Lucy's Carol
Lucy’s Carol
(Lucy was 5 years old when she composed this carol;
her mother wrote it down word for word.)
When the baby borned
Joseph said to Mary,
‘What am I going to do about
This little-born Jesus Baby Christ?
I never knew it was going to be like this,
With all these angels and kings
And shepherds and stars and things;
It’s got me worried, I can tell you,
On Christmas Day in the morning.’
Mary said to Joseph,
‘Not to worry, my darling,
Dear old darling Joseph;
Everything’s going to be all right,
Because the Angel told me not to fear;
So just hold up the lamp,
So I can see the dear funny sweet little face
Of my darling little-born Jesus Baby Christ.’
Joseph said to Mary,
‘Behold the handyman of the Lord!’
Happy Christmas, happy Christmas!
Christ is born today.
I found this endearing carol in a Christmas book I purchased several years ago (Celebrating Christmas by Christina Goodings) and pretty much anyone who visits my house for any length of time over Christmas has it read to them. I can’t help myself. It is precious in so many ways-the language, the perspective, the expressions. The first time I read this, my thoughts were, I wish I knew this little Lucy. What sort of young woman is she now? I bought this book back in 1998 before I landed on the “different planet” with kids and so now, it’s really not Lucy I wish I knew…………. it’s Lucy’s mommy who I would like to spend a morning with sipping a cup of coffee. Just by reading Lucy’s words, you can imagine teachable moments they shared, meaningful conversations that took place, and precious time spent together. I think her words even speak of loving relationships in their home, “my darling, dear old darling Joseph” and “the dear funny sweet little face of my darling”. The special times and love shared in their home must have been abundant for Lucy to have formed such a beautiful, sweet and accurate scene of the first Christmas in her little 5 year old head. Way to go, Lucy’s Mommy! Your girl got it. Now, please tell me how you did it!
A word I have been thinking about a lot lately is intentionality—mostly because of this talk I am doing on Saturday, but also, because I am a parent and if I am not intentional in things I want to instill in my children, someone else will beat me to it. Jeff said something on the way home from church the other day that has been like a tune I can’t get out of my mind. He said, “So many times, we just throw things up on the wall and expect them to stick.” He was talking about something unrelated to parenting, but that was the context in which I heard it. Needless to say, I have lots of efforts that are lying on the floor. I rush through a great teachable moment to get out of the door. I cut off an opportunity for a meaningful conversation because “my ears are tired”. I shorten time together because emails need to be answered. I throw something up there, hoping it will stick because, after all, I threw really hard and really fast. Sadly, I find it only as a mess on the floor to clean up later. My prayer is to recognize these moments taking shape and take hold of them as if their lives depended on it. A little extreme? Maybe, but maybe not.So, thanks to Lucy’s mommy for the inspiration of doing something right, for being intentional. It sounds like, for you, what really mattered stuck.
The Objects of My Intentionality
(Lucy was 5 years old when she composed this carol;
her mother wrote it down word for word.)
When the baby borned
Joseph said to Mary,
‘What am I going to do about
This little-born Jesus Baby Christ?
I never knew it was going to be like this,
With all these angels and kings
And shepherds and stars and things;
It’s got me worried, I can tell you,
On Christmas Day in the morning.’
Mary said to Joseph,
‘Not to worry, my darling,
Dear old darling Joseph;
Everything’s going to be all right,
Because the Angel told me not to fear;
So just hold up the lamp,
So I can see the dear funny sweet little face
Of my darling little-born Jesus Baby Christ.’
Joseph said to Mary,
‘Behold the handyman of the Lord!’
Happy Christmas, happy Christmas!
Christ is born today.
I found this endearing carol in a Christmas book I purchased several years ago (Celebrating Christmas by Christina Goodings) and pretty much anyone who visits my house for any length of time over Christmas has it read to them. I can’t help myself. It is precious in so many ways-the language, the perspective, the expressions. The first time I read this, my thoughts were, I wish I knew this little Lucy. What sort of young woman is she now? I bought this book back in 1998 before I landed on the “different planet” with kids and so now, it’s really not Lucy I wish I knew…………. it’s Lucy’s mommy who I would like to spend a morning with sipping a cup of coffee. Just by reading Lucy’s words, you can imagine teachable moments they shared, meaningful conversations that took place, and precious time spent together. I think her words even speak of loving relationships in their home, “my darling, dear old darling Joseph” and “the dear funny sweet little face of my darling”. The special times and love shared in their home must have been abundant for Lucy to have formed such a beautiful, sweet and accurate scene of the first Christmas in her little 5 year old head. Way to go, Lucy’s Mommy! Your girl got it. Now, please tell me how you did it!
A word I have been thinking about a lot lately is intentionality—mostly because of this talk I am doing on Saturday, but also, because I am a parent and if I am not intentional in things I want to instill in my children, someone else will beat me to it. Jeff said something on the way home from church the other day that has been like a tune I can’t get out of my mind. He said, “So many times, we just throw things up on the wall and expect them to stick.” He was talking about something unrelated to parenting, but that was the context in which I heard it. Needless to say, I have lots of efforts that are lying on the floor. I rush through a great teachable moment to get out of the door. I cut off an opportunity for a meaningful conversation because “my ears are tired”. I shorten time together because emails need to be answered. I throw something up there, hoping it will stick because, after all, I threw really hard and really fast. Sadly, I find it only as a mess on the floor to clean up later. My prayer is to recognize these moments taking shape and take hold of them as if their lives depended on it. A little extreme? Maybe, but maybe not.So, thanks to Lucy’s mommy for the inspiration of doing something right, for being intentional. It sounds like, for you, what really mattered stuck.
The Objects of My Intentionality
Comments
How did your talk go? I can't wait to hear about it. I am sure you were wonderful!!!