Merry Christmas!
It’s that time of year when our thoughts and minds turn toward gathering with family and friends to sing Christmas songs about angels and celebrate the birth of Christ. Most gatherings revolve around a table of favorite foods prepared just like others of generations past. Many of the gatherings usually begin with bowed heads and a prayer of thanks and a hope for peace.
Every year at this time, I really enjoy listening to an original soundtrack CD entitled Touched by an Angel, The Christmas Album. In fact, I like the final track, An Irish Blessing, so much that I have used it at several gatherings around our holiday table and decided I’d share the words with you at the end of this blog post. But for now, a little history lesson about the TV show Touched by an Angel.
This “American drama series premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and 9 seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touched_by_an_Angel). Reruns even continue to this day! The series stars included Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, Della Reese as her supervisor Tess, John Dye, and Valerie Bertinelli. Monica’s role was to bring guidance and messages of hope from God to people who were at a crossroads in their lives such as when facing a large problem or a tough decision. It became one of CBS highest-rated series from the third through the sixth year. In fact, Nielsen Media Research determined there were “17.2 million viewers that comprised a 15% share of the market in its fourth season!” (en.wikipedia). It was nominated to receive eleven Primetime Emmy Awards, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series and three Golden Globe Awards. The series itself was awarded Outstanding Drama Series three years in a row and five BMI Film and Television Awards for “Television Music”. Pretty impressive I must say!
Now let’s move on to the original soundtrack CD I mentioned above. The final track is actually narrated by Roma Downey herself in her wonderful Irish accent with lovely Irish music playing in the background. Below are the words:
“May the blessing of light be upon you
Light on the outside, light on the inside.
With God’s sunlight shining on you
May your heart glow with warmth like a turf fire that welcomes friends and strangers alike.
May the light of the Lord shine in your eye like a candle in the window welcoming the weary traveler.
May the blessing of God’s soft rain be on you,
Falling gently on your head, refreshing your soul with the sweetness of gentle flowers newly blooming.
May the strength of the winds of Heaven bless you, carrying the rain to wash your spirit clean,
Sparkling after in the sunlight.
May the blessing of God’s earth be on you, and as you walk the roads, may you always have a kind word for those you meet.
May you understand the strength and power of God in a thunderstorm and winter,
And the quiet beauty of creation in the calm of a summer sunset.
And may you come to realize that, as insignificant as you may seem in this great universe,
You are an important part of God’s plan.
May He watch over you and keep you safe from harm”.
My wish for you all is to have a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year filled with peace and good will!
Gramma Golden
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