that force Josey Cirrini to leave her closet - her room - and venture into the world beyond. With the falling of leaves, and the changing of seasons, magic sets growth and healing into motion.

In this world outside her home, Josey discovers Chloe Finley, a young woman followed by insistent books. A lifelong blessing and curse, books appear, pushing themselves and their content on Chloe - at the exact moments she needs them. Her heart has been deeply broken, making space in her life to befriend the Cirrini daughter... and connect Josey with that mailman she has fallen in love with.

Doughnuts and candy bars are not the only secrets in the town of Bald Slope. And friendship is not the only magic. There's love to be rekindled after decades... the color red, once shunned, now to be worn... a murder to be solved... spirits to be acknowledged... hearts to be opened and healed... snowmen to be built... strength and confidence to be welcomed... and journeys to take beyond the doorways of closets, where candy hearts can no longer take the place of real love and acceptance.

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H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald

This review can also be seen in the Canon City Daily Record. 


I am not a bird person. Never have been, and the day a parrot bit me, I knew I never would be. I avoid aviaries and I ignore chickadees and robins at bird-feeders. Yet, we have chickens. I am able to enjoy them - somewhat - if at a respectable distance.

One evening, I looked into my backyard and saw our new, young rooster moving oddly at the door to the chicken house. He was out in the yard, back into the coop, and then back out the door again. What was he doing?! And then my eyes fell on a hawk, sitting on a fence post at the edge of our property - utterly still. The rooster finally stopped moving in and out, deeming the yard safe. When the hawk suddenly changed his position, the chicken ran back into the hen house. After a few moments of complete stillness from the bird of prey, the domestic bird felt safe to try his luck outside. And once again, the hawk changed his position, just slightly, like a game of Red Light, Green Light... taunting the poor rooster!

Amused, I saw the hawk had a sense of humor, a sense of fun about his business. So I was only mildly shocked at myself when I picked up "H Is for Hawk" by Helen Macdonald. One of the Ten Best Books from the 2015 New York Times Book Review, I had heard delighted praise for this work - part grief memoir, part literary exploration, part natural poetry. Surprised, but pleased, I was hooked from the first page, and I found myself enjoying yet another bird. This one was named Mabel.

With beautiful sentences, and delicious phrases Macdonald introduces us to her love for goshawks, a raptor related to eagles and buzzards. She observes, "Looking for goshawks is like looking for grace: it comes, but not often and you don't get to say when or how." Amidst the tale of her purchase, training, and flying of the hawk, we are invited to travel through the bereavement that grips her upon the untimely death of her father. And woven with these tender intimacies, Macdonald shares with us the private despairs of fellow falconer, T.S. White, author of "The Once and Future King." She divulges how the stories he composed of King Arthur, Merlin, and Camelot mirrored his own griefs, and how he found a dichotomy of struggle and relief in goshawking, just as she does.

This textured narrative insists that while the heart breaks and seeks flight, healing is only found in the human world. And I found, here, another bird to admire.

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Rain Reign by Ann Martin

This review can also be read in the Canon City Daily Record. 

Once in a while a book comes along that is simple and sweet, and yet devastating at its core. "Rain Reign," by Newberry author Ann M. Martin, is a book suggested to me at the beginning of summer. I was hesitant. I knew Ann Martin from her Babysitters Club series (I was a huge nine year old fan) but I wasn't sure I wanted to read anything in that vein right now. Yet I gave it a shot, especially since the book was short, with large bold type, and a decent amount of white space on the page. If anything, it would be a quick read.

I was pleasantly surprised. In this upper-elementary novel, I found the thoughtful coming of age story of twelve-year old Rose Howard, told by Rose herself, concerning the growing up that all must do regardless of gifts and strengths, struggles and restrictions.
Rose is on the Autism Spectrum. High functioning, she is skilled in math, and competent in many types of patterns. She is obsessed with homonyms, following rules and schedules, and prime numbers.

Unfortunately, no one seems to quite understand her condition. There is often confusion in concern for Rose. Teachers, peers, and even her father, seem to be confused and angry in their interactions with this astute young lady. The only one who seems to understand, or to be able to really help make sense of the seemingly senseless world around, is her Uncle Weldon.
Yet Rose's father tries. Wesley is a single dad, suffering from heartbreak and job loss. He loves his daughter, but cannot seem to offer what she needs. He leans on Weldon to provide kindness and compassion for his child. Despite his gruffness and frustration, he has tender feelings. One day he brings home a dog - a gift. Rose promptly names the dog Rain... a name with 2 homonyms (reign, rein). Rain becomes a friend.
One night, a devastating storm moves in from the coast - floods, loss of electricity, phone lines down. Schools close and there is little comforting structure to the days during the disaster. During the destructive storm, Wesley lets Rain out in the middle of the night, as usual, and she does not return. And in the sad moments and days that follow, Rose tells us how she is angry with her father, how much she misses her dog, and her fears. We follow her in a systematic search for the dog, further clashes with her father, and life's messy struggles.

"Rain Reign" is a concise read with deep and tender compassion. Don't let this one slip by this summer.

Photo Credit: Amazon

Under the Stars: How America Fell in Love with Camping by Dan White

This review can also be found in the Canon City Daily Record.

July and August are peak camping months in Colorado's mountains-  what a perfect opportunity to dive into the history of camping. Now, don't panic! I said history, but I didn't mean dry, humorless and impersonal. Far from it! Dan White considers himself a "history minded camping fanatic." He's already written a book about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. But now, this enthusiastic writer has provided audiences with another work: "Under the Stars: How America Fell in Love with Camping," an "irreverent history of American camping," in which White attempts to imitate each epoch of camping himself. While amusing and personable - unexpected and fascinating - it is also well-researched and documented.

