A short while back I was running on Lady Bird Lake and passed a woman wearing a T-Shirt with the words:
God Bless The Whole World -No Exceptions
That phrase has crossed my mind almost every day since then. Now it's Christmas and whether you celebrate this event, Hannukah, Kwanza, Festivus or WHATEVER...I hope that you are blessed in ways that enrich your life and those around you. Charles Dickens is probably best known for "A Christmas Carol" and I think the following quote from the author sums up the holidays as good any I know:
I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.
~Charles Dickens~
So I will leave you with a holiday song that is Not your usual Christmas tune... and wish the best of the season to you and yours!
Very cool Christmas card! Only you could include the Texas State Capitol, Santa's Sleigh, an Irish Rock band and a tune about New York City all in the same holiday post!
Russell - Merry Christmas to you my friend all the best for the New Year. ~Rita
HA HA Mattie Well you know me...a LOT better than most! Merry Christmas!
Rita Thanks so much and the best of the season to you!
Russell, I love it! Thanks! Merry Christmas & God bless us, every one!
Cute, clever and touching and as usual so YOU! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Russell - what a nice sentiment..,.for the holidays and anytime.
Have a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year.
Jeff
Russell, you have such an incredibly good attitude! Thanks and I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season!
Don So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Have a good holiday!
Lynne Thanks , I always enjoy hearing from you.
Jeff I appreciate that and wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season too!
Gary I agree and actually it's a good thing that at least once a year we are reminded of that!
Scott Thank you, have a good holiday and I will see you soon!
Susan Hey there, thanks for dropping by and I am so glad you are all together having fun (and enjoying some of that Santa Salsa) Merry Christmas my friend!
We just arrived home from a candle light service, fixing to have a traditional (at least in Texas) tamale supper and then just relax...Best to everyone during the holidays!
Russell-You are such a giving and sentimental soul and I so enjoy you being here sharing with us here in the Rain. Merry Christmas to you and yours and see you in the new year.!!
Russell, Merry Christmas. May your new year be the best ever!
Russell - Merry Christmas to you and your whole family! Here is my favorite "non-traditional" Christmas song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIGiX-vc6M8
Russell, what a nice post. Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you!
Merry Christmas Russell-What a beautiful card. Pretty cool song as well. Have a blessed holiday season. <SMILE>
Russell, Merry Christmas to you also! I'm so excited to have our family all together this Christmas. I am truly blessed!
Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and may a Joyous New Year await you!
Love the picture. Excellent Photo Shop job =P Nifty little Texas flag on top of the White House too. lol
Merry Christmas Russell! I hope you and your family enjoy the day and all that it brings!
Merry Christmas and a Happ and properous New Year from Queen Creek Arizona.
Merry Christmas Russell!
God Bless The Whole World -No Exceptions
Hi Russell,
Very interesting quote. I noticed that saying for the first time, yesterday, on a bumper sticker.
Merry Christmas to you and your family! :)
You all have a very wonderful and Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2010
Merry Christmas and a Happy New year from Canada
Hi Russell,
Love the Deep In the Heart of Texas message! Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a prosperous 2010! Loved the music!!
Thanks Russell.
Martha Thank you so much I appreciate the comment and wish you and your family a very happy new year too!
Bob Thanks and the same to you. I have a special sentiment for for Tulsa as my son attends Tulsa University!
Jason Thanks very much and after listening to that song, I have a new favorite to add to my non traditional Christmas songs!
Marney Thanks very much! I will have to stop by your blog soon!
Sharon Lee It is always so good to see you, Merry Christmas!
Marchel I am so happy for you and your family to be together after the time your son spent serving our country over seas! We ARE truly blessed!
Ellen Merry Christmas and a HAPPY New Year!
Lisa Thanks, it is a nice photoshop BUT the building pictured here is actually the STATE CAPITOL of TEXAS!!
Hey everyone! Thanks for stopping by! We are fixin' to have a great feast with the family but I will return later to reply and also visit everyone's blog! Best of the season to all of you!
Bill Thank you so much I appreciate the comment and wish you and your family a very happy new year!
