Author Archives: Dr. Crystal Grimes

Beam #SixSentenceStories

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A beam of light shot across the sky on that long-ago night. Was it a UFO? A meteor? A shooting star? Or a sign that the world was ending–or just beginning? Ask your heart, and you’ll receive your answer!

—
Written for
#SixSentenceStories: Beam

This is also part of my Holiday Blogging Party. You’re invited, too!
Click here to participate!

“Patapan” #Advent #Music

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French poet Bernard de La Monnoye wrote “Patapan” (or “Pat-a-pan”), a Burgundian carol first published in 1720. Its original title was “Guillô, Pran Ton Tamborin” (“Willie, Bring Your Little Drum” or, as some English translations say, “Willie, Take Your Little Drum”). “Patapan” is a lesser known, but beautiful traditional Christmas carol that revolves around shepherds playing simple instruments at the birth of Christ. The title itself, “Patapan,” mimics the sound of the drum, and the sound “tu-re-lu-re-lu” in the refrain mimics the flute or fife. You can find one anonymous English translation
here.

I hope you enjoy hearing this carol on zither, which is a plucked instrument, and Oriole recorder, a vertical flute!

This post is part of my Holiday Blogging Party. You’re welcome to join in!
Click here to learn how.

“Infant Holy, Infant Lowly” #Advent #Music

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“Infant Holy, Infant Lowly” is a traditional Polish Christmas carol. Its original title is “W Żłobie Leży.” Edith Margaret Gellibrand Reed translated the lyrics into English in 1920. The text is based on Luke 2:7, which reads, “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. (KJV)” The melody may date back as far as the 13th century.

Today you’re listening to melody and harmony on alto recorder, melody on viola, and ukulele accompaniment. I hope you enjoy this beautiful carol!

A Life of Faith #Poem

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Chicken and dumplings add much to my style,
Not all the time, but once in a while.

I enjoy a beach walk and a castle of sand
Before it’s destroyed by my brother’s big hand.

I’m always awake at midnight, you see,
Because I’m creative and also can’t sleep.

I like a good brain teaser puzzle of sorts,
And I’m real good at research and writing reports.

But still there are times when Sahara I know,
Feeling thirsty, despairing, or stuck and alone.

I’ve been on the cliff’s edge at the edge of the sea,
Praying tides wash away all the trouble from me.

I am living my life in its time and its place,
And it grows from the small mustard seed of my faith!

—
My response to Linda Kruschke’s
Paint Chip Poetry Prompt #48

Replaced #Costanza #Poem

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I need a place to hide my shame
Or better still, to vanquish all,
For shameful feelings bring the fall.

I seek the magic in my name
That shows, not who I choose to be,
But who I Am when I Am free!

I search for one eternal flame,
The fire of life that is my spark,
Which shines on through the deepest dark.

I trust myself, but not the same.
The person I have been is gone,
Replaced by someone moving on!

I play at life and win the game!
No matter what has come before,
I live in knowing evermore!

I need no place to hide my shame.
No longer mine, it’s blown away
By lighter dawns and brighter days!

—
This is a Costanza, written for
MLMM Saturday Mix: Lucky Dip – Costanza