On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

Twelve Drummers Drumming
Eleven Pipers Piping
Ten Lords a Leaping
Nine Ladies Dancing
Eight Maids a Milking
Seven Swans a Swimming
Six Geese a Laying
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in The Apostles' Creed. It is indeed the introduction to the Epiphany of Our Lord:

The Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ is one of the oldest Christian feasts, though, throughout the centuries, it has celebrated a variety of things. Epiphany comes from a Greek verb meaning, "to reveal," and all of the various events celebrated by the Feast of the Epiphany are revelations of Christ to man.

Christmas Day is the first of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Christians view the period as the amount of time it took the three magi, or wise men, to travel to Bethlehem for the Epiphany, the revelation of Jesus Christ as the savior and the son of God ("epiphany" is from the Greek word for "revelation").

While there's a consensus on what Christmas commemorates, what the Epiphany honors vary between churches and cultures. Some churches believe it's the day of Christ's baptism, while others celebrate it as the day the three magi visited Jesus with gifts.

But there are also differences in when the twelve days are celebrated. Western churches, for example, celebrate Christmas on December 25th, the Epiphany on January 6th, and the period in-between as the 12 days and nights of Christmas. Other cultures, however, have different customs.

Although most in the Eastern Orthodox Church now adhere to the Western calendar, those in the Greek Orthodox Church still use a different religious calendar, celebrating Christmas on Jan. 7, and the Epiphany on Jan. 19. Some Latin-American cultures celebrate the Epiphany as Three Kings Day, giving gifts on Jan. 6 instead of Christmas. Other cultures will give one gift per day from Christmas to the Epiphany. This tradition has never really caught on in America, where the celebration of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day is most common.

The Twelfth Night often celebrated on the night of Jan. 5, is considered the end of the Christmas season, before the Epiphany the following day. The Twelfth Night was a time for feasting in England (partly inspired by Shakespeare's play of the same name) in centuries past. Some cultures, like the French and Spanish, celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany with a king's cake, a coffee cake with purple, green and yellow icing to commemorate the visit by the Magi to the Christ child. In western cultures, the King's Cake is associated with Mardi Gras and the season of Carnival. Churches also vary in their celebration of the Epiphany; some Protestant churches celebrate it for an entire season, lasting until the season of Lent, while many Catholics celebrate it as a single day. I would like to thank snopes.com and here for more on the Orthodox Christmas. For those who are not familiar with it, enjoy! And for those celebrating Christmas this week, Merry Christmas to you!

And... we are done.

"Wreaths Out" Annual Event to be held at Arlington National Cemetery January 11, 2020. The removal of the wreaths on the graves of veterans is just as important as laying on upon it. It will be a huge honor to be part of this next weekend. For anyone in the Washington, DC area, the event begins at 8 am, but you may want to arrive earlier. There were over 35,000 out there laying the wreaths this year. I am humbled by the sheer amount of patriotism and love of country some days. Bless you. All of you. As an aside, if your area has a National Cemetery where your veterans are buried, they will have a similar unwreathing. Call the specific cemetery for information on it. For the latest information on Wreaths Out, visit www.arlingtoncemetery.mil. You can read all about this event here

Important Access and Safety Information for Volunteers

Due to current conditions, Arlington National Cemetery is increasing its security posture and is implementing 100% ID checks at all entrances.

As always, there must be a flower. This picture is dedicated to #SundayPurple #ColorChallenge by @Kalemandra who colors my world every single day.

Did you know I dreamed of you tonight while lying unaware? The memory is just a moment of time, yet the passion is magnified. Again. Do you know of this feeling, deep inside my soul? Where the warmth of your words pass on a sweet afterglow?

And then.

The lingering touch, upon my face, tracing the line with gentle little kisses, my soul will never be the same. You left me wanting to finish the dream, giving me calm before you can leave. My heart can’t take it. Have I told you how your words caress me as whole? How the very thought of you brings me right down to my knees?

I can feel your hand over mine at night. As we sit and whisper in our world of delight. Yes. Pure heaven I say. I’m not sure I can be any clearer, you’ve robbed me of my soul. Yet, I know that in reality, I give it freely to you. In whole. All of me. Know that you are loved, because therein lies the truth. It keeps my heart a kindle, its warmth consumed as whole.

Love, Denise

Thank you for visiting my post 💖 Because of you, I come back to post, again and again, I am encouraged by you, for the time you take to visit, comment or even upvote. For all of these reasons, I am eternally grateful. Don't ever forget what a wonderful world we live in, people. Let's hold hands around the globe and make this earth really spin. Some days, it is not as easy to see, how wonderful it really is. Kindness counts. Wherever you go, whatever you do.

they set my aunts house on fire
i cried the way women on tv do
folding at the middle
like a five pound note.
i called the boy who use to love me
tried to ‘okay’ my voice
i said hello
he said warsan, what’s wrong, what’s happened?

i’ve been praying,
and these are what my prayers look like;
dear god
i come from two countries
one is thirsty
the other is on fire
both need water.

later that night
i held an atlas in my lap
ran my fingers across the whole world
and whispered,
"where does it hurt?"
it answered,

"everywhere"
"everywhere"
"everywhere"

warsan shire