With all of my children and grandchildren coming home for the holidays, I will not have much time for blogging until after New Year's Day. Before signing off, however, I want to wish everyone a very, Merry Christmas.
I also want to send a special note of gratitude to my good friends in the blogging community. Your postings throughout the year have always been inspirational, informative, and thought-provoking, and your comments on my site have been unfailingly generous and insightful. I am truly blessed to have such friends.
May your holidays be full of peace and joy; may you eat well, laugh well, and love well; and may you enter the new year with unbounded hope and an open heart.
In
this
season
of renewal
I give thanks
to this ineffable
and divine mystery
that is the ground of all
being, all love, and all hope;
that has overseen my uncertain
walk through some sixty-eight years;
that has lifted me up when I could not walk,
pushed me forward when the direction was unclear,
sustained my confidence in the darkest hours of doubt.
T
HA
NKS
The Gratitude Tree
PEACEANDJOYANDPEACEANDJOY
PEACEANDJOYANDPEACEANDJOY
PEACEANDJOYANDPEACEANDJOY
PEACEANDJOYANDPEACEANDJOY
PEACEANDJOYANDPEACEANDJOY
PEACEANDJOYANDPEACEANDJOY
PEACEANDJOYANDPEACEANDJOY
PEACEANDJOYANDPEACEANDJOY
PEACEANDJOYANDPEACEANDJOY
PEACEANDJOYANDPEACEANDJOY
PEACEANDJOYANDPEACEANDJOY
PEACEANDJOYANDPEACEANDJOY
PEACEANDJOYANDPEACEANDJOY
PEACEANDJOYANDPEACEANDJOY
PEACEANDJOYANDPEACEANDJOY
PEACEANDJOYANDPEACEANDJOY
PEACEANDJOYANDPEACEANDJOY
Happy, happy Christmas,
that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days;
that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth;
that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away,
back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!
Charles Dickens
O
O
O
SANTA
CLAUS
SANTA
CLAUS
SANTA
CLAUS
CLAUS
SANTA
CLAUS
8888888888888888888888
88888888888888888
888888888888
O
O
SANTA
CLAUS
SANTA
CLAUS
SANTA
CLAUS
CLAUS
SANTA
CLAUS
8888888888888888888888
88888888888888888
888888888888
My very best to everyone!
George
and Derry, the Zen Master
and Derry, the Zen Master
Lovely sentiments and Christmas wishes. "Merry Christmas" to you and yours. I take it that your dog is the 'Zen Master' :-)
ReplyDeleteLove Gail
peace and hope for us all
To Gail,
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gail, and, yes, my Zen Master is none other than my beloved labrador retriever, Derry. Merry Christmas!
This is a delightful and creative seasonal posting, George. I just love everything about it. You must have had some fun putting it together! Many thanks for your generous message, and a note of warm gratitude to you too - for your wonderful blog, for your insightful comments and for your enthusiastic interaction. Blogworld would be the poorer without you, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteA very happy Christmas to you and your family!
The very best of the season to you as well, George.
ReplyDeleteMay you know joy and peace in abundance.
To Robert,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for such kind and generous comments, Robert. You are a true brother in spirit, and it's been great having this ongoing dialogue with you since beginning my blog last spring.
May the holidays find you and your family surrounded by love and in the best of spirits. With all of the insanity in the world, there are still so many blessings for which we can be grateful. We have nature, books, art, beauty, and questing hearts, all of which give me hope for the future. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
To Deb,
ReplyDeleteThanks, Deb, and may you and your family also enjoy peace and abundance during the holidays.
I am delighted by this Christmas greeting from you, George. It feels like the boy George came out to play and let his creative juices flow. Your pictographs are fun, attractive, and enlightening . . . like you. :) All three are lovely, and I especially like the tree, with its internal message that represents who you are: a secure tree firmly and deeply rooted with lots of beauty inside, sprinkled with humility. I can honestly say that your presence here has made a difference in my life. I feel richer and better equipped to face the stresses I encounter absorbing your posts and having you for a friend. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteI wish you, Derry, and your entire family many hours of warmth, love and joy during the holidays. Merry Christmas, dear friend!
