Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices!
Nat king cole
O Holy Night (Nat King Cole Version)
Nat King Cole’s version of “The Christmas Song” is arguably the most well known of his holiday recordings. His voice takes the above song to a level not sure any other version attains.
When his voice opens and booms the above command. To fall on your knees, he captures the surrender necessary for faith, prayer, thankfulness, humility in the face of all that we simply do not control.
These were of course not thoughts of my past. Young ThisDad just thought this song sounded amazing. Old ThisDad thinks this song sounds amazing.
Going back a few posts I think of a mother and father hugging their son or daughter home from war, prayers answered. And the mothers and fathers on their knees begging for some answer as to why their child will never come home. This song carries for me the vulnerability we all feel in the face of forces we will never understand.
What is it to hear the angels sing, and what is it to have prayers answered with silence? What is the role of faith in what we request from the forces beyond our world? What is role of faith in how we answer the requests from one another in this world we all share?
Having circled the sun a few dozen times since I find this song captures both the Christmas memories of my youth, and maybe what could generously be called the “wisdom” of life experience. The wisdom to know there are questions I will ask that will never be answered. The wisdom to know that is just fine.
The Christmases with mom, this song filled my heart.
The Christmases after mom passed, this song devastated me.
Full circle, I share this song with all of you with heart full again.
Ave Maria (Celine Dion Version)
Turn off the TV.
Turn off the lights.
Turn off your shopping, wrapping, cooking minds.
Turn up this song up and let it fill your house.
For all the cliche post-titanic characterizations of Celine Dion, her version of this song is breathtaking.
Thank you for reading. See you tomorrow.
Main Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash
This Dad's Life STL 