Sunday, December 17, 2023

Heaven Everywhere

                         

Maybe it’s that I am getting older and thinking more about “legacy” – the world that we are leaving to future generations.


Maybe it’s the sermon during Mass that encourages me to “bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners”. (Isaiah 61:1)

Maybe it’s Christmas song lyrics, especially “Heaven Everywhere”, by Francesca Battistelli, reminding me of the potential for positive change if people choose to embrace the joy, love and hope that is the true meaning of Christmas.

Whatever it is, I am motivated to share a few photos from this summer.  They illustrate a minuscule piece of this planet we call home, a little corner that I desire to leave in better shape than I found it.  Maybe these snapshots will be “glad tidings” for you, or a balm for an aching heart.   And just maybe, they might inspire you to make change where you can.  


I hear the bells, they're ringing loud and clear
You can't help but love this time of year
It's Christmastime, there's something in the air
There's a little bit of Heaven everywhere


Somehow there's a little more of love
Maybe there's a little less of us
Or maybe we're just slightly more aware
There's a little bit of Heaven everywhere


It's the smile on a man who has finally found hope
It's the tears of a mother whose child has come home
It's the joy that we feel and the love that we share
There's a little bit of Heaven everywhere
There's a little bit of Heaven everywhere


It's funny how it takes a holiday
To show us how the world could truly change
If we all took the time to really care
There'd be a little more of Heaven everywhere


It's the grace that we show to a world that needs hope
It's giving our lives knowing they're not our own
It's the joy that we feel and the love that we share
There's a little bit of Heaven everywhere
There's a little bit of Heaven everywhere


Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o'er the plains
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains
Hallelujah (hallelujah)
Hallelujah (ooh)

 

 

 

 


It's the joy that we feel and the love that we share
There's a little bit of Heaven everywhere
There's a little bit of Heaven everywhere
There's a little bit of Heaven everywhere


Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o'er the plains

- Francesca Battistelli 

Audio of song 

*****


I am linking to I Like Thursday with Leeanna of Not Afraid of Color.  The prompt this week is "Do you unwrap gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?  Do you prefer Christmas or New Year's?  Do you have a customary way to spend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day?"  We unwrap our gifts on Christmas Day, starting with the items that Santa put in our stocking (if we have been good).  We don't have any traditions for New Year's Eve/Day, so I strongly prefer Christmas given the joyful hoopla, and celebrating the birth of our Savior.  

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone!


Linking to Thankful Thursday

Linking to Mosaic Monday

19 comments:

  1. Such a beautiful post. I do wish everyone could keep the spirit of Christmas front and center all the time. What a wonderful world it would be. Thanks for joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!

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  2. Angie, I wish you a bright and Merry Christmas! ☃️ 🎄 ❄️ 🎅🏼

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  3. A lovely, lovely post Angie, filled with the hope and joy of Jesus' birth. Beautiful photos accompany your words. I wish you and yours a most joyous and merry Christmas!

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  4. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Lovely landscapes and photos of you and your family. Thanks for sharing the pretty song. Take care, have a great day and happy week ahead.

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  5. “There's a little bit of Heaven everywhere…” resonates in my heart. It’s our responsibility to hand over the beautiful nature as well as to sow the seeds of peace that future generation can harvest. New Year’s Day is the most important celebration in my country, but I love and respect Christmas spirit, giving and sharing, love and forgiveness. Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.
    Yoko

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  6. Hello Angie, I'm looking forward to a whole lot of heaven which is my future hope and it's nice to see the beauty that God created for us to enjoy and get a wee glimpse of what is in store for those who believe. Beautiful photos of places you have trod. A very Merry Christmas to you and yours!

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  7. Such a beautiful post! Merry Christmas!

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  8. Beautiful post Angie, Merry Christmas to you and your family.

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  9. This post made me smile. Lots of good stuff. Merry Christmas!

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  10. Such beautiful photos of a beautiful place. We’re sorta neighbors! We live in Wyoming, though not the prettiest part. Three of DH’s siblings live in Montana. Thanks for the lyrics of the song. Beautiful “

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  11. Indeed, dear Angie ... there is a little bit Heaven everywhere. There are fitting words in this poem! I agree with this cessation. Merry Christmas.

    Thank you being part again at

    MosaicMonday

    with this lovely post. Greetings by Heidrun

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  12. Lovely post and pictures. Stay warm and Merry Christmas to you and yours. We do Christmas Eve as it's just our daughter, hubby and I. That way we can sleep in and relax. Christmas Eve is the large family gathering, the wee ones get gifts; but the rest of us play a game so everyone gets a small gift. You can steal and trade. The game gets lively sometimes.

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  13. Dear Angie, your landscape photos look like they were painted - wonderful! Yes, we (still) live in a breathtakingly beautiful world, and I have my fears about what we will pass on to the next generations. Unfortunately, in far too many places around the world, politicians don't seem to be very interested in doing anything to preserve natural landscapes, rainforests, bodies of water, a tolerable climate... We're doing what we can on a small scale - but will it be enough ?
    So let’s concentrate on the most beautiful things in life. I am very happy that you show such lovely photos of beautiful nature and your family. The photos where you hold the little bird in your hand or of the two grandcats are also adorable.
    I was very happy about your nice comment. I didn't know until recently that there are no Christmas markets in the US that are equivalent to our Advent markets in Europe. I think, that could be changed, right? ;-) In any case, I hope that one day you can visit a particularly pretty Christmas market! Alternatively, in my most recent post (the last one of this year) I can offer you a visit to the Advent market in a castle park - and some snow too! (However, this has now melted away.)
    I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you'll still get snow, especially at your local ski resort.
    I wish you and everyone you love (people and animals) a wonderful Christmas ⛄🎄🕯️ and a happy new year 🍄🍀!
    All the best, Traude
    https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2023/12/winter-wunderland-und-frohe-weihnachten.html
    🍀❣️🧸🎠❤️⛄🍄🎄

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  14. Thank you for sharing your great photos and fine sentiments. And, thank you also for visiting my blog and leaving a comment on bicycling for running errands and such. BTW- The HQ of The Adventure Cycling Association (key player in bicycle touring) is in Montana. If you ever want to visit them, here is their address: https://www.adventurecycling.org
    Adventure Cycling Association
    150 East Pine Street
    P.O. Box 8308
    Missoula, MT 59807

    Merry Christmas!

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  15. wonderful views..... all of you look so happy....

    Merry Christmas to you and yours

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  16. Oh I do so love the photos - I haven't been to the mountains for a couple years - my husbands and I favorite places to travel are in Wyoming and Montana - we love the mountains - Colorado and Idaho too, we used to travel in a small motor home for weeks on end but haven't done that much in recent years - we are both missing it I think. I swear I have the exact same photos scattered on my blog over the years LOL

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  17. "... embrace the joy, hope and love..." yes. Your photos are gorgeous. This is where you live? Wow! So different from where I live... Gorgeous piece of the world.

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  18. Montana is heaven I will always cherish your photos from here especially as I was able to visit last summer!

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