all is calm, all is bright

Monday, December 24, 2018


A few weeks ago, it snowed.

For my northern friends reading this, that probably seems like no big deal, but for the south, getting snow the first week in December is generally unheard of. Everyone thought that it wouldn't come, that we'd just get some freezing rain, maybe a flurry or two that would melt as soon as it hit the pavement. But no, we got snow. Inches and inches of it, covering our world in white. It was as magical as it was shocking, and I fell asleep that night with my blinds open, so that whenever I opened my eyes the first thing that I saw would be snowflakes falling from the sky.

That beautiful snow ended up keeping us indoors for three days, and your favorite introvert was thriving. After a hectic semester, nothing could have been more peaceful. We made waffles and ate lots of cookie dough and I knit for the first time all year. And for those three days, there was one single phrase that kept running through my brain over and over.

All is calm, all is bright. 

I think that if I were asked what a perfect world would look like to me, what I crave more than anything else, that sentence is the best way that I could possibly sum it up. All would be calm, and all would be bright. A little less rush and a little more light.

I sat in the kitchen one afternoon, staring out at the freshly white backyard. Though it was still cold enough for everything to be frozen, the sun was shining, and the reflection off the newly fallen snow resulted in the most beautiful light.

All was calm, and all was bright.

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Christmas comes faster and faster every year, and suddenly, here we are. The trees have been trimmed, presents are wrapped up with neat little bows under the tree, and children around the world are beginning to bounce off the walls with anticipation. Our Instagram feeds are full of red and green and gold, of ice skates and families gathered round the table and crackling fireplaces.

I've always loved this time of year, and the spark of magic that comes with it. Everything is a little warmer, a little brighter, and a little more exciting. I love the tradition of it all, from the decorations put up in November that have been the same since I was small, to the day spent in my grandmother's kitchen year after year, baking more cookies than one would think could possibly be eaten. I love the anticipation of wrapping up a gift that I know that someone will love. I love the slow mornings of Christmas break, when there's finally nowhere to be but home. I love the evenings spent with my family piled into the living room, watching holiday movies that we know by heart. I love how everyone is a little happier and a little more festive and a little bit kinder.

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My prayer for you this Christmas is that all will be calm, and all will be bright. Calm and bright can be kind of hard to find these days. We live in a world of rush and heaviness. If I'm being honest, even with a winter wonderland, I can't remember the last time that all was calm, and as desperately as I wish for it, everything isn't always bright. I know that, and it's always true, but I think that it's a little harder around Christmas. More than anything, there's an added longing for everyone around you to be able to experience that moment of peace. So I pray that, amidst all of the hurt and the ugliness and the hard stuff, you have that moment of calm. No matter how 2018 has treated you, whether it's been the best or the worst or somewhere in between, I pray that something is bright. That even if you don't feel much like celebrating this year, you have a moment to breathe in the grace of our Savior.  

Merry Christmas, friends. I love you so much, and I hope that your day is filled with so much peace and so much joy. ♥

9 comments:

  1. I WANT SNOOOWWWWW. waaaAAA. *hint hint @ God* laughing. but this was good, Grace Anne! all is calm, all is bright. it's been a quieter Christmas on my end, in some ways. like the fact that it's /Christmas/ is quieter, even though i've been so busy doing other things that scream holidays!! but idk. God is still good, and Christmas is still tomorrow, and i will rejoice in Him. hallelujah. immanuel. xx merry christmas, friend!! ♥

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  2. That's such a beautiful phrase. I've heard it a million times before, but I hadn't really processed or appreciated it until this post. A winter wonderland where all is calm and bright (or any environment where all is calm and bright) sounds so perfect right now. Let's hope for more times like this in the new year <3 and merry Christmas!

    Eleanor | On the Other Side of Reality

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  3. This post gave me that feeling of peace that has been so lacking this holiday season for me! Absolutely loved it. That's so crazy that you got snow - it's a Christmas miracle! :) I hope your day was calm and that you enjoyed fun time with friends and family and lots of cocoa, too. <3

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  4. merry christmas!!! snow is amazing. it's something i'm so grateful for—even though i live up north where it snows every day for 5 months in winter!
    there is so much comfort in the calm + bright. lovely post <3

    Sophy of SophysLighthouse.blogspot.com

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  5. Merry late Christmas! I'm so happy it snowed for you! We got snow in November and it was gorgeous. Hoping you have a blessed new year! XOXO

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  6. I love this! Even though I'm kind of from the North, it literally has only snowed once here all season so far...haha, so I'm a little jealous :)) Happy New Year, girl!

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  7. Oh Grace Anne this was so beautiful, and just what I needed today <3 I love reading something lovely about Christmas after Christmas...it seems to make it last just a little bit longer

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