We had lunch today at The Farmhouse at Roger’s Gardens, here in Newport Beach. It’s a tradition for us now, of several years’ standing, though it doesn’t go back to my time with my parents. Instead, it was our late neighbor and friend Melanie Bastian who introduced my wife to it. And we’ve loved the place ever since.
My zealous critics over at the Peterson Obsession Board will have already guessed at the truth, so I might as well frankly acknowledge it: This . . . well, this wasn’t the first time that I’ve eaten during this trip. And yes, it’s probable that I’ll eat yet again while I’m down here. There’s no use trying to deny it. That’s just the kind of lowlife that I am. And I enjoyed it.
We won’t have the opportunity during this trip, though, to go to Five Crowns, in the Corona Del Mar section of Newport Beach, which is just a few minutes away. It was my brother’s very favorite restaurant, but I think that I’ve only been back to it once since his death more than thirteen years ago. I don’t know why. Maybe next time.
We watched It’s a Wonderful Life last night. I haven’t seen it in several years, but I enjoyed it again yesterday evening. Schmalzy? I suppose. But it’s a great film, justly famous, and it’s well worth watching at Christmas time.
I had neither seen It’s a Wonderful Life nor so much as heard of it before I arrived as a student at BYU. But I’ve loved it ever since then, when I first saw it. If you haven’t yet seen the film, please do so. If it’s been a long time since you’ve seen it, please watch it again.
You might also enjoy this modest little three-minute movie: “Nativity Story Comes Alive in Kenya: Africa Central Area Creates Video for Global Light the World Initiative”
In the final book of C. S. Lewis’s great “Chronicles of Narnia,” after the last great battle for Narnia when the kings and queens and faithful servants of Narnia are pressed to the wall against foreign invaders and Narnian traitors, those who are loyal to the last king, Tirian, are forced into a small stable at the top of a hill. As they are forced into the stable, they expect to meet Tash, the evil, cruel, and false god of the Calormenes. Instead, and to their amazement, they find that they have entered another world. Unlike most of the other members of Narnia’s royalty, King Tirian had never traveled between worlds. He doesn’t quite understand what’s going on. So he peeks back through the stable door to see the fading fire beside the stable, which is Narnia on its last evening.
Tirian looked round again and could hardly believe his eyes. There was the blue sky overhead, and grassy country spreading as far as he could see in every direction, and his new friends all round him laughing.
“It seems, then,” said Tirian, smiling himself, “that the stable seen from within and the stable seen from without are two different places.”
“Yes,” said the Lord Digory. “Its inside is bigger than its outside.”
“Yes,” said Queen Lucy. “In our world too, a stable once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole world.” It was the first time she had spoken, and from the thrill in her voice, Tirian now knew why. She was drinking everything in even more deeply than the others. She had been too happy to speak.
One of my favorite Christmas carols is Still, Still, Still.
Like so much wonderful music, Still, Still, Still comes from the German-speaking Alpine region, and specifically from Salzburg. Not a bad place, musically speaking. (Among other things, a fellow named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born there.) The very title seems to put me right into German mode: I actually began, just now, to write that “Like so much wonderful music, Still Still Still kommt aus Salzburg.” And although, to my great satisfaction, it will soon be a part of the new hymnal of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I will likely always pronounce it shtill, shtill, shtill.
The song conjures up images in my mind of small Alpine cottages quietly surrounded by deep moonlit snowdrifts, warm firelight visible through their windows. Truth be told, I think my mental picture may be heavily influenced by that one magical night, on my mission long ago, in the Berner Oberland village of Innertkirchen, to which I referred in a recent blog entry. (See “Remembering a Perfect Alpine Christmas.”)
The standard lyrics of Still, Still, Still read like this:
- Still, still, still,
- weil’s Kindlein schlafen will!
- Die Engel tun schön jubilieren,
- Bei dem Kripplein musizieren.
- Stille, stille, stille,
- Weil’s Kindlein schlafen will.
- (2) Schlaf, schlaf, schlaf,
- Mein liebes Kindlein, schlaf!
- Maria tut dich [es] niedersingen
- Und ihr treues Herz darbringen.
- Schlaf, schlaf, schlaf,
- Mein liebes Kindlein, schlaf!
- (3) Groß, groß, groß,
- Die Lieb’ ist übergroß.
- Gott hat den Himmelsthron verlassen
- Und muß reisen auf der Straßen.
- Groß, groß, groß,
- Die Lieb’ ist übergroß.
- (4) Auf, auf, auf,
- Ihr Adamskinder auf!
- Fallet Jesum all zu Füßen,
- Weil er für uns d’Sünd tut büßen!
- Auf, auf, auf,
- Ihr Adamskinder auf!
- (5) Wir, wir, wir,
- Wir rufen all zu dir:
- “Tu uns des Himmels Reich aufschließen,
- Wenn wir einmal sterben müssen.
- Wir, wir, wir,
- Wir rufen all zu dir.”
- (6) Ruh’t, ruh’t, ruh’t,
- Weil’s Kindlein schlafen tut.
- Sankt Josef löscht das Lichtlein aus,
- Die Englein schützen’s kleine Haus.
- Ruh’t, ruh’t, ruh’t,
- Weil’s Kindlein schlafen tut.
And here’s my rough, non-artistic, literal translation:
- Quiet, quiet, quiet,
- because the little child wants to sleep!
- The angels are beautifully rejoicing,
- making music by the little crib.
- Quiet, quiet, quiet,
- because the little child wants to sleep!
- (2) Sleep, sleep, sleep,
- My dear little child, sleep!
- Mary is singing a lullaby to you
- and offering her faithful heart.
- Sleep, sleep, sleep,
- My dear little child, sleep!
- (3) Great, great, great,
- the love is immensely great.
- God has left his heavenly throne
- And now must travel on our streets.
- Great, great, great,
- the love is immensely great.
- (4) Up, up, up,
- You children of Adam, get up!
- Fall, all of you, at Jesus’ feet,
- Because he atones for all our sins!
- Up, up, up,
- You children of Adam, get up!
- (5) We, we, we,
- We all call to thee:
- “Open the Kingdom of Heaven to us,
- when we someday must die.
- We, we, we,
- We all call to thee.”
- (6) Be still, be still, be still,
- because the little child is sleeping.
- Saint Joseph puts the little light out,
- The little angels guard the tiny house.
- Be still, be still, be still,
- because the little child is sleeping.
Posted from Newport Beach, California
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