The Last of the Summer Wine

In honor of the New Year, I wanted to post the lyrics to Last of the Summer Wine as read by Bill Owen (see previous post.) Very moving and beautifully read. (It's the second recording on that YouTube video I posted.) Anyway, here it is:

The last of the summer wine
The blossom soon begins to fade
A lonely bird high on a hill sings
Autumn’s on its way
The memory of summers gone
Like passing summers cross my mind
Reflections of the yesterdays
that made our summer wine

The misty haze of golden days when we were young
That heady brew of finding love
Then love passing on

The last of the summer wine
The sweet bouquet of memories
when days were long and nights so warm
I still remember these

We laughed and loved maybe too well
The best laid plans of yours and mine got left behind
Time went too fast
Just like our summer wine

Though shadows grow longer now
Leaves start to fall
I still feel the warmth of you
But most of all
This cup of life of ours we drank

Now grapes are few upon the vine
So let us toast of vintage days
The last of our summer wine
And always remember this
The promise that I made to you
This summer wine of ours, my love,
Will last our whole life through.

The Last of the Summer Wine

In honor of the New Year, I wanted to post the lyrics to Last of the Summer Wine as read by Bill Owen (see previous post.) Very moving and beautifully read. (It's the second recording on that YouTube video I posted.) Anyway, here it is:

The last of the summer wine
The blossom soon begins to fade
A lonely bird high on a hill sings
Autumn’s on its way
The memory of summers gone
Like passing summers cross my mind
Reflections of the yesterdays
that made our summer wine

The misty haze of golden days when we were young
That heady brew of finding love
Then love passing on

The last of the summer wine
The sweet bouquet of memories
when days were long and nights so warm
I still remember these

We laughed and loved maybe too well
The best laid plans of yours and mine got left behind
Time went too fast
Just like our summer wine

Though shadows grow longer now
Leaves start to fall
I still feel the warmth of you
But most of all
This cup of life of ours we drank

Now grapes are few upon the vine
So let us toast of vintage days
The last of our summer wine
And always remember this
The promise that I made to you
This summer wine of ours, my love,
Will last our whole life through.

Devotion for January--The Holy Name of Jesus

God greatly exalted Him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth. ~Phillipians 2:8-10

The traditional devotion for January is the Holy Name of Jesus. Coming from Scripture, the Holy Name has long been an important devotion for Christians.

Orthodox Christians use the Jesus Prayer as a means of obeying the biblical directive to "pray without ceasing." The Name of Jesus is used during wordless contemplation when the mind begins to wander to refocus the meditation on the One who is the Now. Jesus.

In Catholicism, many of us were taught to bow our heads whenever the name of Jesus is spoken. That is an easily done practice that would be good to revive. The Holy Name has great power and should be spoken with reverence. Prayer using the Holy Name is a very effective way to unite ourselves to God and to stop the sin of misusing God's name in vain. In today's society, using the Holy Name as a swear word is an easy way to sell movies and books. Think of the Divine Power that is being wasted in this atmosphere of thoughtless blasphemy!

The Holy Name of Jesus is the simplest and most effective prayer there is. It is the name of One who loves us more than we can imagine. In reciting the name Jesus, we are offering to God all of Christ's loving sacrifice and asking Him to unite us to His love and make us more like Him.

In times of distress, when words fail us, or when we don't even know what we should be praying for, we only need to pray using the Holy Name of Jesus, and the Spirit helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. (Romans 8:26) .

Do not be afraid to speak the Holy Name of Jesus!!

The picture above is the name of Jesus as it was written in Hebrew.

Devotion for January--The Holy Name of Jesus

God greatly exalted Him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth. ~Phillipians 2:8-10

The traditional devotion for January is the Holy Name of Jesus. Coming from Scripture, the Holy Name has long been an important devotion for Christians.

Orthodox Christians use the Jesus Prayer as a means of obeying the biblical directive to "pray without ceasing." The Name of Jesus is used during wordless contemplation when the mind begins to wander to refocus the meditation on the One who is the Now. Jesus.

In Catholicism, many of us were taught to bow our heads whenever the name of Jesus is spoken. That is an easily done practice that would be good to revive. The Holy Name has great power and should be spoken with reverence. Prayer using the Holy Name is a very effective way to unite ourselves to God and to stop the sin of misusing God's name in vain. In today's society, using the Holy Name as a swear word is an easy way to sell movies and books. Think of the Divine Power that is being wasted in this atmosphere of thoughtless blasphemy!

The Holy Name of Jesus is the simplest and most effective prayer there is. It is the name of One who loves us more than we can imagine. In reciting the name Jesus, we are offering to God all of Christ's loving sacrifice and asking Him to unite us to His love and make us more like Him.

In times of distress, when words fail us, or when we don't even know what we should be praying for, we only need to pray using the Holy Name of Jesus, and the Spirit helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. (Romans 8:26) .

Do not be afraid to speak the Holy Name of Jesus!!

The picture above is the name of Jesus as it was written in Hebrew.

RIP Kathy Staff

Kathy Staff, long time British actress who played Nora Batty on "Last of the Summer Wine", has died at the age of 80. Her colleague, Bill Owen, who played Compo on the same long running series, passed away in 1999.

I found this beautiful tribute on YouTube. Apparently, the two had made a recording together as Nora and Compo. There is also a beautiful rendition by Owen of the Last of the Summer Wine lyrics read over the theme music for the show.

Enjoy life while it lasts, folks.

RIP Kathy Staff

Kathy Staff, long time British actress who played Nora Batty on "Last of the Summer Wine", has died at the age of 80. Her colleague, Bill Owen, who played Compo on the same long running series, passed away in 1999.

I found this beautiful tribute on YouTube. Apparently, the two had made a recording together as Nora and Compo. There is also a beautiful rendition by Owen of the Last of the Summer Wine lyrics read over the theme music for the show.

Enjoy life while it lasts, folks.

Biblical Caregiving

Last Sunday's first reading was very appropriate for me, as I'm sure it is for so many people right now.

My son, take care of your father when he is old;
grieve him not as long as he lives.
Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him;
revile him not all the days of his life;
kindness to a father will not be forgotten,
firmly planted against the debt of your sins
—a house raised in justice to you. ~Sirach 3:12-14

As our priest pointed out, there was no such thing as "Alzheimer's" in biblical times, but people have been dealing with the aging process as long as there have been human beings. The price we pay for a long life, is often increased frailty and dependence on others. Even Christ pointed out that

Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go. ~John 21:18

We are all dependent upon one another's kindness to survive in this world. We are called to love each other as Jesus loved us. That is what marriage is all about and that is what being a human being is all about.

Jesus also gave his mother to St. John from the cross. Mary had no other children to take care of her after Jesus would die and ascend into heaven, so the Beloved Disciple was entrusted with her care.

Following his example, the Friends of St. John the Caregiver provides support and inspiration to those caring for a family member.

Click here for an article about how caregiving may actually lengthen life! Hat tip to SK for that one!