What meaningful sentiments George, expressed as ever with your deft, imaginative touch.
ReplyDeleteMay you, your family, and your loyal Zen master experience all the joys of the season and have a healthy, rewarding 2011.
You and your blog have been a source of inspiration and delight throughout the past year. Thank you so very much for making my 2010 a little brighter.
To Ruth,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind and generous comments, Ruth. I hope you know what a joy it's been for me to have all of these dazzling and heartfelt conversations with you this year. You have become a true friend, and I am looking forward to continuing our journey in the new year.
My very best wishes to you, Don, and your entire family during the holiday season. May your lives continue to be blessed. Merry, merry Christmas!
To Bonnie,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your lovely comments, Bonnie. I can't thank you enough for all of your contributions to my joy and learning during the past year. I never leave The Original Art Studio without being either inspired or informed of something new and interesting. May you and your family find great joy and love during the holidays, and may each of you continue to be blessed during the new year.
Thank you so much for this wonderful Christmas message, George. I have only known you and your blog for a very short while but I am looking forward to getting to you better in the new year.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to you and your family and Benno sends his very best waggings to Derry.
To Friko,
ReplyDeleteThanks, Friko, and I also look forward to our continuing conversation in the new year. Derry and I wish you, Benno, and your entire family a very merry Christmas and many blessings in 2011.
Very creative Christmas wishes! I can see your Zen master's tail moving in the last pic. That's about as close as a dog can come to still life. I hope you have a great visit with your loved ones.
ReplyDeleteSincere good wishes to you and that dog too George - how we have enjoyed each other's cyber-company throughout the year - may we continue to do so in 2011.
ReplyDeleteTo Walk2write,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by. I hope you and your loved ones have a very, merry Christmas.
To Pat,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the good wishes, Pat. I, too, look forward to our continuing conversation in the new year. The best to you and your family during the holiday season.
What a lovely post, Merry Christmas to you George and may you, your family and your lovely dog have your best Christmas ever....:-)Hugs
ReplyDeleteTo Bernie,
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bernie. Nice to have you drop by, and I hope that you and your family will have a lovely Christmas and a prosperous new year!
You've been busy working on these gifts for us. Thank you for your lovely gratitude tree and your poem. May you feel a special blessing being surrounded by your family this season, George. Enjoy!
ReplyDeletePS Derry is looking very Zen meditating on "his" sofa. I hope there is a little something for him under the tree.
To Barb,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your lovely comments, Barb, and thanks for your good wishes for the season. Yes, you may rest assured that there will be many treats under the tree for the Zen master. May your own Christmas also be filled with treats, and may the new year bring you more peace and joy!
Have a wonderful holiday and a break from blogging. I have enjoyed reading your blog as a source of inspiration since Bonnie introduced me to you. Enjoy your family!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind comments to us all.
ReplyDeleteI'd not thought about it, but perhaps our cat Jess is Zen master too.
Have a great time all of you and see you in the New Year!
To Dan,
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dan, and Merry Christmas to you and your family. See you in the new year!
To Dominic,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the thoughts, Dominic. I'm quite sure that Jess is a bit of a Zen master; it's a trait that one finds in most cats and dogs. Have a great Christmas. I hope that someone will be treated to your fine music during the holidays.
An utterly delightful post, George! Your gratitude tree has a joyous and buoyant silhouette with a message to match. Thank you for all your thoughtful posts. I'm so glad you and your noble Zen master joined the blogosphere.
ReplyDeleteHow many will be around your Christmas dinner table? We will only have nine this Christmas, but then we are off to New Orleans for a family reunion of one hundred of our closest relatives.
Merry, merry Christmas to you and your family!
To Dutchbaby,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind and generous comments, Dutchbaby. There will be seven around our holiday table, and that's quite enough. Enjoy your trip to New Orleans; I grew up about ninety miles from New Orleans. Merry Christmas to all of you. I look forward to our continued dialogue in the coming year.
What a wonderful and creative post—and what a perfect example of the true Christmas spirit. I know this comes directly from the heart. You are a good and honorable man, George. May I just say how much I've enjoyed your posts during this past year, and how much I've appreciated your kind and thoughtful comments to me at Riverdaze.
