We three kings of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
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.
~Excerpt from a hymn
by John H. Hopkins, Jr. (1857)
The Journey Of The Magi
“A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.
And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.
Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arriving at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.
All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again…”
~Excerpt from a poem by T.S. Eliot
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ~Matthew 2:9-11 ✝
**White horse image found on Pinterest
Love this—and the image of the horse—he has an urgency—a determination—an appointment with destiny it is—we all have that do we not?? Some days, with the weight of this world, I kind wish He’d hurry up….
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Yes, he does. I loved the image of that horse when I found it on Pinteres, and you enhanced the image tremendously with your thoughts about his appearance. Indeed, my friend, we all have an appointment with destiny and we know who awaits us when we arrive. Love and hugs, N 🙂 ❤
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Thank you, Natalie. This encompasses so much of the reason for the Season.
The birth of Jesus,
Those lives He touched from before His birth until forever,
The gifts that the wise men, the Magi, brought
The star ☆ which led the shepherds to Him,
A baby in a manger.
I really feel blessed to be connected to you as a friend who is clear in her messages. Thank you for being one of God’s messengers, Natalie. ♡
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You are so welcome, Robin. Jesus is the reason for the season and so all of our thoughts should focus upon Him. You are a blessing to me as well, my friend. Have a wonderful day. Love and hugs, N 🙂 ❤
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Christmas blessings, Natalie. ❤
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Oh, the same to you sweet Bette! 🙂 ❤
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Awesome! All of it awesome.
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Wow, thanks for such an enthusiastic comment. I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Nico. 🙂 ❤
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A beautiful post.
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Thank you, V. I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 ❤
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Love this Natalie, As I started reading suddenly started singing that song. Thank you for making my hear happy today. Hugs.
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You’re so welcome, Patricia! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and that it made your heart happy. Love and hugs, N 🙂 ❤
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:o), thanks for knowing I left the t off..xo
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Big T.S. Eliot fan, you really used his work well.
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Why thanks, Charlie. I’m glad you thought I used it well. 🙂 ❤
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That story has always been a favorite Natalie. Thanks for starting my day in the right direction.
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Mine too, Dan. And I taught it for several years as well. I’m so glad it started your day off well. Love, N 🙂 ❤
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Lovely image Natalie. Christmas blessings to you and yours!
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Thanks, Brad. Merry Christmas to you as well. Love, N 🙂 ❤
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Thank you! 🙂
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So beautiful – love this part of the nativity – it also reminds me of the Little Drummer Boy – who had nothing to give but his music. All the best to you Natalie
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I love this part of the Nativity and the Little Drummer Boy, too. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well, Raewyn. Love and hugs, N :)) ❤
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