Shooting stars

Many people will be familiar with the account of the Christmas Armistice which took place in Flanders during World War I. Thank you to the lovely Catriona McGlynn for reminding me of it's poignancy and relevance today - it's reproduced here. Thank you also to lovely Sister Genny. from the Order of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, for sending me Robert Louis Stevenson's beautiful seasonal poem, also included below. Two beautiful ladies, who I'm so pleased to have come to know over the past year; both have have previously featured in this blog, both filled with grace and spirit in very individual ways: blessed be.

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek,
but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”
(Martin Luther King)

“Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading.” (Stanley Wentraub).

During World War I, in the winter of 1914 on the battlefields of Flanders, one of the most unusual events in the history of human conflict and possibly in the history of humanity itself took place. The Germans had been in a fierce battle with the British and French. Both sides were dug in, seemingly safe in muddy, man-made trenches six to eight feet deep that seemed to stretch forever.

All of a sudden, German troops began to put small Christmas trees, lit with candles, outside their trenches. Then, they began to sing songs. Across the way, in the "No Man's Land" between them, came songs from the British and French troops. Many of the Germans, who had worked in England before the war, were able to speak good enough English to propose a "Christmas" truce.

The British and French troops, all along the trench miles, accepted. In a few places, allied troops fired at the Germans as they climbed out of their trenches. But the Germans were persistent and Christmas would be celebrated, even under the threat of death.

According to Stanley Weintraub, who wrote about this event in his book "Silent Night", signboards arose up and down the trenches in a variety of shapes. "They were usually in English," he writes, "or in fractured English from the German side. "YOU NO FIGHT, WE NO FIGHT" appeared to be the universal message. Some British units improvised "MERRY CHRISTMAS" banners and waited for a response."
More festive and pacifist placards popped up on both sides. The resultant spontaneous truce held. Soldiers left their trenches, meeting in the middle to shake hands. The first order of business was to bury the dead who had been previously unreachable because of the conflict. Then, they exchanged gifts: chocolate cake, cognac, postcards, newspapers, tobacco. In a few places along the trenches, soldiers exchanged rifles for soccer balls and began to play games.

It didn't last forever. Inevitably, some of the generals didn't like it at all and commanded their troops to resume shooting at each other. After all, they were supposed to be at war. The soldiers eventually did resume firing at each other. But only after, in a number of cases, a few days of wasting many rounds of ammunition shooting at stars in the sky, instead of soldiers in the opposing army across the field.

For a few precious moments there was peace on earth and goodwill towards men. All because the focus was on Christmas. There's something about Christmas that can change people. It happened over 2000 years ago in a little town called Bethlehem. It's been happening over and over again down through the ages and across the world.

This week, spirit willing, it might well happen again.

"Those who are at war with each other are not at peace with themselves."

(William Hazlitt)

"War Is Over"  James Morrison (for the "War Child" benefit, St James' Church London, 2012)

"Christmas Prayer"
 (Robert Louis Stevenson)
Loving God,
Help us remember the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and the worship of the wise men.
Close the door of hate
and open the door of love all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings,
and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.
May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Your children,
and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts,
forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake.
Amen

"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"  NBA "Big Sing Choir", Newcastle-upon- Tyne, 2007

"Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled.
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies!
With the angelic host proclaim:
'Christ is born in Bethlehem'"

(John Wesley)

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will have peace."

(Jimi Hendrix)

Matilda at the Pearly Gates

This post all started with another joke from Leigh of Lymington!

A blonde lady arrives at Heaven from Australia. A concerned St Peter meets her at the Pearly Gates.
"I'm so sorry," says St Peter, "but Heaven is suffering from an overload of goodly souls and we have been forced to put up an Entrance Exam for new arrivals".
"That's fine," says the blonde coolly, "What does the Entrance Exam consist of?"
"Just three questions" says St Peter.
"Firstly, which two days of the week start with the letter 'T'? Secondly, how many seconds are there in a year? And thirdly, what was the name of the swag-man in 'Waltzing Matilda'?"
St Peter tells her to go away and think about the answers and wait to be called.
So the blonde goes away and gives the three questions some considerable thought.
The following morning, St Peter calls her to him.
"Well then", says St Peter, "Which two days of the week start with the letter 'T'?"
"Today and Tomorrow" says she.
St Peter ponders for a while and decides that indeed the answer can be applied to the question.
St Peter continues: "How many seconds in a year?"
"Twelve," says she, "the second of January, the second of February, and so on, making a total of twelve!"
Bemused, St Peter shakes his head and says: "I'll allow the answer to stand, but you need to get the third and final question absolutely correct to be allowed into Heaven. Now, can you tell me the name of the swagman in 'Waltzing Matilda'?"
The blonde replies; "Of the three questions, I found this the easiest".
"Really?" exclaims St Peter, "What is the answer?"
"It's Andy," says the blonde triumphantly: " 'Andy sat, Andy watched, Andy waited 'til his billy boiled, Singing Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?' "
And so the Australian blonde entered Heaven...

As a natural blonde, I can assure you that we lighter haired souls are merely characteristically lacking in eumelanin pigment polymers, not brain cells! As a lover of many-things-Australian including the late, great bush poet Banjo Patterson, I would like to confirm that the swagman in "Waltzing Matilda" actually has no name. The bush ballad was written by Paterson in 1895; the title is Australian slang for travelling on foot, "waltzing", with one's worldly goods in a "Matilda", which is a type of sack bag, slung over one's back. The song is now traditionally belted out at rugby matches and other huge gatherings: it actually narrates a literally haunting tale. A swagman, an itinerant worker in Australia, sits at a watering hole making tea in his billy can when a young sheep stumbles by. He promptly captures it to eat. He's then arrested for the theft and commits suicide, drowning himself in the watering hole; his ghost subsequently haunts the site, calling "Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?" Always fascinating how popular culture is retained but reinvents itself.
Banjo Paterson died in Sydney in 1941; I managed to visit his grave in the northern suburbs of the city on a holiday there a few years ago. "Waltzing Matilda" remains Australia's best known and most widely sung song; frequently referred to as the unofficial Australian national anthem. The title and some of the lyrics are reproduced in "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda", written by Scottish-Australian singer and songwriter Eric Bogle in 1971: in my opinion one of the most accessible and moving anti-war songs ever written. It describes the experiences of an Australian soldier injured in the devastation at Gallipoli during World War I; it's also been named in Australia's top fifty songs of all time, and The Pogues' version is a true tear jerker.
There are so many rousing versions of "Waltzing Matilda" I would like to recommend, from the late folk singer Slim Dusty to the more recent authentically "waltzing" version by Dutch violinist and conductor Andre Rieu (much loved in Australia). But surely Leigh's joke deserves a touch of Kylie? I love Kylie Minogue: essentially a blonde, modern Aussie icon, she has a naturally sweet sensuality that's very difficult to knock. After one too many Jack Daniels and cokes (which is actually only two), I have been known to go into Kylie Minogue mode, complete with little dance routines; possibly best left for another post. The clip here is from the opening ceremony of the Sydney Paralypmics in 2000, still five years before her own gutsy battle with cancer.

There: I knew there must be a way to get Kylie Minogue, Banjo Paterson, The Pogues and St Peter into my blog!

"Waltzing Matilda" Kylie Minogue at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics

"And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda"  The Pogues