Hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will toward men”
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In 1861 Fanny Longfellow, died after her dress was set ablaze by a falling candle. Her adoring husband, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, rushed to smother the flames, covering her with his body, but was too late to save the mother of his six children. He was badly burned, and for the rest of his life wore a full beard and gloves to cover the terrible scars.
Longfellow was already world famous. His poems Hiawatha, Evangeline, and The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, among many others, were wildly popular. A single poem released in England would sell a thousand copies in a day, but Fanny’s death changed him, he slumped into depression and withdrew from the world.
The Civil War raged on, and although Longfellow was a staunch abolitionist, the idea of sending his son to fight filled him with dread. But his eldest son, Charley, could not be deterred; he left a note and joined the Union Army. Then, on December 1, 1863, Longfellow received the news that his son had been severely wounded.
Still in mourning, he found himself staring down another Christmas alone, with five dependent children and another on the brink of death. As dawn broke, he heard the church bells ringing, and in the midst of sadness and war, he was moved to write what is a beautiful treatise on the human spirit, Christmas Bells. His powerful words continue:
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep,“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep. The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, with peace on earth, goodwill to men!”*
We all have scars we want to cover; hurts, painful memories, and challenges that linger in our lives, but God is not dead or asleep. Hate may be strong, but God’s love is stronger. It rings out through the bells of Christmas, heralding a victory to every willing heart, with the promise of forgiveness, redemption, a future and hope.
May that victory be yours,
Jim
*Read the poet’s Christmas Bells here.
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