That Christmas Feeling

A song lyric.. Shawn Chadwick Sackman

A snowy Christmas is what we all prayed for

Probably because it never happened before

We didn’t need it to have Christmas cheer

But it sure would be nice to see the white stuff this year

You can’t force it; that Christmas feeling just comes to you

Can’t tell you how, but even when it’s overdue..

Life’s difficulties sometimes get in the way

But if you’re open to it, that Christmas feeling will come to you and stay

…If you’re open, it will come to you and stay.

One Christmas a few years back, I was having a drink in an old country bar

Listening to a guy play Blue Christmas on guitar

An old bar tender poured me another beer, looked over and said

By the shape of your dungarees, it’s been one hell of a year.

Christmas had me thinking, Is this how it ought to be?

Usually it was a Spirit, most would say Holy, which helped me to see

Then I smiled, ‘cause a thought showed me, it might not have turned out okay

If in 3rd grade, Mrs. Harrington hadn’t sat me in your way

That Christmas feeling will come to you and stay …If you’re open, it will come to you and stay.

The bartender saw the new smile on my face

Said laughingly, That newlywed glow will soon leave without a trace

I didn’t have the heart to tell him, but this Christmas it’s been fifteen years

Since I fell in love with you forever, ‘cause it’s the heart that hears

As I drive up to our home, with it’s simple light show

A feeling came over me and it began to snow

I could hear the kids joyfully screaming inside

And I thanked God that he helped me hang on for the ride.

We all feel low at times; it’s just that way

But it you’re open to it, that Christmas feeling will come to you and stay

…If you’re open, it will come to you and stay.

A Child's Breath

Rhythmic sound, soft, low
Almost a whisper, a gift
Heaven sent, child’s breath

A Glass Of Wine, A Thought, A Meaning

It’s amazing how a simple glass of wine,

Can unleash a hidden thought or meaning

You’d think as much as I’ve consumed in life,

I would have a tome that’s gleaming

Full of wise, sagacious oratory

Of thoughts that help the mind

But maybe it’s all piffle, of the wrong kind

You see it’s a very simple thing,

If you’re a writer from the heart

It doesn’t matter how or if you cloud it,

It may someday become someone’s art

God has provided us one of many bounties, the grape

That sometimes helps unleash the sometimes hidden shape

Of some very blessed minds from the most blessed of us all

It may be a way to help reach our true selves, or sometimes break through a wall

So now that I’ve made this potentially absurd assertion

It’s time to prove the theory, with some not so perfect allocution

Of some wise, thoughtful insight into a single glass of wine

For without passion and effort in the making

It may not enable the divine

So maybe try a glass of the fermented grape

When next you feel the block of the writer,

And when others read your work thereafter,

Things may turn out brighter.

Christmas Haiku

Large white flakes falling

Rooftop sounds muffled by snow

An unsleeping child

Christmas Haiku

Large white flakes falling
Rooftop sounds muffled by snow
An unsleeping child


Shawn Sackman

A Few Minutes Late

Shawn Chadwick Sackman  - A Few Minutes Late

A busy wife and mom, she always seemed late

But she didn’t know why, at times she would wait

When a sense of urgency was of great import

Especially to those waiting, most in need of her support

For those of us wondering, “How could she always take so long?”

Since it wasn’t obvious why, oft was heard a car horn

But many times I noticed, even as a small lad

There was intent in her lateness, usually to aid something or someone who had

A need greater than ours, or those we were meeting

Like our dogs needed water, or the horses needed feeding

Or, stopping to talk to an elderly neighbor

Who had just learned of an illness that caused them great labor

There was the time when she stopped the car to explain something of import

We got to ask many questions, she never cut us short

I also remember a stressful day, one where we were late for carpool

And an irate father took it out on her, very uncool

Later that night I could hear her crying as we went to sleep

And I prayed for an angel to visit and tell her not to weep

And to show her how her small decisions to be late

Greatly affect people and other’s lives, which then go on to create

Such a wonderful world for us all to enjoy

If we just keep in mind, that if all of us too employed

A sometimes-slight hesitation, a thought of others before plunging ahead

We’d all get to experience a life with more threads

That fulfills that promise to our creator who asked

Only that we fill our lives with greater weight

And maybe, just maybe, it’s because we’re a few minutes late.