Without being sentimental or whimsical, Dan White explores the movement from necessary outdoor sleeping and traveling to recreation and planned vacations. Beginning with Thoreau and the idea of man "finding himself" in the woods, we are invited to journey through the Golden Age of camping (1880s - 1930s) to the beginnings of the Boy Scouts of America. Then we visit women and their role in camping and participate in the creation of national parks. Finally, he takes us into more recent times with car camping, the Wilderness Act, "Leave No Trace," glamping and RV/trailer camping.

"Under the Stars" is historically accurate, with beautiful descriptions of flora and fauna. But what sells this book is the personal narrative, allowing history to become a lively backdrop. Dan White writes with a humble, self-deprecating, and conversational wit. He strives to make each of his singular forays into the past precise. Though quite experienced in camping and backpacking, the author does not pretend to be an expert. Instead, we absorb his passion for camping in all of its forms - past and present - in its best and worst facets. Sparing no details, he writes about the beauties and the foibles that come from an activity that was not meant to be fun in the first place. We are educated and entertained.

Dan White travels across the United States to discover what American camping really is and why we are drawn to this sport. His adventures are varied and fascinating - he camps in the nude in known cougar territory, tags along on an inner-city girls-only trip into the Everglades, carries waste out of the woods in a device he invented, and rents his very first RV to find out what all the excitement is about.

With his joyful daughter, and sometimes reluctant wife at his side, White encourages us to camp, to think about what camping means to us as Americans, and to consider all aspects of law and science in our native wilderness.

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I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey through His Son's Addiction by David Sheff

This review can also be found at the Canon City Daily Record.


Yard sale season is in full swing and you can find numerous treasures and delights. Tupperware canisters just like your grandmother had, the exact right size light fixture for the bathroom, and the perfect pitchfork for - well, you know... But there are also books - lots of books.

"Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey through His Son's Addiction" is one I found this summer. Published in 2008, David Sheff's book became an instant bestseller and Entertainment Weekly's Best Nonfiction Book of the Year. It is the raw and vulnerable memoir of a father's unconditional love, receiving high praise from Anne Lammott and Mary Pipher.

What causes a child to try drugs? Divorce? Remarriage? Illness? Parents' experimentation in their youth? Finances? Opportunity?

What causes a child to become addicted to drugs? To steal, lie, and hide? Who does your child become when they are addicted to meth? Can they ever escape? And what does a parent do when "everything in their power" doesn't seem enough?

David Sheff opens his heartbreak to us - sharing with humility and candor the long road of loving a child in, and through, his addiction. He tells us with intimate detail his own private experience, welcoming us into his home, family, and his own sense of frailty and inadequacy. Sheff writes about his son's light and humor and brilliance before meth commandeered him. Weaving through this tale are threads of the red flags - hot spots - he wished he had attended to earlier, especially since they might have led to his son's decision to experiment and, ultimately, fall victim to addiction. Sheff examines his own past drug experimentation, his divorce from Nic's mother, and the science behind addiction and recovery.

Sheff's love for his oldest, his desire to rescue him from desperation, and his analytical mind seek for answers while also searching for healing. How to help his son becomes an obsession that does not allow him to rest or relax for years at a time. Al-Anon, therapy, and addressing codependency are all helps, leaving him with the feeling that, though this excruciating pain is hard to describe and convey, it needs to be shared. There is comfort in sharing and in hearing the stories of others who have walked the same road. There are tears, yet there are also smiles and answered prayers.

I was surprised by the depth and sheer humanity of this riveting memoir. I could not put it down...

Out there, this summer, is a book in a yard sale box or on a book sale table waiting for you to come and be pleasantly surprised as well.

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The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

This review can also be found in the Canon City Daily Record.


The Light Between Oceans is a complex tale, simply told, about a desire, a lie, and the hearts that break in consequence. In her debut work, M.L. Stedman creates a historical novel, defying obviousness and offering instead an intimate look at a man and a woman, both bearing deep wounds in post-World War I Australia. The events unfold against the backdrop of a harsh location - a lighthouse between the Indian and the Great Southern Oceans.

At times deceptively unaffected, and at times poetic, Ms. Stedman has done her research. Between the beautiful imageries of a land and sea that collide, she brings readers into a time and place where xenophobia is thick and controlling, solitude is desired by soldiers returning home, and a decision can wreak havoc for so many souls. Using the unique setting and its attending laws, a story is crafted; an ex-serviceman returning from war brings his bride to a remote lighthouse where he will be keeper and she will be his companion. After numerous miscarriages, their grief is deep and inconsolable. A dead man and an infant, wrapped in a sweater, wash up on Tom and Isabel's isolated shore and a choice made in despair offers them brief, incomplete happiness.

And then, of course, tides change, and secrets and lies can no longer be kept.

"On the day of the miracle, Isabel was kneeling at the cliff's edge, tending the small newly made driftwood cross." In this lovely romantic tale, questions arise. Can a tragedy also be a miracle? What makes a mother? Is deceit ever excusable - acceptable? Is love and loyalty more important than integrity? Shall we have faith in our own dreams and desires, or in what is or must be? What is grace - or betrayal? What does love really look like? What is the right decision after so many wrong choices?

In the telling of this story, Ms. Stedman has allowed readers to come to their own conclusions, even at times challenging a notion they once held as truth. The use of a vernacular peculiar to the area and time encourages readers to connect to each character and their dilemmas. Readers will be intrigued as they come to clear and definite conclusions as to what is right - what is just.

Waiting for the lies to come to light, waiting for an ending that leaves one satisfied and comfortable is difficult, but worth every page of this stunning and unassuming work. "The light will reappear" and the reader will be better for this journey into the hearts of a man and woman who dare to love a child


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