Category: Seasonal Celebration
January Stillness
The older I get, the deeper my love for winter grows. Bemoaned for its long nights, dull days and monotonous cold, January is often everyone’s least favorite month. There are barely any dates of note on the calendar (with the exception of today, Martin Luther King day). Compared to the pomp and celebratory splendor…
The Holidays & Why I Believe in Magic
These days I’m part of a community that largely does not celebrate the holidays or, more generally, questions the season as a cause for celebration at all. I often find myself defending my fierce love of Christmas (which was the holiday my family chose to celebrate growing up). Fumbling over words, I try to…
Thanks Giving: A Precious Cycle
Giving and Gratitude is a precious cycle of exchange that keeps us vital and alive. Every day, in a million ways, we are given incredible gifts. Sunlight, air, vision, purpose, family, and amazing opportunities for growth. These gifts are rained down upon us, softening the hard landscapes of our existence, encouraging us to…
Fall Harvest & Deep Colors
Autumn has passed swiftly. In one momentous sweep the mountains around my home turned from yellow, to gold, to amber, to ruby and then finally– with a last groan– to earth and brown. Here in the Blue Ridge we watch steadily for that first bit of color. It seeps down from the top…
Lost in the Garden
For weeks now I have been utterly and completely lost in the garden. Planting, pruning, digging, and expanding– the pursuit of growing things has literally devoured my life. What began as a modest vegetable garden last year, is now in the midst of a transformation. For years I have been dreaming of pausing in…
Handmade Valentines
This year I was inspired to make real, honest-to-goodness valentines. You know, those traditional heart-shaped treasures festooned with lace and smothered in floral and velvet. There is something about handmade valentines that strikes a forgotten chord in us, like the relighting of a candle. Once upon a time Valentine’s Day was all about the…
One a Day
A friend of my mine recently shared this inspiring ritual with me. Every February this friend gets together with a group of people and they all decide on a One a Day. Every day for the entire month of February each person in the group chooses one thing that they will do (no ifs,…
