No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. . . . Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." --John Donne
During the holiday season in particular, many church bells ring out in proclamation of Christmas, church service or Mass start times or oftentimes churches in town squares, bells on the hour or even melodiously marking the half hour points. In some neighborhoods people have even complained that all the clanging and bong bonging throughout the day, particularly into the evening hours is down right annoying, particularly when hitting the nine, ten, eleven, and twelve o'clock marks.
The church bell and its bonging is a perfect metaphor for the seasons in our life. We awaken to life early in our adolescence and grow with our observations and experiences as time goes on. The bonging can be thought of as reminders and wake up calls along the way. The longer and longer bonging as we head toward the end of the day (twelve chimes) reminds us that at least life here on earth is NOT forever for us. We have to get in what we need to get in.
So as you hear the church bells of eight, nine, ten or later and think of them as possibly annoying to you, remember it is a gentle reminder that you are moving through seasons of your life and to be doing what you need to do in each season. It is afterall a terrific journey.
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