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On the first day of Christmas . . .

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On the first day of Christmas . . .

Kathryn A. LeRoy
Dec 11, 2021
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On the first day of Christmas . . .

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closeup of a Christmas tree with red and gold baubles, twinkling white lights, and gold bows
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.

Words_Hawthorne.png

Love

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

Love-Fitzgerald_02.06.21.png

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.

03.29.21_Wisdom-Keller.png

Notice

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

04.05.21_Notice-Grave.png

Nature

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

05.05.21_Nature-Tagore.png

Discover

We often consider mistakes as setbacks.

What if we thought of them as discoveries?

06.07.21_Discovery-Joyce-2.png

Belonging

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

07.08.21_Belonging-Brown-2.png

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.

08.18.21_Wholeness-Merton.png

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.

09.28.21_Story-Sacks.png

Harmony

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

Five Simple Rules.png

Courage

That’s courage!

KathrynLeRoy.com_leadership.jpg

Kindness

Kindness cannot must not wait.

12.08.21_Kindness-Emerson.png

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


Thanks for reading. Feel free to forward this weekly note to someone who would enjoy a few words of inspiration. And I always welcome your thoughts, so you can…

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On the first day of Christmas . . .

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On the first day of Christmas . . .

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Dec 11, 2021Liked by Kathryn A. LeRoy

Thank you Kathryn once again for the words to inspire during this season of living!

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