I finally got the last of the glitter and tinsel out of my clothes and hair, the tree is looking a little limp, the family has all disbanded to return to their own homes, their own kitchens, and I still don’t know where I’m going to store the new stuff.  It’s a good thing I seem to like clutter.

Merry is not a word that came to my mind this Christmas.  I walked into this holiday holding the idea of good cheer with a shaky grip.  I was the competent surgeon who had developed tremors from some trauma but wasn’t ready to admit that the gig was up, and cheer was my unsuspecting and trusting patient.  I slaughtered cheer with an unsteady hand and with the help of my own personal live-in Scrooge. Still, I persevered.  I shopped for my entire Christmas list in four hours, a feat that there really ought to be some kind of award for. Really.  Who DOES that?  I shopped for presents, I shopped for Christmas dinner, I made phone calls to people who needed a light in the dark of winter, I moved blankets from here to there so overnight guests could be warm, I bought a tree, put it up, dressed it and myself up, and I smiled.  I wrapped gifts with the same flair as always, and I kissed my children.  I did my best to let the Spirit of Christmas get to me, and I admit, while I wasn’t exactly channeling Saint Nick, I was warmed and softened.

Besides, even if I didn’t make “cheerful and lively”, I at least managed to achieve the informal British definition of merry; “slightly and good humoredly drunk”.  But enough about me.  Sassy Mama Bear still has a firm grip on Merry, and just knowing that there’s one person out there still feelin’ it means that merry still has a place in this world.  All it takes is one.

Merry is the heart that knows unconditional love. Merry is the soul that flies free of emotional restraint. Merry is the child lost in innocent imaginative play. Merry is the bride on her ever special day.

Merry is my heart when I see my child smile. Merry is my soul when I feel no burden weighing it down. Merry as a child am I when the world is sunny and bright. Merry as a bride am I with a kiss from my groom on my lips alights.

Merry is the world where all know happiness if even for a moment.

~ Penelope Anne Bartotto

© 2008

Thanks Mama Bear for keeping us real.   In other words…

  •  A “rogue and a scoundrel” but merry.
  • Merry is not for the weak of heart according to Ninjas.
  • Channeling merry in another world, another time.
  • Night Blogger threw the antidote gauntlet down at Ninja’s feet.

Now, before I give you this week’s word, I have a surprise.  An idea emerging, but I’m going to need your help on this one.  I’ve been thinking for a long time about sending something to my choice of the week, but I wanted to wait for the right idea to come to mind, and I think it has.  I love books, especially old books, especially found and recommended books.  I want to share that love with you, and here’s my evil plan to do that.  Every week, I’m going to choose a word from a book that I will then send to you.  You being the you blogger whose 100 words I choose to feature. The books I send will be found books, books I’m ready to part with, used copies of books I’m not willing to part with, books from quirky used bookstores with delicate pages and beautiful poetry, funny books, helpful books, inspiring books, and books that for whatever the mood is that strikes me, I think ought to make a journey from me to you.

It doesn’t end there.  I’m thinking that it could get even more interesting if we send these books along on further adventures.  Leave them in cafes, gift them to strangers, or send overseas to a school in need.  The travels of the books are only as limited as each of your imaginations.  The only catch is that I haven’t yet figured out the best way to track and document the path of the books.  For now I’m going to add a page here for each new book I send, but eventually I may have to build a companion website.  I’ll cross that bridge when I have to get to the other side.

You can help me out by shouting this out on your blogs and making sure that if you are a book recipient that you let the book go.  I’ll be sure to include some other memoir for you from me.  And so it begins with Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic.  The word is

Doorway

With love,