HAPPY NEW YEAR!

"There are those who try to bottle the old year for safekeeping but at midnight the cork always pops." 

~ Terri Guillemets ~

I love this day, this beginning, this fresh page!

I love the opportunity to set intentions,

To let go of the past,

And look to the months ahead with hope and courage.

It's time to chart a course, and get the boat out of the harbor.

It's time to make headway.

It's time to set the sails and welcome whatever weather comes.

I celebrate the new year with happy anticipation!

2018

"Hope and faith flower from the cheerful seeds of the old year to the sprouting garden of the new year's dawn." 

~ Terri Guillemets ~

It's coming and can't be stopped. Let's welcome it and live it with grace every step of the way.

I step joyfully into the new year!

ROOTS

"Because time itself is like a spiral, something special happens on your birthday each year: The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again." 

~ Menachem Mendel Schneerson ~

I am the mother of twins, and today is their 23rd Birthday. I honor and acknowledge the brightness and artistic gifts of my daughter, Sienna, and the steady drive and intelligence of my son, Nick.
     We've been through it all together- the ups, the downs, the round and rounds. We've filled and emptied of fear, explored possibility, and traveled the difficult road of emotional turmoil. We've laughed and cried and been fully human every step of the way.
     Birthdays are a milestone. They end something and begin something. They are a day to celebrate, a day to reflect, and a day to connect. We share roots, these two young adults and I; we share history, we share the importance of this day, and we share the journey we will travel together into the unknown future.

I celebrate the primal family connection! 

THE YEARLY CYCLE

"Nature is new every morning, but its cycles are ancient, independent of all our anxieties, oblivious to our plans." 

~ Barbara Cawthorne Crafton ~

The cyclical nature of life makes it rhythmically beautiful. Here we are again, another year along, moving towards 2018 filled with hope and possibility. This year's Christmas tree is starting to lose it's magic, and the freshness of a new beginning awaits.

I stand in the grateful space between the year that has passed and the one to come. 

IDENTIFYING EXPECTATIONS

"Among the decay of expectations and the mangled relics of happiness, hope blossoms and shines at once a flower and a star." 

~ Henry James Slack ~

Historically speaking, I set myself up for disappointment by wanting this week to be something special, by wanting it to be cozy, relaxing, restorative, and filled with love. Instead of letting it be whatever it is, I measure it against some internal standard that is based on a kind of Norman Rockwell feeling.
     This year, I'm willing to let my expectations go, to hear the wannabe stories in my head and not buy into them; to be free to enjoy the unique, one-of-a-kind experiences that each moment brings.

I open to the freshness of this day.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

"Let it be." 

~ The Beatles ~

Letting this day show up however it does is a challenge. We have so many ideas and longings. We want people to feel the love and thoughtfulness in the presents we have chosen, to be happy, to be at peace, and we want to be happy and at peace ourselves.
     And yet, the trail of past years haunts us. We are profoundly aware of those who are missing. We try not to compare to other Christmases, but can't help ourselves. And the day passes as it always does, mixed with beauty and a sense of loss.
     Let's be clear with ourselves this year that Christmas doesn't have to be anything. It can simply be what it is.

I welcome the day as it comes. 

LET THE MAGIC BEGIN

"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!" 

~ Hamilton Wright Mabie ~

If we open to it, whether we celebrate Christmas or not, we can enjoy the coming quiet. We can indulge in the closing of places that are not usually closed, the sense of suspended activity, the imagined happiness of children and families as they celebrate, and the nostalgia of all who feel sadness this time of year.
     There's a magic to it... if we allow it in, and a wonder, and a spirit of something that is not usually there.

I welcome the energy of silent stillness.