Celia Thanks and the same to you.
Sally Thanks and Merry Christmas to you in you Islands too!
Marney Thanks very much! I will have to stop by your blog soon!
Bruce It is always so good to see you, it is a good reminder to all of us no matter where we see the message. Merry Christmas!
Ed and Al Merry Christmas and a HAPPY New Year!
Dorie It’s always fun to send a mesage from Deep in the Heart of Texas! Best to you in the new year my friend!
Michael You are very welcome. See you soon!
Russell, please have a wonderful and very Merry Christmas! That feast is sounding pretty good!
Hey! The Angel Biscuits were heavenly with the home made jam! Merry Christmas...again!
I hope you had a great Christmas. And maybe you had a white Christmas as well judging by the news. All the best for the new year
And a very Merry Christmas to you and yours too Russell!
Here's hoping that you had a wonderful day!
*GASP*...Family down....stuck on couch...can't get up...everyone is stuffed and worn out from the revelry...
Russell. thank you and a Merry Christmas to you and your family. Wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.
MERRY CHRISTMAS! And I think we all need to work on keeping the spirit of the season in our hearts throughout the year! Compassion, giving, understanding... these things are needed now more than ever. There are way too many hurting people in this world.
Merry Christmas Russell! What a sweet post! I hope you and yours have a lovely holiday.
Cheers!
Thanks to all for dropping by, we are headed out to the madness of the “exchange” a gift world! back later to reply!
Yes, but too bad the Spirit of Christmas (or the holidays) doesn't last all year. Is that why it is so special, perhaps??
Hi Russell, I liked the song! I hope you had a very Merry Christmas, and God Bless us one and all-- NO EXCEPTIONS! Today and everyday :-) All the best to you and your family for the coming year!
Hi Russell what a great message and quote from the " Christmas Carol Story " I enjoyed the non traditional song although found it a bit sad maybe because it hit a bit of truth that surrounds us, Happy wonderful New Year to you and your family.Don't stop with the amazing post......love ya friend...................
Russell, I trust you and your family had a wonderful day!
I love the saying on that sweatshirt!!
God Bless The Whole World -No Exceptions
I need a shirt like that. I have never understood "God Bless America." Would God really only bless 350 million people out of almost seven billion on Earth? If so, s/he's definitely not a God that I would want to be associated with.
If everyone else on Earth disappeared tomorrow because God chose only to bless America, who would we sell our stuff to? Who would we buy oil from?
Of course, we might have peace on Earth then. Nope. Even Americans are too fractious with some, mostly in the South, wanting a religious theocracy. Others, mostly on the east and west coasts, as well as the large cities, want freedom and justice for all. I'd bet the world would be no better off with just 350 Americans on it.
We'll never have peace as long as there is patriotism and countries, and different religions that believe their god is the biggest, baddest, best.
John Lennon had it right:
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
Russell, I really like that ~ God Bless the World ~ No Exceptions.
Why don't you write more, you seem to have a lot of wise things to say!?!?
God bless you Russell, hope your Christmas was memorable. Just trying to get around to all those I missed to let you know you are highly thought of and I value your friendship. Happy and Prosperous New Year!
Meryy Christmas to you my friend. I just finished reading your previous post about giving during the holidays and as usual you have it down. We should all try and carry the spirit of the season with us all through the year!
Russell Arthur and I look forward to continued dialogue with you in 2010 Happy and Prosperous New Year
Russell - hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and wishing you and your family a Happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
'No Exceptions' is a pretty good way to go through life huh !
... kinda like the reason that the 'Golden Rule' has survived so long :o)
Cheers Russell and Happy New Year to you and yours !
Very nice sentiment and same to you! and a Happy New Year to you and your family.
Hello everyone, thanks so much for dropping by. I created this post as an email to my SOI and all my friends here at Active Rain! I don't know when I will have a chance to respond to all of the comments but I will make the effort and also make a point to visit each of your blogs and leave a comment!
