On the first day of Christmas . . .

Reflection © Kathryn LeRoy

Hello friends,

“On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me.”

Few Christmas carols receive as much abuse and dislike as this one. Yet, every Christmas, my nieces and nephews still wanted to sing this song, laughing and stumbling through all the verses.

The earliest version of the Twelve Days of Christmas appears around 1780 in a children’s book, but many believe the verses originated in France. Here we are in 2021, and you can still hear the song on the radio, at Christmas concerts, or around the family table.

Around this time in 2020, I began planning my writing, leading to 12 themes, one for each month. Over the year, these daily quotations and mini-posts served as gifts to my readers and anyone who might see them on Twitter.

Will I do this again? Maybe, or I might make 2022 the year of wonder and spontaneity. I’m still planning.

I created The Twelve Themes of 2021 in the spirit of the original song by selecting my favorite message from each month. All the photographs are mine, the quotations come from my collection of others’ inspiring words, and I share my thoughts on those words.

Wherever you live in the world, whether you celebrate Christmas or have other traditions, I gift you these thoughts for the last weeks of 2021.

The Twelve Themes of 2021

Words

Words fly across our screens. Some bring inspiration, hope while others sting, fuel fear. Still more call us to stand up for humanity and this earth we call home.

Love

Something is haunting about these words from Zelda Fitzgerald. From the first time I read them, they hung suspended in my mind.

Wisdom

You can’t gain wisdom from reading about life.

You must live it, mistakes and victories alike.

My most profound learning comes from my reflections on my actions—how they influenced the consequences, others, and my next steps.

Notice

You can sleepwalk through your day. Or, open your eyes to the small wonders waiting for you.

Nature

I must not forget to remain steadfast as those mountains, staying the course for what matters to me.

Discover

We often consider mistakes as setbacks.

What if we thought of them as discoveries?

Belonging

So much easier said than done, but so worth the journey.

Wholeness

Sometimes, all seems lost, forsaken, and broken.

That’s when we must look inside ourselves and one another to find the wholeness to do more, to become better.

Story

I don’t often think about my life as a story, at least one that would interest anyone but me and maybe family and a close friend or two.

But really, all our stories have value.

Harmony

I wonder if these five rules could help us live in harmony with one another.

Courage

That’s courage!

Kindness

Kindness cannot must not wait.

I couldn’t end without sharing a delightful rendition of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” by the Pentatonix.

Be and become your best today and every day.

With gratitude,

Kathryn

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