Ring Out the Old, Ring In the New

 

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 In Memoriam, [Ring out, wild bells]

Alfred, Lord Tennyson 1809 –1892

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
   The flying cloud, the frosty light:
   The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
   Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
   The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind
   For those that here we see no more;
   Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
   And ancient forms of party strife;
   Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
   The faithless coldness of the times;
   Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
   The civic slander and the spite;
   Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
   Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
   Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
   The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
   Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

This poem is in the public domain.

The new year, 2026, is here, presenting new opportunities and a fresh start. Some people will be glad to see the back of 2025, especially if it's been a time of illness, hardship  or grief. Whatever you are leaving behind, I hope this new year sees you fulfilling your hopes and dreams.

As we turn to a fresh page, try to make your writing habit a daily one. Even if you set aside only a few minutes each day you will reap the benefits and see an improvement in your mental health. Clink here to find out why.

Writing prompts:

• Whether or not the last line of 'In Memoriam' means anything to you, I'm sure you can agree with Tennyson's overall sentiment in this poem. Write about what you will ring out that is 'false' and ring in that is 'true'.
• Have you experienced 'grief that saps the mind' in 2025? Set a timer and write about the experience for six minutes.
• Do you think it is possible to 'ring out the thousand wars of old'? Write about how the world could ring in peace.
• Make two lists - one of all you want to ring out and another of all you want to ring in. If you keep the lists, perhaps you could reflect on them at this time in 2027.

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Grief and Christmas

 

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I will light candles this Christmas 

by Howard Thurman

I will light Candles this Christmas,
Candles of joy despite all the sadness,
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch,
Candles of courage for fears ever present,
Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days,
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens,
Candles of love to inspire all my living,
Candles that will burn all year long.

 

This week I have heard of the deaths of two friends. Their grieving families will find Christmas hard without their loved one.

I've also chatted with another friend whose husband died a while ago and who is going away on retreat at Christmas to find some peace, stillness and time for contemplation in her grief. The festivities, for her, are inappropriate.

Let's spare a thought for all those who are grieving and finding this festive period difficult. I send my love to anyone affected and will light a candle to remember those dear friends who have gone.

Writing prompts:

• Who will you light  candle for this Christmas? Set a timer and write about that person, if you can, for six minutes. 
• If you are grieving at the moment for someone you love who has gone, write about how it feels. Again set a timer for six minutes.  

Advent

 

 

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The season of Advent is here. I will light my Advent candle tomorrow, and open the first door on my Advent calendar. My search for one that had anything to do with Christmas ended at Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral where I found a calendar devoid of chocolates, that simply told the Christmas story.

'Advent' seems to come earlier each year. It's somewhat depressing to see the Hallowen'en paraphernalia in shops immediately replaced by Christmas stock. It makes one wonder what it's all about. 

Perhaps I'm feeling nostalgic, or looking at things through rose coloured glasses, but Christmas, and the lead up to it, used to be so simple and therefore, I think, more special. 

There would be a party at junior school, with jelly and ice-cream, musical chairs and a visit from Santa (one of the teachers dressed up in a not-very-convincing disguise) handing out selection boxes wrapped in coloured crepe paper. 

A trip to Santa's grotto at Busby's department store in Bradford was always a treat. 

Letters would be written, requesting a new doll, or clockwork train set, then burnt on the open fire to travel up the chimney and on to the North Pole. 

For weeks we would rehearse the Sunday School Christmas panto, maybe playing a rat or a mouse in Cinderella, or as we got older being promoted to 'the chorus'. 

We'd go door to door singing Christmas carols, and there always seemed to be thick snow.

Christmas morning was magical, waking up in the cold (no central heating) and peering through the dark to find a pillow case, bulging with gifts, at the end of the bed.

Click here to read John Betjeman's poem 'Advent'. 

Click here to read one of my favourite stories, 'The gift of the Magi'. 

However you spend your Advent, I hope it is one filled with simple pleasures and love. Please share your Advent thoughts in the comments box.

Writing prompts:

• What are your childhood memories of the time leading up to Christmas? 
• Write a letter to Santa. You can request anything you like in your list!
• Does all the Christmas hullabaloo start to early in your opinion, or are you happy to see inflatable snowmen and Father Christmases in your neighbours' gardens in October? 

