I heard the Bells on Christmas Day

I've heard this Christmas carol my whole entire life, and never thought twice about it. It is just an old Christmas classic... background music to which I gave little heed and no thought.

Until a couple weeks ago.

A couple friends of mine and I were sitting around my friend's kitchen table, reading and counting all the Christmas & Holiday cards people had sent to us, to send to the troops in "the Sandbox." (side note: mailed out the last batch of almost 2,000 cards this week... bringing the final total up to well over 19,000... very close to 20,000!) The words of "I heard the bells on Christmas Day" were on the front of several of the cards we were reading.

For some reason, something made me stop and actually READ those words from beginning to end, even though this song is so familiar to me and millions of others.The words I read made me stop in my tracks. So profound, so appropriate. So very PERFECT to send to Soldiers out on the battlefield... and so very true.

So, I invite you to look with new eyes, and read the words penned by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow... pretend you've never heard the song before and read it again for the first time.

I heard the bells on Christmas day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along the unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head

“There is no peace on earth,” I said,

“For hate is strong and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The wrong shall fail,

the right prevail

With peace on earth, good will to men.”