Thursday, December 16, 2010

moving slowly

Another week has slipped through my fingers...I am usually feeling industrious, excited, and inspired this time of year, but that is all eluding me right now. I will share glimpses of our week to remind me of what we have enjoyed, to bring inspiration from our days...I think what we are needing is a tree, which will hopefully happen tomorrow...

We hiked last weekend with some friends, taking a look at their new property, adjacent to their farm, where they hope to build a cob cottage.  We are hoping we can be involved in that adventure! We shared the most amazing meal, and paused to take in the fact that, except for the coconut oil that had been used, we knew where each and every bit of it had come from - the chickens, potatoes, sweet potatoes from their farm, the greens and sprouts from a farm not far away, the blackberries frozen from picking during the summer...
We had a little snow inside and out...
We cleaned our nature table and created something new that tells several stories of winter.  Stones, bones, small candles, and a nativity scene that I've had since highschool when my family visited Israel. 
Mother Night, holding the weakened light of the sun in her arms, until the long nights of winter have passed.
Friends came over for some magic - wet felting, tea parties, a play...
There were even some quiet moments for me...untangling some yarn, listening to a few TED talks in the corner of my kitchen.
Today there was the magic of waking up to a quiet blanket of snow, which is still coming down. 
Yes, plenty of places to find inspiration. I think I always could use a couple more weeks of autumn - maybe we could squeeze them between Thanksgiving and Christmas somewhere? I move slowly, and feel torn between what my social self recognizes as the cheerful bustle of the season, and the part of me that feels the urge to just sit in one place, knitting in my lap, children quietly playing nearby, Dan with guitar or book in his lap...I don't think I'm alone (from the reading I'm doing online, and from my own kiddos who seem to be moving more slowly), but it feels a little uncomfortable somehow, like I'm failing to fully appreciate and celebrate the season. I'll get there...

2 comments:

Stephanie said...

I say just let it be.
It sounds to me like you are drifting into winter beautifully, and it does take time.
I think we got lucky (jump-started) this year because just before Thanksgiving we got snow, and our temps dropped to around zero degrees. A week or so of that, and things definitely felt wintery!
So it's easy to be thrilled right now with fudge and packages and gingerbread men. :)
Don't fret about it - it looks beautiful from here, and like you're quite enjoying things.

Stacy (Mama-Om) said...

Debbie -- where did you get Mother Night. I love that... the name, the image. Did you make it up or is there some story of Mother Night you can share?