December 25

     Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!
     Joe, as always, lit our river with luminaria, just before sunset.
     The  glow of the lanterns reflected in the swiftly flowing water.
     Clear, crisp air and a multitude of stars.
     Half moon, glowing with the same golden glow as the luminaria—at midnight it slid behind the tree line.
     Thinking of our friends who delivered a son just yesterday afternoon.
     Earlier we went to the congregational church just down the road. I had a strong feeling to go there. I love the moment, on Christmas Eve, when all of the candles are lit from one candle and the congregation sings Silent Night. Much to my disappointment there were no candles! I questioned why I had experienced such a strong feeling to go to this church only to miss the candlelight. 
     Then, on the way home we passed a road with a row of luminaria on both sides!!! We rarely travel this route, and did so only because we visited the little church. The candles at the entrance to this dark country road led us in to miles of luminaria lit roads. We wandered for a half hour, enjoying the dark starlit night, and the fleeting beauty of the lanterns. In an era when the Christmas lights go up on Thanksgiving, there's such beauty in the luminaria which are real firelight, and which are lit but once a year. Imagine, if you will, that time before electricity, when the roads were lit with candles for one glorious night a year and the ancient story of Christmas was heard but once. And the only way for the songs and carols to come alive was to sing them.