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Our Christmas Morning Tradition + What Makes a Fire Burn? + A Very Nervous Patient

Good Morning from Prince Edward Island

Time to cuppa? 

Get out the finest; you deserve to treat yourself to one simple pleasure today, every day. 

Crazy to think it is just five more sleeps…

And Christmas morning tradition begins. One of ours is preparing an extra special breakfast and serving it on our wedding pattern, Barrymore by Noritake, which we started collecting in 1986. We light a beeswax candle, give thanks and enjoy the meal together. We are fortunate to have one daughter home with us and missing our eldest. 

Do you or your family have a Christmas morning tradition? 

While we prepare for downtime from Christmas to New Years’ and thinking about 2021, this poem, by Judy Brown speaks to me. 


Fire
What makes a fire burn
is space between the logs,
a breathing space.
Too much of a good thing,
too many logs
packed in too tight
can douse the flames
almost as surely as a pail of water would.
So building fires
requires attention
to the spaces in between,
as much as to the wood.
When we are able to build
open spaces
in the same way
we have learned
to pile on the logs,
then we can come to see how
it is fuel, and absence of the fuel
together, that make fire possible.

It can be a challenging time of year for many people and I can empathize. Fortunately, the persistent love given by my wife turned my hard time of year into  a joyous one. 

Love is the great miracle cure. -Louise Hay

I have also come to believe in the reason for the season and celebrate the love that was sent and offered to all.

Faith is to believe what you do not see;
the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.
-Saint Augustine

If none of this resonates with you, you cannot argue with kindness and the joy that comes from helping those in need.  

"Compassion is the ability to see the deep connectedness between ourselves and others.
Moreover, true compassion recognizes that all the boundaries we perceive between ourselves and others are an illusion.
When we first begin to practice compassion, this very deep level of understanding may elude us,
but we can have faith that if we start where we are, we will eventually feel our way toward it.
We move closer to it every time we see past our own self-concern to accommodate concern for others.
And, as with any skill, our compassion grows most in the presence of difficulty." ~ Albert Nolan

I leave you with hope for a world at peace. 

Koolulam is a social-musical initiative, meant to bring together people from any and all walks of life. 3,000 people of all religions coming together in Haifa to sing: One Day.

Sometimes I lay under the moon
And thank God I'm breathin'
Then I pray, "Don't take me soon
'Cause I am here for a reason."
Sometimes in my tears I drown
But I never let it get me down
So when negativity surrounds
I know some day it'll all turn around because
All my life I've been waitin' for
I've been prayin' for
For the people to say
That we don't wanna fight no more
There'll be no more war
And our children will play
One day, one day, one day, oh
One day, one day, one day, oh
It's not about win or lose, 'cause we all lose
When they feed on the souls of the innocent
Blood-drenched pavement
Keep on movin' though the waters stay ragin'
In this maze
You can lose your way, your way
It might drive you crazy but
Don't let it faze you, no way, no way!
Sometimes in my

This morning, I listened to the peaceful sound of Winnow by Simeon Walker

But before I go, a big THANK YOU to all of you who supported us this year through the services we provide. A big THANK YOU to our staff who worked extremely hard to serve others in a safe and responsible manner. A BIG thank you to our mail order team, who were inundated with over three times our normal volume this season and did a great job of keeping our standards for speed and correctness to the best we have ever done. Thousands of orders and only a few booboos. It was amazing. 

Sending much love from Prince Edward Island today. 

Take care and stay safe. 

I hope you have a nice weekend and find moments of solitude and peace. 

Merry Christmas, 

Bruce, Millie and Bobbi

ps. Your Morning Smile

Working in an ophthalmology practice that specializes in LASIK surgery, I am expected to comfort nervous patients. But prior to one operation, the patient was so nervous she was actually shaking.

Nothing I said to her would comfort her so after the doctor finished on the first eye and before he began on the second I wanted her to know the surgery was going well.

