Look Closely, Listen Carefully....

“Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around.”

~Quote taken from the movie, Love Actually

"One of America's best known poets, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), contributed to the wealth of carols sung each Christmas season, when he composed the words to "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" .... When Longfellow penned the words to his poem, America was still months away from Lee's surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9th 1865; and, his poem reflected the prior years of the war's despair, while ending with a confident hope of triumphant peace." by Tom Stewart

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

the words repeat

Of peace on earth, goodwill 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, goodwill 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, goodwill to men."

I have to admit something. I never used to like the song, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. But this year, as I've been listening to my Christmas music, the lyrics have touched me time and again. Just as the quote from Love Actually indicates, the state of the world seems to be filled with negativity. It would be easy to get wrapped up in it, but if you look - really look at the people around you, I know you will see that the majority are good. There are bad things going on in our world, but look past it, look beyond it. Trust that there will be a better tomorrow. If someone is unkind to you, look into their eyes until you see the good. Try to understand and forgive. There is so much good in ourselves and in others, especially if that's what we're looking for. When something happens to you that you may not have expected or counted on, before getting discouraged and depressed, look for the positive, look for the good. It is always there, waiting to be discovered. It is my hope that this Christmas we can look a little more closely and listen a little more carefully to find love and hear the bells.


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