ReplyDeleteMay you have the merriest Christmas ever, my friend…and may the coming year give you boundless joy, bright hope, and enduring peace. Enjoy your family—especially the grandkids who can teach you to be a child again if you'll only let them. Stay healthy. Savor each meal as if it were a feast. Read, paint, photograph. And know that until you return, you'll be sorely missed here in blogland.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Merry Christmas to you and yours, George. Your sweet Derry looks very much like my dearly departed Ralphy.
ReplyDeleteTo Grizz,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind and generous words, Grizz. Your blog was one of the first I visited after beginning my own blog last April, and every subsequent visit has been a real pleasure. In a world that sometimes seems a little insane, Riverdaze is a halcyon oasis where a man can find both restoration and enlightenment.
May you, your ladylove, Moon the Dog, and everyone else in your family find peace and joy during the holidays and every day thereafter. We have much to be grateful for, and one of the things I''m most grateful for is your friendship. I look forward to continuing our conversations in the year ahead.
To Tess,
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tess, and may your Christmas also be full of peace and joy. I suspect that Ralphy will be with you during the holidays, whether he can be visually seen or not. The very best to you!
Thank you for you blog. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your support and your good wishes for the holidays. Thanks also for dropping by. Unless I'm mistaken, this is the first time you've made a comment. Rest assured that your comments are appreciated, and I hope you will continue to find something of interest here. During the meantime, have a wonderful Christmas!
Have a joyous and enriching Christmas and holiday season, George. The sentiments you so eloquently express are in the hearts of many of your readers.
ReplyDeleteTo Lorenzo,
ReplyDeleteThanks, my friend. May you and your family have the best of holidays and find many blessings in the new year!
A very merry Christmas and happy new year to you and yours too... I am going to have to come back after christmas and read your previous post when I have more time.
ReplyDeleteTo Donna,
ReplyDeleteAnd a Merry Christmas to you as well, Donna. My best wishes to you and your family during the holiday season.
Oh, how very creative! Merry Christmas and enjoy all the noise and chaos a houseful of family will bring! :)
ReplyDeleteTo Margaret,
ReplyDeleteAnd a very, Merry Christmas to you and your family as well, Margaret. May the season bring you many blessings!
Merry Christmas!! Excellent work here....
ReplyDeleteTo Nikoleta,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and leaving such nice comments, Nikoleta! Best wishes during the Christmas season.
Hi, George. Derry just melts my heart. What an awesome picture.
ReplyDeleteWell, I just have to say that everything you mention here is exactly what I think of you, my friend. Your blog has lifted me up on many days. I love the exchange of thoughts and ideas. Thank YOU! Merry Christmas to you and best wishes for the coming year.
To Julie,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Julie. Your comments have lifted my spirits and made my day. Needless to say, I have enjoyed your poetry immensely since first discovering it through Lorenzo's blog. I look forward to our continuing conversation during the coming year. During the meantime, have a wonderful and very, merry Christmas!
George,
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too. I don't know if I've ever up-and-said it, but I always appreciate the haven of your blog - the calm centeredness and appreciation of beauty and what that says about you always make me feel welcome and supported when I visit.
Best to you and your family!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTo Neighbor,
ReplyDeleteMany, many thanks for your kind and generous comments, Neighbor. I am delighted that you have found refuge from time to time in my postings. I always find something interesting when I visit your site, and I especially like your current posting on Mt. Tamalpais. I look forward to continuing our conversation in the year ahead. During the meantime, may you and your family have a very, merry Christmas!
A very Happy Christmas to you and all your family. You are fortunate to be all together, this year for the first time we are separated by many miles and of my family only my daughter will be here on Christmas Day. On the other hand I have many very happy Christmas's to look back on so I count myself lucky.
ReplyDeleteTo Rowan,
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rowan, and a very, merry Christmas to you as well! May the holiday and coming year bring you many blessings!
My very best of the Season to you George... may there be inspiring challenges that you cannot wait to take part in, beckoning you in the New and Wondrous 2011....Gwen
ReplyDeleteTo Gwen,
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gwen, and a Happy New Year to you and your family.