Welcome to Fern Valley

Here in central Alberta prime farm country,my husband Martin and I work together raising beef cattle and Appaloosa horses. Fern valley appaloosas have long been known for their quality of temperament conformation and color.I have recently rediscovered a love of writing and have published 2 collections of poetry. "Telling Tails" and Tails Trails and Campfire stories" . I look forward to a future spreading my wings as an author and as a horse woman .

Wednesday 21 December 2011

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

This is one of my all time favorite Christmas songs . I have always loved it and yet often struggled to remember the words. I had looked it up a few years ago and written it down  , and later found in one of my beloved grandfathers diaries , the lyrics all written out in his hand . Funny that ,I always wished I could journal like my Grandad , who chronicled his daily life in his journals in his own hand for years. My gift to him each Christmas for many years was a nice new journal , and after he passed away they came to me . AS I looked through them, I felt I came to know him better, and I learned a lot about what made him who he was .I never did get the hang of journalling , or  well, at least not till I began to blog.Maybe not quite the same  but ,it works for me .He has been on my mind a lot today , and I knew his birthday was right around now . I am ashamed to admit that I had to ask my sister the exact day , which would be tomorrow, December 22. So I guess this proves to be a timely post in a way .
I Heard the Bells on Christmas day
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), 1867)

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.

I 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.

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."

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!


For those who would like to listen to it . This is the Carpenters version.

8 comments:

kden said...

I think blogging is the modern form of journaling. Hopefully someday our ancestors will want to see what we wrote.

Beautiful song, Merry Christmas to you!!!

Holistic Pet Help - HPH said...

Very nice. Merry Christmas!

parenting articles said...

Merry Christmas!!!:D

parenting articles

GoLightly said...

Merry Christmas, Fern Valley

Shirley said...

I love that one too. Hugs to you as you remember your grandfather today.
Love the new header!

Nicole said...

I've never heard this song before. And you know blogging is a lot like journaling. I've heard that children's writing is going further and further down hill with the advancement of computers. And even teachers are thinking about not teaching students to read & write. how sad is that! I think it's going to be a lost art form :(

Linda said...

It ranks in my top 5 too! Merry Christmas.

Cut-N-Jump said...

Love the song as well. How awesome is that, he wrote down the words in his journal. Probably one you had given him. Great day the 22nd as my daughters birthday was yesterday too. She's 18. Can you believe it?