Ring Out the Old, Ring In the New!

This poem by Lord Alfred Tennyson speaks to me about a time of transition. About how, whether I like it or not, life changes, nothing stays constant and no matter how hard I try to hold on to some things, they slip out of my hands anyway, and are gone. The only thing that I can do (not easily though) in situations like these, are to let go and pray that the One who holds my tomorrows, will give me the grace to carry on.

That's the phase of life that I'm at now... So many transitions....

Old loves ripped away and large raw areas left behind that are still bleeding from that shearing force. Then there are the good changes, the most important being the opportunity to be with my family after 8 years of a "prodigal's" life...

This post really is just to herald that transition, to celebrate (with a lot of mixed emotions) the ringing out of the old and the ringing in of the new.

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. 

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new." - 2 Corinthians 5:17