Russell, that was a wonderful passage to revisit. Thanks for sharing it. Personally, I am going to get more involved with those that feel they are falling (and failing) themselves. See if I can lift some spirits. Happy New Year...I hope you have a good one planned!
Howdy and Evenen Russell, my friend
Thank you kind for the visits!!!
Happy New Year to you and your family!!! and God bless each and every one in your family!!!
I have never heard that Christmas song, and it was very good! Thanks for sharing it, and have a wonderful time tonight and next year!
Love the photo of the capitol and reindeer. I hope you have a fab 2010. Lets make time to grab a burger and beer at Phil's!
;0
Maybe its a Texas thing? My friend "Danny Roy Young"owner of the Texicali Grill always used to say "Love them all and let God sort it out".I think it is the perfect sentiment to live by. He was another amazing person that we lost last year.
Hey there, just stopped by to wish you a happy new year! Drop by when you are in the neighborhood!
Christmas time is defintiely a unique time of the year. Everything just seems different and more relaxed. I wish it would carry on throughout the year. Happy New Year, Russell.
Hi Russell! Sorry to be so late to the party! I love your card and I love Seinfield--Festivus--I get a kick out of that everytime I see that episode. Both of my boys and my husband could watch each one of those episodes 100 times and I think that just by being in the room with them, I could recite most episodes by heart myself!!
I hope you and yours have a wonderful 2010--here's to much health, happiness and success for the New Year!
I hope your holidays were super happy! Best wishes in 2010!
I love it! What a great slogan on a T-shirt or bumper sticker, for that matter. Wonder where I can get myself one of those shirts....
Happy Holidays. When I move to Texas I know who to call. I've always want to buy from a Robert E. Lee look-a-like. ;^)
Great post and such an excellent sentiment! I hope you had a wonderful New Year and now it's time to get back to work! :-)
Hey, Russell - Just came by after the start of the new year to see how you're doing. I hope you didn't take ActiveRain blogging off of your 2010 list of things to do!
Hi Russell:
Have a Happy & Successful 2010!!!
And God Bless the whole world too...
Well, Russell I hope the first week of the New Year has been kind to you! You certainly are deserving of all the good life has to offer.
Hi Russell! I've been seeing you around and came back to check-in to see if your New Year started off with a bang! I'm guessing so!!
Have a great week...
Russell, when I see the sentiment "God bless the whole world, no exceptions" on a bumper, it always makes me smile. A new bumper sticker I saw recently (completely unrelated sentiment) that made me smile was a small picture of a dachsund with this message: If you can see my wiener, you're too close! Hope you're laughing like I was. Susie
Hey bud ! Just stopping by to say Hi and I hope your year has started off well !
Good to see you popping up in the comments :o)
Cheers mate !
Sheldon
Hello Russell, It's 2010 and I recall one of your resolutions was to post on a more regular basis so maybe it's time to get started!
Russell
My kind of lady with that T-shirt. "No exceptions"; I enjoy people that set new standards for letting everyone know she cares about them.
I second Scott Harvey. Mister its time you got jiggy with it and started posting again! I can't keep commenting on the same posts over and over, people will think I'm daft!! Hop to it!! That does not mean wait until Easter.... LOL
;)-
Russell,
I know the holiday's are over, but I like that T-shirt you mentioned, Coexist..should be the way of the world. well, happy belated holiday's and a New Year!
Russell, I keep checking back with you, hope to see a post from you now that we are into the new year! I could use some more of your sense of humor!
Hi Russell, just stopping by to say hi also. It's been a busy few months and I have not been here on AR regularly.
I couldn't agree more w/ the message of you post, hope you & your family have a peaceful & fruitful 2010 and beyond!
Hi Russell! Just checking in to see how you're doing?! I'm axiously awaiting your next post--as MANY others are too!
Have a fabulous weekend...
I have seen that on a bumper sticker, and it sums up my personal beliefs EXACTLY. We are far more similar than different.
Hey, Russell - I'm baaaaaaaack! I'm not that easy to get rid of, and not posting to your blog sure isn't going to do it. LOL. Hope all is well, but we all hope you'll take up Playing in the Rain with us again, and soon!