Ring Out The Old, Ring In The New

Guest post by Suzann Darnall

Ring Out The Old, Ring In The New

~~~
Ring Out, Wild Bells

Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more,
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out thy mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
~~~

I know this was written for an earlier time and in a different country, but when I read through it, I was hit with how much it summed up a great deal of my hopes for the potential changes which may come about in the New Year. A year in which we will welcome a new president and many new people in political offices. A time for hope if ever a time did so exist!

I pray we do ring out the false and ring in the new. A time for lies to cease and truth be told. A new honesty in America and in government would be greatly appreciated by many citizens that have suffered greatly under Obama’s much less than transparent government!

I also hope that people will let go the false narrative of the Progressives who try to build political points on the idea of class warfare. And, racism. And, sexism. And . . . pretty much any other way they can divide and hope to conquer the citizenry into being their dupes.

“Dying cause” and “party strife” immediately called to my mind images of the useless gits who are the leadership and sheep we know as Democratic Party. I do hope we can replace their deceit, hate-mongering, and power-grabs with “nobler modes of life”, “sweeter manners”, and “purer laws”.

While I know we cannot simply wish away “want” and “care”, I do hope we can find better ways to help people lift themselves out of poverty. Ways far removed from the disastrous “war on poverty” than has accomplished nothing but every-increasing welfare rolls.

In short, I think Donald Trump will be a breath of fresh air throughout Washington, DC who will most assuredly ring a few people’s chimes as he makes some sweeping changes to how America does business. At home AND abroad. In the private AND public sectors. Sweet music to my ears, for sure!

Sayonara,
Suzann
http://www.suziezoo.com
http://www.woolymammoth.org

The road to higher and better

Okay, so we have a new year beckoning. Let's turn to Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience for some words of wisdom:

It doesn’t matter a hill of sprouting beans if you’re 9 and stomping your feet or 16 and slamming doors or 40 and distracting on your phone — hard things just keep calling you because you’re meant to answer to higher and better things.

...Life is Pain — and you get to choose: either the Pain of Discipline or the Pain of Disappointment.

Nothing happens without discipline. No music gets played without discipline. No games get won. No finish lines get crossed. No freedom gets tasted. And you want that.

...Brilliant doesn’t matter, if you can’t get out of bed.

Talent doesn’t mean a thing, if you let Fear be some terrorist that takes you hostage.

Potential doesn’t add up to anything, if you get addicted to perfectionism because perfectionism is slow death by self.

Listen: Fire your perfectionism and your procrastination will quit too.

...There is His Perfect Love who accepts you 100% before you perform even 1%, there is His Perfect Love who speaks Protection and Peace and promises the Power of the Holy Spirit — so you can fire perfectionism and procrastination will quit too.


...There’s snow down in the woods, all down the road this morning, the ice clinging at the edge of things —- and you can feel it if you turn your face toward the sun —-

all those hard things melting in the heat of a greater and perfect warmth.

More words and photos here.

Let's make it our best one yet!

Thanks to Ann Voskamp