St. Nicholas’ Eve.

December 5, 2009March 17, 2018Leave a comment

I know, I know. Its past my bedtime and I shouldn't be posting, I should be sleeping. (St. Nicholas is sure to arrive tonight, and the kids will be up by six, eating peppermint sticks and chocolate coins before breakfast. I must be ready.)

But I'm not much for should's. (Though I will keep it short.)

Today was a perfect December day.

It began with an early(ish) morning walk. The kids were certain they saw the following tracks:

1. Cat

2. Rabbit

3. Mama

4. Gnome

Along the way we shared a quiet, snowy moment with Buddha, and then…

…arrived at our destination: our local Waldorf School's annual Holiday Fair. Between the peppermint oranges, wool felt crafting, music, luscious organic food, and all sorts of handmade awesomeness, we enjoyed ourselves completely.

Although we have chosen to homeschool, we are so blessed to have the Waldorf school here in our small town. It has created an energy in our community that we love and attracted so many kindred spirits to our area. (I never thought I would blend so well in such a small town.)

: : * : : * : : * : : * : :

And tonight? Yes, St. Nicholas will be here soon. I should go to bed so that he doesn't have to come back later (he's pretty shy, Sage tells me). Every year he brings us a silly poem, a few chocolate coins, some nuts, and clementines. He's pretty mellow but so looked forward to around here.

I adored the tradition of St. Nicholas as a child. It brought the holidays in so close, so early and I delighted in it. My best friend's family didn't share the tradition so I justified the discrepancy in holidays as follows: they don't celebrate St. Nicholas because they are Jewish. (Never mind that I often attended Catholic mass with them – in their church.)

And now, as a parent? We didn't intend to celebrate St. Nicholas in our family. I struggled with Santa and St. Nick and the Easter Bunny and all of the magical deceit when Sage was small. But the magic of childhood prevailed, and we invited Santa and the Bunny. (I drew the line at St. Nick.) But after a fated December visit to a friend's house a few years ago they found out about the jolly man in red #2, and they have invited him ever since.

Frankly, I'm glad. I always was partial to St. Nick.

Sweet dreams, and a sweet morning to you all!

Autumn Walk.

November 6, 2009March 17, 2018Leave a comment

Pete is traveling for work, and those days are often packed with "to do's", like laundry, cooking, parenting, and generally holding the ship together. Today (his first day away) we were invited on a hike with some dear friends. We ditched the to-do list and put our boots on.

It was a perfect day. Sunny, breezy bliss. There was milkweed to make wind-magic with…

An abundance of love – with plenty of hands to hold,

and the beauty of nature to hold us close.

As fall inches towards winter, these days are vital. Connecting with
the people we love most (even with my sweetie away) out in the sun and wind is also vital.
Laughing, walking, talking, relaxing, picnicking… truly a perfect, magical
autumn day.

As we walked the final stretch back towards the trailhead, Lupine sprinkled sumac berries along the trail. She said, "These berries are for Mother Earth. She can gather them up in her fairy wings and fly away to the earth, her home, to plant them."

A day like this breeds magic indeed.

Go outside and play.

October 27, 2009March 17, 2018Leave a comment

I took a walk alone this morning. Just my boots and me. A solo walk at this stage in my life is a rare and precious event. The air was cold, the frost thick, the sun bright.

And all six blocks of it were magical.

The contrasts at this time of year are poetry for my visual mind. Cold and warm, vibrant and dark, beginning and end.

And autumn, like so many other delicious bits of life is fleeting. It won't
be around long. So put on your boots, grab your favorite sweater, and get into it. Smell it, hike through it, roll in it.

Skip out of work/school/other daily obligations if you have to. But do it now. The magic won't wait.