 

Survey - Using the Well Words Blog

 

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Please complete the survey, by clicking on the link below, to tell me if, and how, you use the Well Words Blog. Thank you.   

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Changes to Viewing This Blog

 

I have made some changes to the layout of my blog. If you are viewing it on a mobile phone or tablet you will simply see my most recent seven posts. If you wish to see the web version (with extra widgets and links) please scroll down to the bottom of the page. Under 'Home' you can click 'View web version'. Alternatively, view my full blog on a pc or lap. I hope this helps. Thank you.

'I Want To Age Like Sea Glass'

 

I want to age like sea glass

I want to age like sea glass. Smoothed by tides, not broken. I want the currents of life to toss me around, shake me up and leave me feeling washed clean. I want my hard edges to soften as the years pass—made not weak but supple. I want to ride the waves, go with the flow, feel the impact of the surging tides rolling in and out.

When I am thrown against the shore and caught between the rocks and a hard place, I want to rest there until I can find the strength to do what is next. Not stuck—just waiting, pondering, feeling what it feels like to pause. And when I am ready, I will catch a wave and let it carry me along to the next place that I am supposed to be.

I want to be picked up on occasion by an unsuspected soul and carried along—just for the connection, just for the sake of appreciation and wonder. And with each encounter, new possibilities of collaboration are presented, and new ideas are born.

I want to age like sea glass so that when people see the old woman I’ll become, they’ll embrace all that I am. They’ll marvel at my exquisite nature, hold me gently in their hands and be awed by my well-earned patina. Neither flashy nor dull, just a perfect luster. And they’ll wonder, if just for a second, what it is exactly I am made of and how I got to this very here and now. And we’ll both feel lucky to be in that perfectly right place at that profoundly right time.

I want to age like sea glass. I want to enjoy the journey and let my preciousness be, not in spite of the impacts of life, but because of them.

by Bernadette Noll  

I found this beautiful bottle stopper on the beach at Embleton in Northumberland. It was sitting there, sparkling in the sunshine, just waiting for me to pick it up. I love sea glass and pottery of all kinds, but was especially pleased with this find as the cork was still attached an intact. 

It reminded me of Bernadette Noll's poem which I have come across many times. The poem seemed particularly relevant as I am only a couple of weeks away from my 70th birthday, and have been thinking about the passing of time and ageing. 

I certainly feel I've been 'tossed around' and 'shaken up', but I'm not 'broken', or 'weak' and still, I hope, quite 'supple'! I've been 'stuck' several times in my life, but have always found the strength to move on. 

I look forward to the next decade and enjoying the 'journey'.

Writing prompts:

• Write about things you have found on the beach, or things you would like to find.
• Do you want to 'age like sea glass'? Write about how that might feel.
• How will you be when you are 'old'? Do you think people will embrace all that you are?  
• Think about a time in your life when you have been 'stuck'. Write about where you got the strength to move on.  
• Look again at the picture of the bottle stopper. Write a story or poem about it.  

Fall leaves fall ....

 

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Fall, Leaves, Fall

by Emily Bronte

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;

Lengthen night and shorten day;

Every leaf speaks bliss to me

Fluttering from the autumn tree.

I shall smile when wreaths of snow

Blossom where the rose should grow;

I shall sing when night's decay

Ushers in a drearier day.

Trees release their leaves not out of defeat, but as a necessary form of preparation for winter. In doing so, they conserve energy and nutrients for new growth in the spring. This mirrors the process of letting go of what no longer serves us to conserve our own mental and emotional energy.  

As the trees shed their leaves, so Autumn can be a time for releasing old habits, negative thoughts, and emotional baggage to make way for new growth.

When the leaves are gone, the tree's bare branches are exposed. This state of being "stripped bare" symbolizes vulnerability and openness. By shedding the things that hide our true selves, we make way for authenticity and self-discovery.

Just as trees trusts that spring will follow winter, we can learn to trust that releasing the old will make room for a new, healthier chapter.

Writing prompt:  

• What do you need to 'let go'?  What will be released? Set a timer and write for six minutes.
• What might you may discover about yourself when you are 'stripped bare'? Explore the answer to this question in your writing. 
• Do you look forward to a new, healthier chapter in your life? Write about what it looks like.