“A Merry Christmas, saith the children, but that is no more for me” I heard the bells on Christmas day, one of our favorite Christmas carol, was penned by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, on Christmas day 1864. Three years prior, Longfellow was engulfed in sorrow, having endured the most extreme tragedy. His wife was burned to death, while he tried unsuccessfully to extinguish the flames. His first Christmas without his beloved wife, was almost unbearable. His journal, paints a grim picture. He wrote, “How inexpressively sad, are all holidays.” Two years later a union officer delivered a dispatch to Longfellow that read: We regret to inform you, that your oldest son, US Army Lt. Charles, has been shot, and severely wounded. His journal that Christmas is a really silent. “I can make it no record of these days; better leave them blank, and silent, perhaps, someday God will give me peace.” The following Christmas Longfellow heard church bells ring his heart is filled with renewed confidence in God and his unchanging goodness. He took up his pen and wrote these words of hope…
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 00:40:24 +0000
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