"There," I said, patting her hand reassuringly, "now you only have one eye left."

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Comments

Jennifer - December 26, 2020

My daughter wrote this poem:
’Twas the day after Christmas and all through the house
Gifts were all scattered and plenty of crumbs for the mouse

The stockings were laying all over the place
The parents felt like they had run a 40 mile race

The kids were all tired and cousins they were missing
364 days couldn’t come soon enough and they were a wishing

Some little cheeks with tears they were soaked
For a special new present already had broke

But hearts were flooded and were more full then bellies
Even if ham was superb that was bought from the deli

Forget all the food, and the gifts and the mess
Sit down with some coffee and let go of your stress

For Christmas doesn’t just come and last for one day
The meaning to all this madness in a little manger He lay

Jesus came in the quiet one night
A single star shone to celebrate so bright

But He wants to be part of your daily life
To bring joy and meaning and purpose and walk beside you in your strife

Because Christmas can be summed up with the victory of the cross
Where the weight of all sin, the depth of all loss

He took on himself so willingly
Where He shed His blood for you and for me

So if after the holiday you are feeling a bit down
Take a journey back to Bethlehem town

Look to the baby who was resting there
To the one who knows you and so deeply cares

Then look to the cross and the victory won
For God so loved the world that He gave His son

With a heart full of gratefulness fall on your knees
And go now and be the light that this world so desperately needs"

Merry second day of Christmas!!

Carolyn Bradner - December 24, 2020

Hi Thanks for your blog & glad to have it back. My order of PEI Jams, jellies , marmalades arrived very fast . Love your Border collie & your cat. Looking forward for when we can get back to camping trip in PEI., & visiting our favorite places .Just like PEI Preserves again. Have A very Merry Christmas & A Happy & Healthy 2021. All the Best.

Pamela A Magee - December 24, 2020

a blessed and holy Christmas to you and your family! Thank You for your wonderful blogs

Kathryn J Zaengle - December 22, 2020

Thank you so much for your wonderful blog. During these difficult pandemic days they always bring a smile to my face and a fond memory of visiting your establishment several years ago while on a cruise that included PEI. We have recently relocated to Maine and look forward to visiting you again when the pandemic is under control. I always get my husband one of your fabulous fruitcakes for Christmas. He’s one of the few in the family that really, really loves fruitcake. Thank you so much for getting our shipment to us so quickly.

Julie MacKenzie - December 20, 2020

I love that song! Seeing that many voices coming together to sing it was amazing! It gave me goosebumps! I belong to a couple choirs myself. Singing gives me so much joy…& I loved seeing all the joyful faces on that video. Thanks for sharing Bruce. 👍😊

Murdock Morrison - December 20, 2020

Hi Bruce and family- such a nice and comforting blog in so many ways with special poems and verse by many talented individuals . The video One Day was powerful and one to share with others which I will do. All in all, a great Blog year and many more to come. We wish you and yours and that includes Millie and your cat a nice Christmas and a New Year filled with joy, love and peace. Murdock and Connie

john boutilier - December 20, 2020

There can’t be a breakfast more special than the one we’ve been enjoying for 21 years in your restaurant, during our annual trek to PEI. Can’t beat your country breakfast! We are vegetarian and your staff always accommodate us by subbing a few mini pancakes for the bacon. Hope to make it there in the summer of 2021. All the best!

Peggy Freeman - December 20, 2020

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you and yours, Bruce! Thank you for the beautiful “One Day” video. What a powerful song! Yes, one day we will wake up in a world at peace. A world where our children can play without fear of any violence. Won’t that be a wonderful day! Peace and happiness!
Peggy Freeman

Joanne Leger - December 20, 2020

My only adult son comes over & we enjoy homemade Belgian Waffles on Christmas morning.

Brynhilde Roth (Bryn Roth) - December 20, 2020

Wishing you, your family, and your staff a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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