Have you heard of the song, He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” by the Hollies? The story behind this song stems from the early 1900’s when Father Flanagan, the founder of Boy’s Town, was glancing through a magazine showing a picture of an older boy carrying a younger boy on his back. The caption read, “He ain’t heavy mister. . . he’s my brother.”
These are my mother’s words.
“I think I mentioned before the importance of New Year’s Eve as one of the major holidays. The first year in Beirut, some people were casually gathered in our home and they stayed and stayed.”
We Three Kings of Orient are, Bearing gifts we travel so far, Field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star. O, star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright, westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light.
I’ve never taken time to understand the depth of meaning behind this story and carol.
My senses not only navigate the world for me, teaching me the qualities and measures of my surroundings, but they also trigger memories, the hauntingly pleasant ones and the the anxious not so good ones.
Over 200 years ago in 1816, the beloved Christmas hymn, Silent Night was heard for the first time in Austria at a Christmas Eve Mass in Oberndorf.
As each Christmas season rolls around, I have flashbacks of Christmases as a child. But, don’t we all? This particular memory of mine is of Bethlehem.