ABSTRACT THURSDAY - DECORATIONS

Although we love Christmas, we have never been big on decorations and in fact, if I had to choose, as long as our Nativity set is on the mantelpiece, I wouldn’t worry about having any other decorations.  We do have a tree, on which sits our very old angel and it does have lights, but for us that’s not the central part of Christmas.  Don’t get me wrong, I do love to see beautifully decorated trees and rooms, but it just isn’t something we do and before anyone says anything, we are definitely not “Bah Humbug” people!
 
It was quite hard, therefore, to find something that fitted in with the theme of Decorations and although I know this is optional, I felt I would stick to it for once!  So here is some tinsel – and not just ordinary tinsel, but starry tinsel, that is wound round one of our uplighters.  I have played around in Photoscape X, an app I have on my Macbook and found the bell shapes, so here is my offering for Abstract Thursday.
 
Before doing this, I did a bit more clearing out in my room – more tears as I found the Order of Service for Joan, Mr. HCB’s mother’s funeral way back in 1996 – as I read through the words that the Minister had spoken, I realise what a privilege it was to have been part of her life.  I am definitely not doing any more clearing out before Christmas – there have been too many tears already.
 
Whilst clearing, I found a tape that I made probably 20 or 25 years ago, with me singing and my dear friend, Helen Thomas, accompanying me on the piano.  I have my Mum’s old cassette tape recorder, so played the tape whilst I was sorting out various photographs and joined in too – my voice was much purer back then, but interestingly, I could remember all the words of the songs – such as “All Through the Night”, “The King of Love My Shepherd is”, “How are Things in Glocca Morra” and “Look to the Rainbow”, both from the show “Finians Rainbow” and many other hymns and songs – a trip down Memory Lane – and Mr. HCB even remarked when I came downstairs, “You were in good voice this morning.”  If Aled Jones can sing with his younger self, then I can do it too!
 
 I was intending going out for a walk, but it’s another dull, dreary and wet day, so unless it changes radically, I will be indoors for the rest of the day.  Perhaps tomorrow will be better.
 
Things that brought me joy today:
 
Clearing out more in my Quiet Room and finding lots of treasures
 
Reliving many old memories
 
Thanking God for having such a wonderful relationship with my Mother-in-law, Joan.
 
“There are moments when I wish 
     I could roll back the clock 
          and take all the sadness away, 
but I have the feeling that if I did, 
     the joy would be gone as well.” 
Nicholas Sparks - A Walk to Remember