and a new year was born…
by bam
dispatch from london…
psst. while you were wrapped in the fading twilight hours of 2015, my curly-haired boys and i were due to be nestled along the banks of the thames (where midnight comes seven hours ahead of the place i call home), watching the sky explode with light and wonder (please God, only with this…).
soon as i settle back on these shores, these glorious shores, and shake off the jet-sag (that’ll be tomorrow by bedtime), i’ll tap a few musings from our days spent in london, where our little family has taken our first en masse trek across the very big pond. being the original nesty-girl, especially at christmas, i’m not one to yearn to leave behind my little tree, and all the boughs of red berries tucked about my house. but london at christmas? the visions of frost-dusted window panes danced in my head. as did the notion of tea at fortnum & mason. and waltzing the aisles of harrods. or, better yet, those quaint little shops, where as you push open the centuries-old door, step off the cobblestone sidewalk, a tinkling chime welcomes you in. a dreamy girl could go bonkers in storybook london. and to think i get to travel with my very own guide to architectural wonder (upon wonder after wonder after yet another wonder — pray for my legs not to give out, as our resident critic has penciled in outings from pre-dawn till day’s end, for days upon days). and, dearest of all, we’re inhaling it all with our sweet pair of boys! (an exclamation mark isn’t too often pulled from my writerly tool kit, but in this case it’s all exclamations.)
you can be certain my little heart was filled with a prayer as i watched the midnight sky of londontown bloom into radiance of the sparkly new-year variety. the prayer, no doubt, put to rest the heartache of the year we’ve now left. and it gathered up all the magnificence of those we love who didn’t make it beyond the year. the prayer, indeed, comes with a vow to live more emphatically in all the ways they would have lived, the ways the world so desperately needs.
at heart, my prayer for the new year is so simple, and yet so steep a climb: dear God, let there be peace, but more than anything give me the strength and the faith to love, always, as i would be loved. let us be the light — gentle, soft, certain — that will not be snuffed. let us be the light for which this world so achingly yearns.
may your every day be stitched with wonder. may your hours be blessed. and may your heart hear the whisper it longs for….
merry blessed new year.
now, let us begin…..
what might be a wisp of your new year’s prayer?
pull up a chair 
Happy New Year and I hope you got to Liberty! If not, I think they are still at Duty Free.
I love Londn in the winter and hope you had a wonderful time. MDP
not much shopping when you trek through a city with mr. architecture critic, whose list of treasures to be seen is long and glorious. we walked some 75 miles, according to the little thingie on my phone. i am over the moon for londontown! and happy blessed new year to you, too, dear MDP!
Oh rapturous joy! One of my “favoritist” cities in the world. I am sure your guide has a packed itinerary, but might you find a moment for the Florence Nightingale Museum? Her statute stands tall in Piccadilly and the museum is just over the Thames. She would walk there from her home in Mayfair. It was not open when I was last there and I sadly missed it. You could make that pilgrimage for me. 🙂
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Nightingale_Museum
Also, if you are of window shopping mind, Ben Pentreath an architectural designer, has a shop in Bloomsbury called Pentreath & Hall. He is passionate about Great Britain and architecture. This is also a pilgrimage goal. http://www.pentreath-hall.com/inspiration/ is his weekly blog. I open in on Mondays and he just helps me glide into the week.
Enjoy, enjoy, and revel in your time with family. I know it will be fabulous. We will keep this Lake Michigan territory all safe and cozy for your return.
As to this New Fresh Year? I pray for the strength to carry all that is sent this way, both painful and wondrous. I am not required to solve, remediate, heal, control, but simply have to have the grace and courage to be present for myself and others. We will figure it out together. xoxo to all you “chairs” and especially to you Bam…our wonderful presider. Safe home.
dear beautiful, i love your prayer for the new year, and i am adding your list of faves to my “next time” list. i did get a bit misty-eyed when i saw the florence nightingale carving in st. paul’s. she is there, too. bless her.
You and yours home safely will be my first answered prayer of 2016. Can’t wait to hear all your adventures! xoxo
and, dear darling, we made it safe and sound. your prayers were tucked deep in my heart, and steadied me all along the way. much love. and thank you. xoxo
Merry blessed New Year to you and yours! A lovely post as always.
and merry blessed new year to you, too, dear liz. may it be amply upholstered with all good and glorious things!
Thank you for sharing the beautiful sentiments and prayers: so poignant. Blessings for a wonderful 2016 and thank you for the posts during the the year that was.
oh, bless you! i am so sorry i JUST now found this lovely comment……..apologies!
London! Dearest darling… New Year AND your birthday in that beautiful city … what a joy! Take it all in – every whiff and spectacle. xoxoxo
twas crazy wonderful. in every imaginable way. what a blessing to trek those ancient streets with my troupe of beautiful boys. i think i laughed my whole way through london, with those boys keeping us in stitches…..
You + storybook London = a match made in heaven! In mind’s eye I walk every cobblestone path with you and peep through every frosted pane. What a glorious way to begin your New Year!! Cannot wait to hear your wonderful tales of London town. May your return flight be swift and easy. Godspeed and much love to you, dear friend!! Thank you for sharing your heart’s light –– “gentle, soft, certain.” You are a blessing to all of us. xoxo
dear darling, it was heavenly, indeed. for all the charmed reasons you envision: the windowpanes, the door chimes, the ADORABLE faces here there and everywhere, the way each and every word is so magnificently pronounced, the layers of history, the brilliant design infused in every blessed detail, the dry wit, the history (i know i said it once, i need to say it again), and best of all seeing it all side by side with my boys. thank you for your prayers for safety and sweet return. much love, b
A very blessed New Year to you, Barbara, and a joyous time in London!!!
thank you, darlin. may yours be deeply blessed as well. thank you for ever pulling up a chair….it means the world.
Happy new year and have a lovely time!
thank you, thank you, dear ramona! may your fresh new year be filled with all good grace……